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.

I enjoy using interviews or conferences, not only as an assessment tool, but also as a means to help a student identify their areas of strength, and their goals. For example, I may listen to a student read, and they may read most of the words correctly, and demonstrate a good understanding of the text. But they read much too quickly and their fluency needs a lot of work. I begin by pointing out their strengths. Then I would tell them and show them what they need to work on. I model by reading a part of their own book back to them - in the way they read it (copying their fluency), and with proper fluency. I ask them if they can tell the difference. We also discuss what they could do to practice improving their fluency (e.g. pausing for periods and commas, reading with expression, reading aloud to others). I remind them that after they have some time to practice their new skill, I will check in with them again to see how they are progressing towards meeting their goal.

What does this have to do with affective networks? Using the example above, the student realizes that they need to practice their fluency so they can become a better reader. They are motivated and engaged in the goal of improving their fluency because they have been given concrete examples of what they can do to improve. Another motivator is that they know they are given time to practice and that the teacher will follow up with them to monitor their progress.

Meeting with students individually and discussing their academic progress helps build positive student-teacher relationships, which also promotes student engagement and motivation. Relationships are built during those conversations, and when students and teachers celebrate students' accomplishments together. You can also further build relationships, promote accountability, and motivation by asking students about their goals between meetings. Do they remember what their goal is? How are they progressing toward meeting their goal? What actions are they taking to meet their goal?

How to keep track of it all? Here are a couple of options:

- Use a conferring notebook,one for Math and one for Language Arts. Each book has a tab for every student. I take notes on each meeting I have with students, so whenever I meet with them it is easy to check their goals and take notes about their progress. I also keep a calendar in each book to help me remember to check in with students regularly.
- Use bulletin boards (possibly one for Math, one for reading, and another for writing). For example, the writing board could have a list of strategies (e.g. use uppercase letters, use punctuaion, use wonderful words, etc). Students could place a post-it with their name on it next to their own goal.

Goal-setting helps students become more actively involved in their own learning, which can help increase student motivation and engagement.

I have been following the Daily 5 format in my Language Arts instruction for the last few years, since first reading The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser (a.k.a., 'the Sisters'). I also use a CAFE bulletin board in my classroom to help students keep track of the reading strategies they are working on, based on their other book The CAFE Book. Both books are ideal for teachers because they are research-based, easy to implement, and students really enjoy it.

As I have been learning about Universal Design for Learning, and making efforts to implement UDL in my teaching practices, it occured to me that Daily 5/CAFE and UDL compliment each other very well. 

Optimizing choice and autonomy is one of the guiding principles of UDL and helps promote student engagement. Choice is an important feature of the Daily 5 format - students are able to independently choose texts to read, topics to write about and types of writing (e.g. lists, stories, reports, etc.), and they are also able to choose between the following five activities:
- Read to self
- Listen to reading
- Read to someone
- Word work
- Work on writing

Each round of Daily 5 begins with a mini-lesson on a particular area (e.g. vowel sounds, blends, suffixes, parts of speech, etc). Short, frequent lessons works well in a UDL classroom because it promotes engagement and provides multiple means of representation (one of UDL's guiding principles). It is recommended to vary the methods of delivering mini-lessons to promote accessibility and engagement (e.g. targeting multiple intelligences, and using multiple media such as videos and SMART board games).  I usually begin with a five minute mini-lesson, followed by a 20-25 minute round of Daily 5.

Daily 5 also promotes collaboration and community among students, which is a guiding principle of UDL.
Students are given opportunities to work with partners during read to someone, or as part of a group during word work.

By Jana Nicol

When I first started thinking about Universal Design for Learning, I was overwhelmed. I thought, "sure, it looks good on paper, but how am I actually going to do that?!"

So I looked at my existing teaching methods to see if I was already applying principles of Universal Design for Learning to make learning more accessible and engaging for my students. As it turns out, in some ways I was: I provided choices to my students, I used technology to teach and provided students with opportunities to use technology to learn, and I tried to make learning as engaging as possible through the use of games and kinesthetic activities.

Instead of completely overhauling my teaching methods, I decided to build on what I was already doing, look for areas that need improvement, and continually make changes with UDL in mind.


Here is a list of some ways teachers can make learning more engaging and accessible in a UDL framework:

- Make everyday materials easily accessible in the classroom. Have baskets of sharpened pencils, erasers, paper, and other materials within reach of students, and label each basket with words and pictures (to help promote literacy).

- Use a visual schedule for the entire classroom. Although this is frequently used for students who have autism, all students benefit from knowing what they will do next, or throughout the day.

