By: Jana Nicol

It is likely not a coincidence that this is my first blog entry since late 2019. On occasion I'd realize how long it had been since I had written anything, but anytime I tried to turn that realization into an idea of something I could write about, I just felt stuck. Like many others, I have been trying to adjust to "the new normal", which can be quite exhausting at times.

In New Brunswick, Canada, where I teach, schools were closed on March 13, 2020 and students did not return to school until September 2020. In the spring of 2020, we were all just trying our best to keep our heads above water as we tried to teach from home as much as we could. We traded in the classroom and the conference room for Zoom, and took a crash course in virtual teaching and learning in real time while trying to cope with so much change and uncertainty in the world. 

Although there were a lot of restrictions put in place that seemed to be ever-changing, I consider myself fortunate to have been able to teach my grade two class in person throughout the 2020-21 school year. One of the restrictions put in place here included the use of classroom bubbles. Students could only be near their own classmates, including during recess time. Schools throughout the province set up staggered recesses and partitioned the school yards into zones for each classroom bubble. I mentally prepared for this, with the knowledge that for the last several months, due to public health restrictions, most of my students had limited opportunities to socialize with other children (if any).

Knowing my students would only be able to interact with their own classmates throughout the school day, and that many of them were "out of practice" socializing with other children, it was of the utmost importance to build a strong sense of community in my classroom. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, building relationships, learning about how to be active listeners, and learning how to work effectively in groups. While I have engaged students in community-building activities for as long as I can remember, especially at the beginning of the school year, I noticed some differences in how I executed it this year. The key differences in the 2020-2021 school year were:

• I did not limit such activities to the beginning of the year
• I spent more time explicitly teaching students how to work in groups across all subject areas, including specific skillsets such as active listening, resolving conflicts, how to offer help, turn taking, etc.
• I did not feel any guilt over "taking time away from instruction" to focus on building community and teaching students how to work together effectively

And the result? Students had made excellent gains in their abilities to collaborate. This made group activities more enjoyable for everyone, which resulted in us doing group activities more often. Through observing multiple ways of seeing things (though the eyes of their peers), and through the act of asking one another questions or explaining things to their peers (or to me), students exhibited more depth in their understanding of what they were learning. They also exhibited much more kindness and patience for one another, and learned that every member of the group has something of value to offer.

I have long been aware of the benefits of community building and collaboration, and understand that collaborating effectively is an important life skill (and part of CAST's UDL Guidelines), yet I had spent years avoiding "too much" group work because deep down I knew, that in order to facilitate effective group work it was necessary to devote ENOUGH time to teach the necessary skills. But where would this time come from? We never seem to have enough time in the school day!

I wish it hadn't taken a global pandemic and its resulting restrictions to force me to stop caring where that time would come from and just do it. To stop giving into pressure to make sure we "cover the curriculum" in the limited time we have to do so. In the age of social distancing, my little classroom bubble came together in a way that I would not have thought possible before. Not only because the world changed, but also because my teaching changed - through my intentional decision to "do UDL" more than I had before.

By Jana Nicol

In New Brunswick, Canada, where I teach, we have an inclusive system of education. There is no alternative setting for students who have special needs, so every student is placed in the general classroom setting. Classroom composition is quite diverse as a result, and meeting the needs of all students can be challenging at times. I have embraced Universal Design for Learning because it has helped improve my practice to better meet the needs of my students.


UDL has the potential to create a truly inclusive educational setting for all students. UDL plans for learner variability from the outset, meaning that the needs of all students are accounted for in the planning stage, which reduces the need for accommodations, and in some cases eliminates this need altogether. This is because many accommodations commonly used for students who follow Personalized Learning Plans (known as IEPs in other school systems) can be made accessible to everyone. Some examples include:

• Extra time to complete assignments and tests
• Reducing the number of assigned questions
• Having students complete larger assignments in smaller chunks
• Reading directions aloud to students
• Simplifying directions
• Checking in with students to ensure they understand directions before beginning a task
• Using reduced reading level material for students (e.g. a simpler text that covers the same content)
• Providing examples on how to respond to questions
• Providing photocopied notes
• Allow students to use dark lined paper for writing assignments
• Give students the option to take frequent activity breaks
• Provide students with manipulatives for Math (e.g. counters, number lines, base ten models, addition or multiplication tables, etc.)
• Offer access to a computer to complete assignments
• Offer choices in how to demonstrate learning (e.g. written essay, write a test, create a visual model, make a powerpoint presentation, etc).

Benefits to offering accommodations to everyone (or to anyone who wishes to use them) may include:

• Destigmatizing the process of receiving accommodations (e.g. if everyone is given dark lined paper to write on, it doesn't single out students who need to use it (such as those who are visually impaired or have difficulties with fine motor planning)
• Students do not need to have a diagnosis/label in order to have access to accommodations which may help them experience more academic success
• Reducing barriers to learning material or to demonstrating what they know - all students should be afforded the opportunity to learn or demonstrate learning in ways that capitalize on their strengths!
• Students are given more autonomy over their learning. Having choice empowers them to learn in ways that interest them the most, or that makes learning more accessible to them

In a nutshell, by being flexible, more students can fully participate in the general classroom setting without the need for accommodations, because instead of accommodating only those who have a documented need to be accommodated, we offer those accommodations to everyone. I have used this approach in my classroom for years, and have seen how it benefits everyone, not only those who follow Personalized Education Plans. 


Does this mean everyone follows regular curriculum? I'd say yes, to the greatest extent possible. In my own classroom, by being flexible it has significantly reduced the need to provide accommodations to most of my students. But I would add that UDL does not negate the need very few students have to follow adjusted goals/programming (known as individualized in other school systems). Some students, for example, those who have significant cognitive delays, have different needs and deserve to have those needs met. This can be done in the regular classroom setting, and can be matched to the regular curriculum as much as possible so that they can feel like they are a valued member of the classroom community. For example, if students are learning how to write a five paragraph essay on a given topic (e.g. what they did over the holiday break), a student who follows an adjusted curriculum could complete the same assignment, writing about their holiday break, but may be expected to write a few sentences instead. They are working towards their adjusted goal (e.g. to write three sentences about a familiar topic), but are working on this activity in the classroom while their peers are working towards writing five paragraphs on the same topic.


