Student Guide Corner

It continues to confound me how few educators have heard of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) principles which promote student success and competence . Even earlier today, Lisa Parisi and I were discussing the lack of UDL awareness in education circles and how surprised we both are by this fact. Sometimes I wonder if it's because the term is typically (and erroneously) connected to special education and assistive technology. If it is connected to special education, do general educators believe it's an educational concept they do not need to understand? If that is the case, we need to correct the misconception. And then I read this.... " A Monumental Step Towards Promoting UDL for All " (via the Assistive Technology Blog) The post described what feels like a watershed moment, a recent event at the National Education Association's main headquarters . The NEA sponsored a symposium entitled Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Practices with over 200 parti...

Note: This is timely considering my last post. Great news to share! Two incredible educators, Lisa Parisi and Christine Southard have been selected for recognition for their exemplary work at the Denton Avenue Elementary School in New Hyde, NY . Read about their extraordinary co-teaching model at the CAST UDL Spotlight site. (Full disclosure - I nominated them and am thrilled to see that CAST believed they are worthy of recognition as well). What is UDL Spotlight? Educators around the world are applying key aspects of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in highly innovative ways. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) is pleased to feature these examples of UDL features in teacher practice, in applications of technology, courses, tools and web sites to support teaching and learning. In each Spotlight, we highlight segments of the UDL Guidelines that are met by any implementation. We hope these exciting ideas will spark even more UDL innovation and serve as a forum for all o...

It's not often you come across a teacher like Lisa Parisi. Lisa co-teaches in an inclusion classroom where there is no distinction between regular education and special education kids. Kids are valued without labels. And success happens here. Lisa's most recent blog post, " A Perfect Storm? " details what successful co-teaching in an inclusive classroom looks like. There are four components: 1. A shared philosophy 2. Universal Design for Learning embedded throughout the curriculum 3. Project Based Learning 4. A belief that children work better in small groups Additional factors that promote success: We both work very hard to make our classroom engaging, fun, and supportive. We spend a great deal of time teaching the children acceptance and respect for each other. We both are capable of showing our students that we are learners, too, and as such, have our own struggles to overcome. We both believe in telling children the truth. We want them to understand their strugg...

Shout this one from the rafters!! Do you ever wonder what successful, inclusive, 21st century education looks like in a public school? Would you know it if you saw it? Lisa Parisi and Christine Southard , two highly-skilled, dedicated and impressive educators who co-teach a fifth grade class of students in New York have defined success for all in this blog post at Lisa's Lingo . Here is a model to replicate with very simple guiding principles: 1. Do not separate the children.....Remember inclusion means to be included, not separated. 2. Don't hide special needs. Point out that we all need assistance at times. Make it available to everyone. 3. Mix the teachers up and allow students to choose their style of learning. 4. Keep student s in the classroom as much as possible. Eliminate as many pull-outs as you can. And why is this model note-worthy? Because it recognizes the value of differentiated instruction to help each student succeed in the least restrictive environment...