- Provide opportunities for students to learn through multiple intelligences.

- Activate background knowledge when introducing new skills/concepts.
 
- Give students choices in how to demonstrate their learning of a concept/skill. Bingo grids are just one example of how to do this- give students a 3x3 grid with one activity per square, and allow them to complete just one row, or four corners (some students may do all of the activities).

- Use technology to maximize learning: 
        - Use a class website to post links to games, videos, and to communicate with students and parents.
        - Find instructional videos and songs that are linked to the curriculum.
        - Play games on a SMART board.
        - Students can use computers to read (text-to-speech software, online stories on http://raz-kids.com 
        or http://tumblebooks.com).
        - Students can use computers to make powerpoint presentations, type stories/essays, draw, etc.
        - Use the closed caption feature on youtube - this can be beneficial for students who are 
        learning English, but other students can also benefit from seeing the closed caption while viewing the 
        video. 
        - You can record video tutorials (e.g. addition strategies) and post them on a class website.This allows 
        students to review lessons independently at school and at home.

- Pencil and paper tests are only one way to assess learning - and not the only way! Observe students as they complete class work, have conferences with students, take anecdotal notes, assign projects and use a rubric to evaluate their performance, etc.

- Students can learn variety of groupings. In mixed-ability groups, students can take on different roles and can help one another. Leveled groupings can also be used on occasion and teachers can concentrate their efforts on assisting groups of struggling learners.

- Focus on the outcomes, and eliminate barriers that are not related to the curriculum outcome being measured. For example, support written directions with pictures in Math and/or read directions aloud so students can focus on the Math, not on reading. Another example: if students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of an outcome in Science or Social Studies, but writing is not a curriculum outcome in that subject, then instead of expecting all students to write a report, give students the option to make a powerpoint presentation, perform a skit, or create a model.


This list is far from complete, but I hope you find it helpful.

Universal Design for Learning removes barriers to instruction and includes and engages more students in meaningful ways. It reduces the need to provide accommodations for many students because learning is
more flexible and accessible. The benefits of this are two-fold: in the short-run, a greater number of students' needs are met; and in the long-run teacher workload can actually be reduced (because less time is spent on differentiating instruction). Implementing UDL is worthwhile.

Starting small is a way to gradually implement UDL in your own teaching without becoming overwhelmed. 

Here are some tips to taking on UDL in a manageable way:

1. Choose one area that you would like to UDL-ify, and give yourself a reasonable amount of time to do it. Try it for awhile, work out the bugs, and tweak it as necessary. Make sure the process is streamlined before choosing the next goal.

For example, I started doing UDL by setting the following goal for myself at the beginning of the school year: 'by November, I will have arranged the visuals, furniture and supplies in an organized manner that allows students to spend minimal effort on accessing materials they need, so that they can better focus on learning.' This included things like making sure students could reach all materials they needed, that shelves and drawers were labeled with words and pictures so that everyone could read it (and to help build literacy skills), having a system for sharpening pencils so that students always had access to sharp pencils to use (so they are not wasting time sharpening pencils), making sure all of the technology in the room worked properly and that students were trained on how to use it, etc.

Other goals could include things like: creating a universally designed lesson, unit plan, set of activities (e.g. universally designed Math games or word games), collaborating with other teachers, reading a book or article about UDL, using a tool/resource you find from a great UDL website, etc.


2. Focus on one subject area at a time. Begin with your comfort-zone.

When creating lessons, activities, and finding materials to create a universally designed learning experience for your class, it helps to focus on one subject area at a time. For example, the first few UDL lesson plans I created were all Math lessons, because this was my comfort zone. It may be reading, word work, science, social studies, or visual arts for you. Once I had a good bank of Math lessons, I challenged myself to write UDL lesson plans for other subject areas. It was easier to write lessons for different subjects after I wrote a few UDL Math lessons because my understanding of the principles of UDL had improved. 


3. Remember that it's not all new!

Rather than thinking of UDL as an entirely separate entity, I prefer to think of it is a collection of better practices many teachers are already following. Teachers should be encouraged to plan their instruction with the practices and tools they already use that reinforce UDL principles, such as: Multiple Intelligences, Bloom's Taxonomy, cooperative learning, project-based learning, formative assessment, and Response to Intervention.