UDL by definition is to plan for learner variability, because it is the norm, not the exception. The notion that all students learn differently is well-supported by research from learning sciences and cognitive neuroscience. Another well-known axiom of UDL is to be firm on the goal, and flexible on the means. I would argue that for some students, in order to meet their needs, and to meaningfully include them in the general classroom setting, at times it is necessary to also be flexible on the goal. 


**This blog was inspired by a recent discussion I had with colleagues on Twitter about the subject. I'd highly recommend #udlchat on Twitter, which is held the first and third Wednesday of every month at 9:00 EST.

​By Jana Nicol

If you've read my previous blogs, you'll know I have a lot of love for the Daily 5 and Literacy CAFE structure in my Language Arts classroom. If you haven't heard about it, I'd highly recommend these books.

What I love about the Daily 5/CAFE structure is how well it works with the guiding principles of Universal Design for Learning, specifically:

Optimize individual choice and autonomy

Students are given a set of activities to complete each week, and each day they are able to choose which one they will do. They are also able to choose where they sit, provided that they stay in one spot and work the entire time (this is not limited to sitting at a table. They are allowed to work on the floor, under tables, anywhere within reason!). When they are reading, they are able to select their own books, and when doing word work I usually offer a choice of activities to work on. One of the reasons students buy into this structure so much is because of how much choice they are given. The activities students complete are designed to be completed independently, so the teacher acts as a facilitator while students take charge of their own learning.

Foster collaboration and community

The activities in this structure involve working alone, in pairs, or in small groups. By the end of each week, students have done all three at least once. Mini-lessons are also offered to the whole class before each round, and these can be designed for whole-class instruction or small groups (e.g. table talk, pair and share).

Increase mastery-oriented feedback

Because students are engaged in learning independently, or in pairs or small groups, and the teacher acts as a facilitator, the teacher has the ability to meet confer with individuals and small groups. During these conferences, the teacher can provide focused instruction that targets the specific needs of those individuals. It also provides an opportunity for teachers to give specific and immediate feedback, and collaborate to develop goals to help them make gains in a given area.

Support planning and strategy development

Another benefit of conferring with students is that it provides an opportunity for teachers and students to have a discussion about what students need to work on, and the steps they could follow to meet their goals. For example, if a student is having difficulty reading with expression, the teacher can model what it looks/sounds like, and together the teacher and student can discuss ways the student can improve in this area. This may involve re-reading familiar books, reading easier books, focusing on the punctuation in a book, and so on. Making students a part of this discussion, instead of just telling them what to do helps them learn how to make and follow a plan - which is a valuable life skill. It also helps them become goal-oriented individuals!

The setup

Instead of Daily 5, I call it Daily MATH. Math stands for:

M - Math with someone
A - At work on my own
T - Teacher's choice
H - Hands-on manipulatives

Each week I have four rounds of Daily MATH. In each round a group of students completes one of the four activities, and follows a rotation until they have completed all four activities. Each round lasts for 20-30 minutes. Before we begin Daily MATH, we work together to make an anchor chart. We begin by discussing the purposes of doing Daily MATH, then talk about what the expectations should be for work and behaviour, not only for students, but also for the teacher. I guide the discussion, and record the students ideas on the chart. Here is an example:

Locating materials
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​Once we have established the expectations for work and behaviour, we review how to work cooperatively, how to choose a spot to work wisely, and how to locate materials needed to do the activities. I find it beneficial to simplify the process of locating materials as much as possible. I have one basket for each activity in which students can find everything they need to do their work. At the beginning of each round, students find their designated basket, take the materials they need, choose a spot in the classroom to work, and begin working. Being able to locate materials quickly in the very beginning saves a lot of wasted time looking for what to need. It also prevents students from wandering around the room claiming they cannot find what they need.

Student groupings
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I keep track of which activity students are doing each round by having a space on my Math wall that shows the four activities and the student groupings. Each time I begin a new round, I rotate the names. The labels on the baskets and Math wall match, which makes it easier for students to know which activity they are doing, and which basket to use. The labels have text supported by images so they are also accessible to struggling readers.

For Daily MATH, I like to use mixed-ability groupings. I find this beneficial so students can ask for help from group members if needed. I also keep a set of written instructions for each activity in the baskets, so one person from each group can read it aloud to the entire group before beginning their work. This way students are able to obtain the instructions even if they struggle with reading. I also design the activities to be things students have already spent some time learning, and this provides additional practice. I would not choose a brand new concept for a Daily MATH activity, because few students would be able to complete them independently.

The early stages of implementing Daily MATH involves discussing expectations for working as a group or in pairs. I do not take much time in the beginning to meet with individuals and small groups to work on Math as I am busy training students in how to work independently and to follow the agreed-upon expectations for work and behaviour. For instance, students are allowed to choose where they sit, but they have a responsibility not to disturb others. Once the expectations for work, collaboration, and behaviour are well-established, all students are engaged in learning independently, which allows me to confer with individuals and small groups and offer extra help, or enrichment in Math. This creates amazing opportunities to help students more with their Math. It also provides opportunities to give students immediate and specific feedback, and to discuss their learning goals and how to meet them.


The activities

Each week I change the activities in each basket. I try to make all of the activities focus on 1-2 learning outcomes that students have already had exposure to.  Here are some basic guidelines I follow for each of the four tasks:

Math with someone
This usually involves a group or partner game, or some sort of mini-project that students can work on collaboratively.

At work on my own
This could include any activity that students can complete independently (e.g. worksheets, Math journals, task cards, etc).

Teacher's choice
Anything goes! Sometimes I have students play a game on the SMART board or computers, sometimes they complete a math journal, play a game, use manipulatives to solve a problem, etc.

Hands-on manipulatives
Any activity that involves the use of math manipulatives would be used here. Tasks or games that involve the use of base ten blocks, pattern blocks, rulers, counters, dice, dominoes, calculators, or any hands-on activity could be used in this station.


What does this look like?

The following file has a sample of what one week of Math in my classroom would look like. It contains:

- A lesson plan for an entire week, which also outlines each of the Daily MATH activities students complete each day
- A blank template for the lesson plan
- A set of instructions for Daily Math. I cut this sheet into fourths and put the instructions in each of the corresponding baskets
- Two Math journal topics. I cut the paper so there is a journal topic on each slice of paper. Students glue these into their journal books before answering the question. This eliminates the need to copy the information
- Building arrays worksheet
- Number of the day worksheet

Note: The lesson plan refers to other activities/worksheets, but they are not included in this package as I have only included resources I have personally created.

Activities:

Students begin by practicing for a weekly spelling quiz. I give a few different options for students to complete this task:

• Copy spelling words three times on a white board
• Record spelling words on a sheet of paper with a pencil, trace over them with a pen, then trace over them again with a highlighter.
• Use letter tiles or Bananagrams to make each spelling word
• Use stamps, ink pad, and paper to stamp each spelling word
• Build spelling words with Wikki Stix

Another note about spelling lists: I offer three different choices of list each week that students can choose from. Each list has a different level of difficulty, but share a given focus (e.g. all of the spelling words use the long e sound). Students can choose any list they like each week. 

By Jana Nicol

For the last few years, I have been working to implement more Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices in my teaching. I have noticed an increase in student engagement in my science classes since I have started using interactive notebooks. Eventually I would like to begin using interactive notebooks in other subject areas.

Interactive notebooks can be used to make content and activities more accessible and engaging to students, which are key components of UDL. I use composition notebooks because they are affordable, sturdy, and have a lot of pages. We begin by personalizing the covers of our notebooks, which gives students a sense of ownership over them. I have my students decorate the cover of their notebooks at the beginning of the school year. They are asked to make a collage of pictures (they can bring in photographs, hand drawn pictures, cutouts from books and magazines, and stickers). After they decorate their books, they are really excited to begin using them!

Interactive notebooks can help promote accessibility and engagement in the following ways:
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• ​Templates are provided which help students to record, organize, and store information, and makes it easier for them to remember information and find it later on. 
• They contain notes, templates, diagrams, and activities that have interactive features which are engaging and help students retain information. Some examples include flip books, diagrams, graphs, maps, journals, and pockets for cards (for vocabulary, definitions, and/or games)
• Some of the templates and activities involve drawing pictures and colouring, which many students really enjoy. Some students love to flex their artistic muscles and add a creative flair to their work every chance they get.
• The note writing templates use fill-in-the-blanks, which reduces the need to copy a lot of material. This makes it easier for students to get the information, vocabulary, and definitions they need on paper. It also reduces time needed to record information, which allows more time for activities and discussion.
• Since using interactive notebooks, I have offered all students the option of using them for open-book tests. This rewards students for keeping thorough and well-organized notes, and also helps them practice valuable skills such as skimming texts for information.

​Here are a few samples of student work. These are from the grade three unit on building skills in science (making detailed observations, measurement, classification, and fair testing).

By Jana Nicol

Building a library of teacher resources is a great way to simplify the implementation of Universal Design for Learning on a school-wide basis. In my school, we have created an electronic library, and a book library.

Although both took time to set up initially, it was time well spent as it has made it easier to plan lessons and units that target varying reading levels for a given subject area. For example, if I am planning a grade three science unit on plants, I can use both the electronic and book libraries to find books, worksheets, and other resources that are at a third grade reading level, or at a first or second grade level for struggling readers, or at higher grade levels for students who may need more of a challenge.

As I have already mentioned, finding resources that target diverse reading levels takes time. Setting up a bank of resources in a central location in a school that can be easily accessed by all teachers, and organizing materials by grade and unit also takes a lot of time and effort. But once it has been set up, adding new resources to it (as you find them) is really easy. And the best part? Next time you are planning a lesson or unit, having a well-organized and accessible library is such a time saver, and it empowers teachers to offer materials that are readable by most, if not all students!

Here is how I created each type of library:

Electronic library

I began by choosing a unit (e.g. rocks and minerals for grade four science). Then I scoured the internet for worksheets, activities, and digital texts about that unit. Reading a-z, Science a-z, and Superteacherworksheets.com are a few paid/member sites that our school has access to, and they have a lot of quality materials for a variety of grade levels. Teachers Pay Teachers also has quality free materials, and some you can purchase. There are also some free websites that provide useful materials. I saved all of the materials I found in an electronic library, which has a folder for each grade, each of which has subfolders for each unit in that grade.

Book library (for students and teachers)

We used part of the funding from our action research grant to purchase books for each unit (e.g. grade five social studies, ancient civilizations). We were able to find leveled books in a variety of reading levels for each unit. So in a grade five classroom, if students are learning about Egypt, they have access to books ranging from levels C-Z. This way emergent readers, advanced readers, and those in between are able to read books about ancient Egypt. These books are kept in a large UDL resource bucket in our teacher resource room. They are sorted by grade/unit, and each unit is in a large, labeled resealable plastic bag.

​In addition to books for students, teachers can also find and borrow books about UDL for professsional reading.

By Jana Nicol

​UDL is a process, not a checklist. This was such an a-ha moment for me. It seems so simple, but it has taken me a very long time to come to this conclusion.

When I participated in the UDL action research project in 2013-14, our research team sought to find or create tools to facilitate the implementation of UDL in classrooms. At that time, for us, that meant finding or creating the 'perfect template', something that we could use and share with teachers to make it easier to plan with the UDL principles in mind. We scoured the internet in search of the almighty template, but nothing felt right. We even created a couple of them, and made many revisions along the way. They were usually some variation of a checklist. They usually included checklists for technologies we would use in our lessons, multiple intelligences that were targeted, and of course CAST's UDL guiding principles.