4. Collaborate and learn more - at a realistic pace.

Check out UDL websites - many have excellent resources and articles. Search for UDL on twitter, and follow users who share your interest in the topic. Join (or start up) a book-study group in your school or district. Choose a book about UDL for your summer reading list. Meet other teachers who share your interest in UDL and have shop-talk over a coffee. Look for PD opportunities on UDL in your school district. There is a wealth of information, but there is no need to consume all of it at once. Take your time to soak in some new information and figure out how it may impact your teaching. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

By Jana Nicol

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been around for awhile, but it is an emerging framework in many education systems, which leaves teachers with a lot of questions, such as...

- How will I find the time to plan lessons that follow the principles of UDL?
- It seems like a big change, how can I possibly pull it off?
- How can I make learning more accessible while maintaining high expectations for my students?
- My current methods/practices already work for me. Why should I change?
- Do I need to have a lot of technology in my classroom to pull it off?

... just to name a few. I have heard the above questions, among many others over from colleagues since UDL was first rolled out in our province. I'm not a UDL expert... that's for sure. I am just a UDL enthusiast - I've researched, written, and presented on the topic, and I have been gradually phasing UDL principles into my teaching. I'd like to share some tips that have helped me along the journey of becoming a teacher who "does" UDL.


UDL Tips for Implementation

- It may help to follow a UDL lesson plan template if you are new to planning universally designed lessons. There are plenty online (and here on theudlproject.com), and hopefully you can find one that works for you!

- Check out the CAST UDL guidelines - it can be used as a checklist to make sure your lesson includes multiple means of representation, multiple means of action/expression, and multiple means of engagement.

- Think about the outcomes. Remove other barriers to instruction that are unrelated to the outcomes being learned. For example, if students are expected to correctly identify the provinces and territories of Canada, instead of writing them on a map, instead they could be given a list of the provinces and territories to cut out and glue onto the map. This change makes the activity more accessible to students who struggle with fine motor skills or spelling, but still allows them to demonstrate their knowledge of Canadian geography.

- While technology can help facilitate the implementation of UDL, there are plenty of low-tech ways to do UDL, such as: supporting text with pictures, larger text, teaching to the multiple intelligences, using Bloom's taxonomy, providing students with access to games, manipulatives and artifacts, etc.

- Embrace change. It's worth it if we can include every student in the learning process in a meaningful way.

- Start small. It can be overwhelming to try to take it all on at once. Set a reasonable goal (e.g. this month plan and execute one Math lesson). Once you have more experience 'doing UDL', hopefully momentum will build and it will become easier and easier to work it into your day-to-day practice.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is not just another passing fad, or 'the next big thing', rather, it is a framework that incorporates and supports many current and research-based approaches to teaching and learning, including Multiple Intelligences.

How is Multiple Intelligences relevant to the principles of UDL? First, let's look at a brief summary of the guiding principles of UDL:

Multiple Intelligences theory recognizes that everyone demonstrates varying levels of strengths and weaknesses in each area of intelligence, including: linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and musical. The idea is that by giving students opportunities to learn using multiple intelligences, we can include and engage more students. 

UDL also promotes the inclusion and engagement of all students by offering students multiple ways to learn and demonstrate their learning. UDL is largely supported by brain research, which shows that each individual brain has unique patterns of activity while learning (Rose & Meyer, 2002). Teachers are therefore tasked with teaching a room full of students, all of whom learn differently. Teachers can reach more students by presenting concepts to target more than one sensory pathway.  Information can be presented verbally to appeal to auditory learners, it can be presented visually to visual learners, artifacts and manipulatives can be presented to tactile and visual learners, and opportunities to learn through movement appeals to kinesthetic learners.  Presenting information to target different senses not only helps students learn in ways that are best suited to their strengths, it also helps all students better internalize information by accessing it in multiple ways.

Traditional classrooms and assessment methods are biased in favour of those with strong linguistic or mathematical abilities, which has posed problems for many students in today's increasingly diverse classrooms. 

This cartoon exemplifies the traditional classroom perfectly.  Teaching and assessing everyone in the same way only benefits those who learn best that way, and ignores the strengths of everyone else.

Both UDL and Multiple Intelligences serve to meet the needs of all learners by providing everyone an opportunity to learn and demonstrate their learning in ways better suited to their needs and learning styles.

If we use the cartoon as an example, instead of having one big exam - climbing the tree, why not...

-  Offer a choice of exams between climbing a tree, swimming, running, and lifting heavy objects - this way all of the animals would be given a chance to shine.
-  Why have an exam at all? Each of these skills could be taught, students could have a chance to practice each one, and the teacher could observe their results and make anecdotal notes of their progress in each area.
-  Offer opportunities to collaborate - the animals could team up to complete an obstacle course that utilizes all of their skills, and each member of the team could choose an area to work on, and make a meaningful contribution to the team.
-  Let the students teach their areas of stength to others - the teacher could create a rubric to evaluate how well the animals can teach one another to climb, swim, run, or lift.