I even spent an entire school year committed to using a checklist. I put it in a plastic sheet protector, and kept it in my lesson plan book. I diligently completed my checklist with a dry erase marker daily. Each day I would erase it, and repeat the process. It took some time, but I convinced myself that it was time well spent. Maybe it was. In any case, I was hooked. Completely addicted to checklists.

This year I returned to work after a year-long maternity leave. I considered using my checklist again, but I asked myself why I felt the need to use this checklist? Who was it for? No one looked at it other than me, and I resolved that by abandoning this tool that I was not abandoning UDL. After all, when I am writing my lesson plans or creating unit plans, UDL is always a part of my thought process. Why the need to document it in such detail? 

Then I had an epiphany. I realized that the time I spent filling out a checklist each day, not to mention the countless hours I spent in search of, and in the creation of 'the perfect checklist', perhaps was not time well spent after all. What really mattered was that I was constantly trying to implement UDL practices in my classroom. That lessons were planned from the outset to target the needs of all of my students. That learning activities were designed to be engaging for students. That students were given choice and autonomy. That the physical environment and learning materials were accessible. That my classroom was managed in a way to minimize distractions and foster collaboration and community. And most importantly, that I did not need a checklist to accomplish any of that. So ended my addiction to checklists.

I'm proud to say that I've been checklist-free for the last three months. It's been wonderful! I'm no longer faced by the task of erasing and re-doing a checklist each day before I leave work. It might not seem like much, but removing just one daily task from a seemingly endless pile of daily tasks has been liberating. And, as I suspected, removing the checklist from my lesson plan book did not mean that I'm no longer 'doing UDL'. I am still highly engaged with implementing UDL in my classroom, and I don't need a checklist to prove that!

I'm really happy with this decision. Maybe even as happy the teacher in this stock photo. I mean, who wouldn't be happy with a class of five students?

By Jana Nicol

Implementing Universal Design for Learning in the classroom can seem like a huge undertaking at first, which is why it's best to start small. Making small changes, then continually building upon them is how I have managed to incorporate elements of UDL in my classroom. I may not be exactly where I want to be yet, but by making small changes over the years, my teaching and how my students are learning is much more engaging than it once was.

I've blogged before about promoting engagement through goal setting. But this school year I have built upon this idea ways that are very easy to implement in a classroom, and this process has also put students in a role to help keep me on task, which they love!

One of the guiding principles of UDL is to heighten the salience of goals and objectives (CAST guiding principle 8.1). In order to apply this principle in the classroom, for years I have been writing curriculum outcomes on my lesson plans, and displaying these outcomes in my classroom in student-friendly language. But it made very little impact, and in spite of my efforts to use student friendly language and display the outcomes prominently on the wall, the reality is that many students just tuned it out. 

I wanted to make learning goals an ongoing part of student dialogue in our classroom, not for the sake of students knowing what I wanted them to learn, but so that they could understand the why of learning... to help them understand that each activity they do will take them closer to learning something. For example, they're not just completing a worksheet, playing a game, or working in a group... these activities are designed to help them learn how to skip count/read a map/write a recount/classify data/etc.

Here's how I have put learning goals at the forefront of learning, and engaged students in the process:

• I have created a goal wall in my classroom, which is divided by subject areas. 
• In each subject area, a small number of goals that they are currently working on are written in student-friendly language.
• One of my classroom jobs is Goal Reader. At the beginning of each subject each day, the goal reader's responsibility is to read the goals aloud to the class. The students enjoy this job, and this has helped keep me accountable. It motivates me to keep the goals updated, and to keep learning goals an ongoing part of classroom discourse. 
• On all written assessments, the goals are recorded at the top of the page in student-friendly language. The goal reader reads these aloud before students complete the assessment.

My class goal board was very easy to setup. I purchased four whiteboards with magnetic backings, as I have mine placed on top of a chalkboard. Then I used Ready Letters for "Our Goals," and name plates for labels for the subjects. I have a Language Arts board, a Math board, a Science/Social Studies board, and a board for Community/Wellness. The Community/Wellness board covers basic rules and routines, as well as what we are learning in Health and Personal Wellness. 

I alternate black marker and colour marker on each board to make it easier to see each individual goal. I update the goals as needed, usually about once a week, depending on subject area. Some goals are ongoing or last for the duration of a unit, so I'm not changing every single goal every week. It's really manageable. Also, I don't include every single outcome we're working toward... but I do try to write the goals in a simple and general way that touches on most of the outcomes, and so that they are easily understood by students.

Keeping all of the goals in one place, instead of scattered all over the room (e.g. I used to keep the Math outcomes on the Math wall, the LA outcomes on my word wall, etc.), has made it easy for students to locate all of our goals at any given time, which makes it more accessible. By creating a class job to read the goals to the class (which rotates weekly), I've made students active participants in the process, which has increased their engagement with their goals. And by putting students in charge of reading the goals aloud, not only does it help keep me accountable (in terms of updating the goals and making sure they are stated regularly), it allows every student in the class to hear about their learning goals from someone other than me!

Overall, this has been a positive change in my classroom, and has definitely fine-tuned the way I heighten the salience of goals and objectives in my classroom, which has helped to further promote student engagement.

By Jana Nicol

"Fair doesn't always mean equal."

As an elementary school teacher, sometimes it is necessary to help young students to develop a more sophisticated understanding of fairness. Part of building classroom community is helping students understand that we all have different needs, and that everyone has an equal right to learn. ​This picture usually comes to mind when I think of this topic:

In the first image of this picture, everyone is given the exact same support. They are being treated equally, but they are not being treated fairly. If we are striving to teach all of our students fairly, then some students may be given different supports which gives everyone an equal chance of success. This often results in accommodations, such as providing extra time, or printing worksheets in larger print for those who need it.

The picture above is definitely more widely distributed than this one:

The third image in this picture is an excellent example of universal design for learning. The need for additional supports is eliminated altogether because the systemic barrier has been removed. For teachers who wish to implement UDL in their classrooms, we must think of ways to reduce the need for additional supports. 

As teachers, we may not have the ability to completely remove the need for accommodations in our classroom, because we lack control over some of the systemic barriers that make learning challenging for some students. For example, we may lack funding for technology, or we may be obligated to follow a set regulations for the administration of standardized assessments. 

But we can at least make the effort to empower ourselves to remove as many barriers as we can in our own classrooms in ways that are affordable and feasible. Here are just a few ways that we can help remove barriers in our own classrooms: 

• We can make classroom materials accessible - we can put materials within everyone's reach, add labels with words and pictures, keep them in a consistent location so students can remember where they are kept, and make small purchases that increase accessibility in the classroom (e.g. left-handed scissors, magnifying glasses, fidgets)
• We can offer flexible seating - we can have a variety of seating arrangements in the classroom to maximize comfort for all students (traditional desk and chair, stools, stability balls, yoga mats, standing desk, etc). We can allow students to sit on the floor, under tables, anywhere where they feel comfortable, provided that they are following classroom expectations for work. We can also allow movement from one seat to another because some students need more movement than others.
• We can offer accommodations to all students - not everyone will need them, but making them available to everyone takes the stigma away from those who rely on them and can benefit everyone. For example, taking away time limits from a test is not only beneficial for those who need more time, but it can also help alleviate anxiety for those who become anxious when they are being timed. 
• We can establish and follow predictable routines - many students thrive on routine, and they like to know what to expect. We can have well-established routines for passing out and collecting materials, transitioning between activities, getting ready to go outside, etc. We can post a visual schedule in a prominent area of the room and follow it.
• We can activate background knowledge before discussing a given topic. Students come to school with a diverse range of experiences and some students may benefit from learning a little bit about a topic before jumping into a lesson. For some students, skipping this step can make a learning activity completely inaccessible to them. And for other students, we can improve the quality of their work by refreshing their memory about a given topic. For example, if we are asking students to write out instructions for making a snowman, we cannot assume that every student has experience with this. Maybe their parents do not allow them to play outside, or perhaps they have moved here from a warmer climate. Before the writing activity, we can discuss the steps involved in building a snowman, watch a video of children building a snowman, or take the entire class outside to build snowmen (if you live in a snowy climate).
• Heighten the salience of goals/objectives - Some students need to have a sense of purpose in learning tasks. They need to know why they are doing what they are doing... or what the point of an activity is. Taking time to review a lesson's objectives in simple language at the beginning of a lesson can help students understand what they need to know and why.

By Jana Nicol

​This post focuses on the physical setup of the classroom, and how teachers can make small changes in their classrooms to make materials and information more easily accessible to students.

Word work and spelling materials

Students participate in an independent spelling program, and choose their own words each week. They can use the word lists (in the bucket on the left) to create their own lists. These lists are in varying levels (from grades 1-6) so students can choose words to study that are appropriate for them. 


Students can use the materials pictured to study their words each day. Materials include: stamps, letter tiles, scrabble tiles, Bananagrams, Wikisticks, and dry erase boards (not pictured).

Visual labels and bilingual labels

Students follow a rotation of class jobs, one of which is taking care of pencils. The labels on the jars help them keep dull and sharp pencils in their proper places. It also makes it easier for students locate sharp pencils when they need them.

I also teach French, and there are bilingual labels throughout the classroom that help students learn French vocabulary. Although the labels shown are not supported by pictures, most labels are directly on the items they label (e.g. the label for the door is on the door, the label for the window is on the window, etc.).

Math games

All games are kept on a shelf that can easily be reached by all students. The buckets shown are sorted by grade level (this is a grade 3/4 split class).

Each bucket has bags of games. Each bag has one game, all of the needed materials, and instructions which are supported by visuals.

Not shown: Store-bought Math board games, jar of dice, container full of decks of cards, bucket of flashcards. All of these materials are in buckets which are labeled with text and visuals.

By Jana Nicol

​Traditionally, accommodations, assistive tech, and sensory tools were in the realm of special education. For the sake of clarity, as terminology may differ from place to place, I'll give a brief definition of each along with examples:

Assistive tech - Assistive technologies are tools that promote accessibility in the classroom. For example, an FM system can amplify sounds for students who are hearing-impaired. Computers, along with specialized software (such as word-predicting software) can help increase written output for students who have dysgraphia. PECS (picture exchange communication system) can help increase communication and literacy for students who have Autism Spectrum Disorders. Coloured overlays can help struggling readers more easily read texts.
 

Sensory tools - Sensory tools help students who have difficulties with attention, and/or processing sensory input, and helps them function more successfully in the classroom. Some students need sensory tools or breaks in order to stay calm, focused, and attentive throughout the school day. For example, noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds can help students who are hyper-sensitive to noise. Access to fidgets can help improve focus for some students. Wedge seats or hokki stools can help students sit and attend for longer periods of time.

In a universally designed learning environment, accommodations, assistive tech, and sensory tools are available to anyone who needs it. Unfortunately, some school systems require diagnoses and documentation in order to provide these things to students. In systems such as these, funding for assistive technology and sensory tools are withheld until diagnoses are given, and policies forbid the use of accommodations in the name of 'fairness.'

I would argue that fairness does not mean that we treat everyone exactly the same. Rather, fairness means that we give all students the tools they need to meet their fullest potential.

The picture above illustrates the idea perfectly. We are doing our students a disservice if we pretend they all need the same things in order to succeed. Our students, and their needs and abilities, are diverse.

One benefit to getting out of the mindset that we must have diagnoses and documentation to justify the need for additional supports is that we can destigmatize these supports. Students may be hesitant to use fidgets and wedge seats, or may refuse to take extra time to complete tasks if they feel that these supports are only available to those who have special needs. However, if these supports are made available to everyone, then more students would be willing to take advantage of them.