How can we follow the principles of UDL and Multiple Intelligences in the classroom to promote the inclusion and engagement of all students?  Teachers can:

-  Plan lessons and units to target as many multiple intelligences and sensory pathways as possible (students can watch videos, read or listen to stories, play board games or online games, pair and share, have opportunities to move while they are learning, explore artifacts, view and/or create models or works of art, writing, create or view maps/graphs/tables, invite guest speakers, take students on field trips, etc).
-  Provide students with choices in how they learn (this could include centres, choices in projects/assignments).
-  Provide choices in types of assessment (multiple choice, essay questions, short-answer, interview, projects, group assignments, etc).

By Jana Nicol

The UDL team collected data from teachers in our school with an online survey. They responded to multiple choice questions designed to find out respondents' perceived knowledge of UDL, their level of willingness to implement UDL in their teaching, and how they feel about UDL.

One of the questions asked, "What are your feelings about the N.B. Department of Education's mandate to promote Universal Design for Learning in Schools?   a) It's just another passing fad, OR: b) It's a step in the right direction"...

It was encouraging that most repondents (82%) feel that UDL is a step in the right direction, but I couldn't stop thinking about the minority of teachers who assume that it is just another passing fad. It seems that there are a couple of teachers in every staff who are dismissive of 'new' things. Education can be quite trendy. I have seen my fair share of things come and go over the years, but I believe that UDL is here to stay.

As we move toward an inclusive educational system, it is inevitable that educators find ways to include and engage all of our learners in meaningful ways. UDL eliminates barriers to instruction by providing flexibility in ways students learn and how they can demonstrate their knowledge and skills. It has so much to offer, yet it frustrates me to think that some teachers will be dismissive of it because they think it's a fad. 

So how can I, as a teacher who believes in UDL, help promote teacher buy-in?  It seems like an uphill struggle, but I'm willing to give it a try. I hope that the data that results from this action research project will help our research team make the case for it to reluctant colleagues. I also hope that our Department of Education continues to make UDL a priority... as they have a lot more influence and reach than we do. But for the time being, I'm personally going to try to make an impact at a grassroots level... sharing successes in my universally designed classroom, and hoping that my enthusiasm becomes contagious!

By Jana Nicol

I began to collect some baseline data for the UDL action research project from my grade 2 class.  They were given an index card and asked not to put their names on their cards. I asked them to describe how they felt about learning in school in one word.  All 21 of my students were present that day. 

Most students wrote either “good”, “awesome”, or “great” on their cards.  Three students wrote “happy” and four students wrote “fun”.  One student wrote “instrordinary” (I’m guessing they meant extraordinary).  This reminds me how much younger students either genuinely: like their teacher, like school, and/or like to learn.  It feels great to teach such a lovely group of children who have such a positive attitude toward school and learning!

I wonder if they understand that it’s okay if they don’t feel great about learning.  I emphasized the importance of being honest, and that they should feel free to write whatever they want.  While part of me is worried that my baseline data isn’t entirely valid, I am not too concerned because I teach a group of seven year olds, and they are young children who enjoy school.  There’s nothing wrong with that!  

I suppose what the real question is:  how do we as teachers help children stay in this frame of mind throughout their careers as students?  How do we help students capture this love of learning and hold onto it for the rest of their lives? 

By Jana Nicol

It all started with a grant possibility through our province's department of education. The lucky recipients would receive a $1000 budget and five days of release time (gasp!) to plan and execute an action research project about Universal Design for Learning (UDL)... but there was a catch - applicants needed to assemble a school-based team of four and complete the application by the last day of September. Seriously?!

On the teacher calendar, September is one of the busiest months of the year, what with getting to know
twenty-something students and their parents, putting the finishing touches on our classrooms, planning lessons, open house, PLCs, reading and signing Special Education Plans, and deadlines (cumulative files, information sheets, professional growth plans, etc.), something else was loaded onto our already heaping plates. And only one elementary, middle, and high school would be selected from each of the province's four school districts.  
 
I checked around... a lot of teachers in schools throughout our district were really excited about this grant, so there was going to be competition. And it was probably going to be fierce. After all, our district has a lot of amazing schools and educators. We put an excellent team of teachers in no time, completed the challenging feat of filling out the application and passing it in on time. Then it was just a waiting game... 
  
A few weeks later, we heard back from the department: we got it... how exciting! I am really looking forward to learning more about UDL and working with some amazing educators in the process.