And who couldn't benefit from extra help, or from taking advantage of things that make our lives easier? Adults do it all of the time. This may explain why there's an app for practically everything, or why many people use the escalator instead of the stairs, even though they do not have difficulties with mobility. Why deny these conveniences to our students?

For some students, accommodations may be just convenient, but for other students they are essential. In a universally designed learning environment, such supports are made available to everyone, not only to destigmatize the use of accommodations for those who need them, but also to increase everyone's potential for success.

By Jana Nicol

​Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) are a means of collaborating to learn more about any given topic. Unlike school-based Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), or district-based Learning Teams, PLNs are not limited by geography. Members of PLNs use technology and social media to share idea and resources to learn and collaborate with teachers, administrators, and experts all over the world.

PLNs are an amazing way to connect with others who share your passions. They offer fresh ideas and diverse perspectives. They not only help participants share information and resources, they can also create opportunities for participants to build relationships by chatting about what is going on in their classrooms. It's truly invigorating.

There are many ways to start, or join PLNs:

- Create a Twitter account - This is a great way to find other professionals and groups who share your interests. There are many Twitter users who are interested in UDL. If you are new to Twitter, I'd suggest starting out by searching for "UDL". This will generate a list of users you can follow. When you follow someone, their tweets appear in your newsfeed. These tweets are often full of useful information, such as blogs, articles, links to websites, or resources that you can check out. There is no shortage of information on Twitter!

- Join Twitter chats - Some of the users you follow may post the time and date of chats on topics that interest you. You can also search for chats or tweet questions about chats on topics of interest. I stumbled on #udlchat, and for half an hour weekly the chat facilitator asks questions and all of the participants tweet their responses. It's a great way to learn. They also post links to websites, webinars, and other useful resources.

- Join a Facebook group - you can search for terms of interest (e.g. UDL), and find groups that post information about it. Or you could start a page of your own, and invite your friends to join.

- View webinars - these are videos and/or presentations that you can view online. You may search for a topic of interest on a search engine (e.g. "UDL webinars), or you may find out about them from a Twitter chat, on your Twitter newsfeed, or from friends.

- Blogging - You can follow blogs (like this one!) or start one of your own!

By Jana Nicol

One way to promote engagement in a universally designed classroom is to work with students to co-construct criteria.

Involving students in the creation of rubrics has many benefits:

Eliminating surprises - students know what is expected, and what should (and should not) be included in a finished product.

Instilling a sense of objectivity - students help determine the criteria that decides if a work sample is excellent, good, or needs improvement. As a result, students are empowered to examine their own work critically.

Facilititating peer feedback - Since students help set the criteria for quality work, it allows them to review the work of classmates and give feedback based on the expectations agreed upon at the beginning of the activity.

Facilititating self-assessment - students can use the criteria to evaluate their own work before sharing it with peers or handing it in. This creates opportunities for them to refine their work before seeking teacher-feedback, which can result in higher-quality work and improved grades!

• Increasing the frequency of feedback - by creating more opportunities for peer and self-assessment, in addition to teacher-evaluations of work, students will be given meaningful

feedback more often.

Increasing motivation and engagement of all learners - students like to know what is expected from them. When they get to help shape those expectations, it gives them a sense of autonomy over their learning, which can be a powerful motivator.

Devoting the time to co-construct criteria has a positive impact on student engagement and achievement. Involving students in setting criteria, and using peer and self-assessment is also a better practice that is used in universally designed classrooms.

How to get started:

Tell students about the assignment, and show them a model of exemplary work.

Review the model together, and ask them to define the characteristics that make it great.

•  Create a rubric together. Record it on chart paper or on the SMART board. Put it on display and/or print it out so that students can use it as a reference.

The level of complexity of the rubric should be appropriate to the student's grade level. A scale from 1-3, accompanied by a visual representation (e.g. red/yellow/green lights, or happy/neutral/sad faces) would be appropriate for elementary school students.


• 

By Jana Nicol

For a brief moment in November 2014, The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fredericton, New Brunswick was converted into a mecca for UDL enthusiasts. Educators from all over the province attended the UDL In Action conference to see leading UDL experts, including: Jennifer Katz, Loui Lord Nelson, Liz Berquist, and Colleen Thoma. The N.B. action research teams also gave presentations, including our team The UDL Project.

It was incredible to see hundreds of dedicated teachers sacrifice a Friday night and Saturday to learn more about UDL. It was so energizing to be surounded by so many people who share my love of Universal Design for Learning. If I ever worried, even for a moment, that New Brunswick teachers weren't buying into UDL, this conference and its attendees proved that UDL is catching on in a big way, which is so exciting!

One thing I took away from the conference was a renewed appreciation for the importance of social and emotional learning. Teachers often get so bogged down by curriculum that we may not always give social and emotional learning the time it deserves. If we step back for a moment and consider what is truly important for children to learn, in the grand scheme of things, and put those things on a list, what would we see? Jennifer Katz has done this exercise with administrators and educational leaders on an international scale. And it's interesting that not one of them ever said things like 'know their multiplication facts', or 'write a recount'. Instead, they believe what's truly important for students to learn is knowing how to 'work collaboratively', 'treat others with mutual respect', or 'participate in a democracy', among many other things that you may not find in a curriculum document. Considering this, we need to make more room for social and emotional learning in our classrooms. With some creativity, we can do this while also targeting curricular outcomes!

Another idea that suck with me is that we need to stop thinking of UDL as a special education movement. Designing instruction to be inclusive does not mean including those who have diagnoses or labels, rather it is about making learning accessible to everyone. The 'average' learner is a myth, therefore we must discontinue the practice of designing a lesson for what we believe most students will be able to do (and then tweak it here and there in the name of differentiation). Putting students in the same room is not enough. That's not inclusion, it's geography. If we recognize from the beginning that all students are unique in their learning styles, interests, and abilities, and design our lessons accordingly, only then will we be able to include, challenge, and engage all of our students in a UDL framework. Is it a lot of work? Yes. But it's worth it!

I could go on an on about all of the incredible ideas I heard throughout the conference. But I think it would be more interesting to show snippets from our social media presence. Here is a collection of some live tweets from the conference. If you'd like to see more, search for #UDLinAction on Twitter.

By Jana Nicol


The UDL project has just turned one. Happy birthday to us!

It has been a really exciting year. We've learned and grown so much since this project first began in the fall of 2013. Some major milestones include:

-  Determining through action research that incorporating UDL into instructional practice results in increased student engagement
-  Launching http://theudlproject.com in February 2014 - 5500 visitors and counting!
-  Starting a Twitter account - @theudlproject - and networking with educators from across the globe who share our passion with UDL.
-  Presenting the findings of this project to teachers from throughout the province of New Brunswick, and learning so much from the incredible presentations by the other action research teams.
-  Presenting our research, along with the other school-based action research teams, and leading UDL experts, including: Jennifer Katz, Loui Lord Nelson, Liz Berquist, and Colleen Thoma at the UDL In Action symposium in November 2014.


What's next?

-  Continue to learn more about UDL, and incorporate more UDL practices into our teaching
-  Continue to promote student engagement and inclusion through a UDL framework
-  Share our passion for UDL with other teachers - through this website, and at a grassroots level
-  Encourage other teachers to try tools and lessons we have found or created, and collect data to determine if this increases teacher readiness and willingness to implement UDL in their practices

By Jana Nicol

As I continue on my journey of integrating more UDL practices into my teaching, sometimes I find it challenging to make time for student self-assessment and reflection. After all, it's not always easy to get through all of the curriculum. 

But I need to keep reminding myself that time to reflect and to assess one's own performance allows students to better internalize what they have learned. It also helps us as teachers evaluate students' confidence with the material, and can tell us about what parts of lessons and activities they enjoyed the most (or the least). This information is vital as it can help guide future instruction, and empowers us to continually improve our instruction to benefit our students. Making the time for self-assessment and reflection is worthwhile.

Developing opportunities for students to self-assess and reflect on their learning is a part of CAST's UDL guidelines. According to CAST, this practice is a part of multiple means of engagement, which stimulates interest and motivation for learning. It taps into the affective network of the brain, a.k.a., the "why" of learning. "For many learners, merely recognizing that they are making progress toward greater independence is highly motivating" (CAST, 2011). In The Three Block Model of UDL, by Jennifer Katz, she also argues that self-assessment and reflection is beneficial because it promotes empowerment, and increases student motivation and ownership over learning.

Students love to see evidence of their progress. They thrive on feedback. By providing them with means to reflect on and assess their own learning, we are empowering them to provide their own feedback. Not all feedback needs to come from teachers. We can give students the opportunity to evaluate their own learning, in addition to teacher feedback, to increase the amount and frequency of feedback they receive.


What are some ways we as teachers can increase opportunities for student self-assessment and reflection?

-  Exit slips - Students can record them on a post-it and stick on the wall. This is a very easy way for students to self-assess and/or reflect on their learning. They could answer questions such as: "what was your favourite part of today's lesson?", "what are 3 interesting facts you learned today?", "if you had a test on the lesson tomorrow, how do you think you would do?", etc.

-  Journals - Teachers can guide student reflection by giving specific prompts, or the prompt could be open-ended. 

-  Surveys - This could be done in a number of ways. It could be as simple as asking a question and asking students to give a thumbs up or down (or holding up a red, yellow, or green card; or any other variation you can think of). Students could also respond to a survey on paper, or online (http://surveymonkey.com is a good source), or with SMART Senteos.

-  Rubrics - Students can be provided with a rubric to grade their own work. This task could be modeled for them by doing a shared activity in which the class looks at a sample of work and then collaborate to grade it based on the criteria set by the rubric.


These are just a few ways that teachers can provide students with more opportunities for self-assessment and reflection. As you can see, they are fairly easy to implement. The hard part is remembering to set aside a small amount of time and working it into instruction before moving onto the next lesson. But we can do it if we set our minds to it!

By Jana Nicol

Many parents and teachers read aloud to young children. Children love to hear stories, and a large body of research has concluded that reading to children helps them learn to decode text, helps improve their fluency, and helps instill a love for books. 

But somewhere along the line, usually after students have been in school for a couple of years, parents and teachers may not read aloud to children nearly as often as they did when children were in preschool and the primary grades.

By this stage of the game, most children can read independently, so it may not seem necessary to read to them as often. This may be true, but I strongly feel that even though many children are capable readers, it is beneficial to continue reading to older children for many reasons.

The pros of reading to older children:

- Modelling fluent reading - some children may be good at decoding words, but may need to work on their fluency. Some young readers need a concrete model of what fluent reading sounds like in order to emulate it when they read independently.

- Exposing children to a broader range of literature - maybe we can even help them discover their new favourite author or genre! We can also take the time to talk to them about what they like to read, and we can suggest other books, authors, and/or genres they may enjoy. Helping them discover more texts can help them read more.

- Teaching them more about topics of interest - some books that cater to students' interests may be too challenging for them to read independently. Many nonfiction books have a lot of terminology that students may have difficulty decoding (or understanding). Children love to learn about new things. We can also show them how to use indexes and glossaries to help them make sense of nonfiction texts when they are reading them independently.

- Inclusion - Some children read below what is considered appropriate for their grade level. When we read texts aloud, it helps them better understand what is being read/taught in class. It can also help them develop decoding skills - particularly when they have the opportunity to see the words as they are being read and are encouraged to follow along. This can help build decoding skills and increase their word recognition, helping them improve as readers.

The cons of reading to older children:

None come to mind.

Links to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Teachers who have an interest in UDL can incorporate read alouds with older children when it is appropriate, keeping in mind that we also provide time for them to read independently. Reading aloud to children utilizes the following principles of UDL*:

- 2.1 - Clarify vocabulary and symbols
- 2.3 - Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
- 3.3 - Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation
- 5.3 - Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance
- 7.3 - Minimize threats and distractions

* You can dowload CAST's guiding principles of UDL here.

By Jana Nicol

It is considered a better teaching practice to post curricular outcomes in the classroom, so students can see what they are expected to learn and why they are supposed to be learning it. Wouldn't it be great if students could articulate what they are learning and why they need to learn it? If you asked a student what they are learning about and why, wouldn't it be tremendous if they NEVER used any of the following responses?

- "because I'm supposed to know it"
- "It'll be on the test"
- "I don't know"

We can make learning more meaningful for students by posting curricular outcomes and referring to them throughout the learning process. This practice is connected to UDL, specifically in the area of multiple means of engagement - the why of learning, which according to CAST, helps foster purposeful, motivated learning. When we help students understand what they are learning and why they need to learn it, it instills a sense of purpose, which can increase motivation and engagement. 

Depending on the age of students, it may be necessary to adjust the wording of curricular outcomes so that students can genuinely understand them. Education is full of jargon. Curriculum is no exception. For example, here is a grade two Math outcome (New Brunswick curriculum): Students will represent and describe numbers to 100, concretely, pictorially, and symbolically. Posting this outcome as is for six and seven year olds makes little sense because they would not understand what it means. However, students would have a better understanding of what they are expected to learn if this outcome was re-worded to be more student-friendly.

A student-friendly outcome might look something like this: I can use words, numbers, and pictures to show what I know about numbers up to 100. Teachers can post this outcome in the classroom and refer to it throughout instruction. In whole-class discussions, in small groups, or with a partner, students can explain how they have met, or are working towards meeting the outcome. Students will develop a better understanding of why they are doing activities in class (e.g. showing numbers with base ten blocks, ten frames, tallies, practicing counting, singing counting songs, etc), which will promote student engagement. 

Think of the outcome as a string that connects the learning activities. Selected activities in the classroom are not just a random set of tasks chosen on the teacher's whim just to keep students busy... they have a purpose. Their purpose is to help students meet (and hopefully master) curriculum outcomes so they will be prepared for future learning. By posting student-friendly outcomes in a classroom, and discussing how learning activities connect to the outcomes, students will understand why they are expected to do what they are doing, which will increase their intrinsic motivation to learn. Increasing motivation to learn is a key component of promoting multiple means of engagement.

Thinking about making your own student-friendly outcomes? Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

- Work on one subject or unit at a time
- Review the outcomes for this subject/unit
- Reword them using I-can statements
- Eliminate as much jargon as possible
- Simplify the outcomes to age-appropriate language
- Support them with visuals and/or examples
- Ask your grade-level team or PLC to assist  you with making student-friendly outcomes. Two heads are better than one!
- Post them on your wall (one or two at a time, as you are working toward that outcome), introduce them to your students, and refer to them often throughout instruction

By Jana Nicol

Like many other teachers, I am mourning the end of summer. I will miss the sunshine, the beach, camping, travel, and leisurely sipping on my morning coffee while reading a book.

But now that my batteries are sufficiently recharged, I am filled with excitement about the new school year. I finally got around to finishing all the professsional readings that were piling up on my nightstand... I'll admit, it's likely due to having had so much rain this summer! So now my mind is swimming with lots of new ideas, and I'm looking forward to trying some of them on, and figuring out how to implement them within a UDL framework. Our school district is also placing a greater emphasis on team teaching between classroom teachers and resource teachers. As a resource teacher, I am very excited about the opportunity to collaborate more with classroom teachers, and I'm hopeful that my love of UDL will catch on. I believe that the best way to promote buy-in for UDL is at a grassroots level.

In June we found out that the Department of Education will continue to support UDL action research project this coming school year. I'm so pleased to continue working on this project with some amazing educators, and look forward to opportunities to learn more about UDL and work with other teachers from throughout the province of New Brunswick who share my passion for UDL.

In short, I'm actually getting excited about buying school supplies, dusting off my alarm clock, and gulping my morning coffee during the ride to work.

By Jana Nicol

In Universal Design for Learning, lessons are planned from the outset to include all learners without exception. In classrooms that follow a UDL framework, a single lesson is designed to include everyone, even those who are significantly delayed and follow modified or individualized curricula. But how do we do that? How can we design a single lesson that appeals to students with delays, our highest achievers, and everyone in between?

"Same task, different goals"

I recently read The Role of the Resource Teacher in the Three Block Model of UDL by Jennifer Katz. She uses the phrase "same task, different goals" to explain how to include students with significant disabilities in a universally designed classroom. She tells a story about how she and the classroom teacher worked together to include a boy named Sam in a grade 12 pre-calculus class. Sam has Down syndrome was only able to work with numbers up to 20 and was following a modified curriculum that focused on life skills, so the idea of meaningfully including him in such an advanced Math class seemed to be a monumental challenge. Slight adjustments were made to the goals on his IEP - to work with numbers up to 30 and to learn how to use a ruler (another life skill). This allowed Sam to participate in a group project in which students surveyed and designed an addition to the school building. The class was focused on completing calculations and designing the building addition, and Sam helped make measurements and draw the blueprint using the ruler to make straight lines with the help of his classmates. These tasks also supported nonacademic goals that were already in his IEP, such as fine motor skills and social skills. Everyone was working toward goals appropriate to their needs while being meaningfully included in a single project.

I loved the story of Sam - and what I took away from it was that through creativity, collaboration between classroom and resource teachers, and a genuine commitment to inclusion, it is possible to create lessons that include all students in any grade or subject area. When it comes to students who follow IEPs, it is a matter of considering ways their individualized goals can be integrated into lessons targeted to students who follow age-appropriate curriculum. A single lesson, task, or learning experience can target many different goals and abilities. "Same task, different goals" is my new mantra.