Universal Designfor Learning

UDL

Universal Designfor Learning

UDL

Adapted from Who Am I in the Lives of ChildrenFeeney, Christensen, Moravcik

CAST and NAEYC

Special Needs

• Everyone has special needs!• You will find as many distinctive needs as

there are children • Every child requires attention to his/her

individual characteristics• An individualized approach is required for

every child

The Exceptional Child

• A child with special needs

• A child who is different enough from the “standard” or “average” child to require special methods, services, and possibly equipment in order to attain desired learning objectives.

• May differ at rate at which they learn

• May learn in different ways

McCormick 1994

Identifying a Child with Special Needs

• Use your knowledge of child development and your observation skills

• Early identification and appropriate intervention can avoid developmental problems that become more difficult to remedy as child gets older.

• Not your role to diagnose a disability• Begin with observation

Observation Steps

• Note the child’s strengths• Look at the ways he/she is functioning with others• Pinpoint ways that child’s behavior or skills

concern you• Make written anecdotal records• Make objective statements about what you

observe the child doing• Evaluate the problem behavior:

• When is it occurring?• In what context does it occur?• Is it age appropriate?

Getting Help

• Share concerns and observation notes with a co-worker or supervisor

• Have your colleagues conduct independent observations

• Be careful not to come to conclusions too quickly• Enlist the support of program administrators• Ask for ideas on community resources

Inclusion

• All children benefit by having children with range of abilities together in the classroom

• Assumes that all children differ in:• Abilities• Interests• Needs

• Classroom environment can be designed to provide learning experiences for every child.

• Provides valuable lessons in caring and helping• Involves making some modifications in the

curriculum and in the classroom

Suggested Teaching Strategies

With ALL Children:• Respond to their interests• Focus on what they are intending to

communicate rather than their actual work• Arrange the learning environment to promote

engagement and interactions with peers• Use open-ended and thought-provoking

questions to assist them in interacting successfully with people and materials.

• Use modeling and assist them to learn through observation and interaction with their peers

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Inclusion

NAEYC’s Position Statement on Inclusion

Inclusion, as a value, supports the right of all children,

regardless of their diverse abilities, to participate actively in natural settings within their communities. A natural setting is one in which the child would spend time had he or she not had a disability. Such settings include, but are not limited to, home and family, play

groups, child care, nursery schools, Head Start programs, kindergartens, and neighborhood school

classrooms.

Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Inclusion

Desired Results Access – State of California Program Standards for Child Development Division - http://www.draccess.org/

The program is inclusive of children with exceptional needs and consistent with their

Individualized Family Service Plan or Individual Education Plan and provides an environment of

acceptance.

Universal Design for LearningUDL for Inclusion

• Multiple means of representation • to give learners various ways of acquiring

information and knowledge

• Multiple means of action and expression • to provide learners alternatives for

demonstrating what they know

• Multiple means of engagement • to tap into learners' interests• offer appropriate challenges • increase motivation CAST

UDL in Early Education

• A one-size-fits-all approach to education simply will not work!

• Need to design curricula to meet the needs of diverse classroom populations

• ALL children who attend early education programs will be successful in their development and learning.

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Physical, Social, Emotional, Cognitive Learning Environments

Does every child:• Feel welcome as a full and equal

member in your classroom?• Access and engage in all learning

opportunities during your day?• Learn according to his or her individual

strengths and interests?• Demonstrate his or her learning in

ways that reflect individual’s strengths?

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

UDL in Infant/Toddler Environments

• The physical environment • Enables all children to have access and equitable opportunities for

full participation in all program activities. • Includes structures, permanent and movable equipment and

furnishings, storage, and materials.

• Health and safety components • Promote wellness and minimize risks and hazards for all children. • All children, regardless of health status or conditions, have ongoing

access to learning without interruptions due to illness and injury

• The social-emotional environment • Offers all children equitable access to and full membership in the

social-emotional life of the group• Supports their social-emotional development

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

UDL in Infant/Toddler Settings• The teaching environment

• Gives all children equitable access to learning opportunities• information and activities in multiple formats• multiple means for engagement, expression, and learning.

• Includes the curriculum, teaching practices, materials, and activities

• Individual assessment and program evaluation practices• Provide multiple approaches to finding out what children know and

can do• Equitably assess individual learning, development, and

educational progress• Family involvement practices

• Support the equitable access and engagement of all families in the full range of experiences

• Includes ongoing communication, learning opportunities, and program involvement activities

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Physical Environment

• How can the space be arranged to accommodate everyone?

• How will children be seated to accommodate different motor abilities and activity levels so that everyone can move about or attend as needed?

• What materials are needed to allow for the range of motor abilities?

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Physical Environment

• Expand the group meeting area so that all children can be present and focus their attention on the activities.

• Provide varied seating options so each child may lie on the floor, sit on a mat or chair, or use specialized seating.

• Use other materials of different sizes, textures, and shapes to help each child actively manipulate the objects for learning.

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Health and Safety Practices

• How should the physical space be arranged to ensure that all children can safely move around?

• Is the flooring safe for all children to move about and be seated?

• Do the planned activities accommodate all individual energy levels and health conditions?

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Health and Safety Practices

• Provide clear, wide paths throughout the classroom so each child may safely and easily reach the meeting area.

• Ensure safe floor covering for safe passage for any child, including for example a child who is in a hurry, has visual impairments, or uses a wheeled stander.

• Consider each child’s energy level and health conditions in planning activities.

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Social-Emotional Environment

• What strategies will ensure that all children are included, eliminating any barriers that might segregate or stigmatize a child?

• How will I communicate necessary rules and expectations for behavior so that all children can understand?

• How can I support children in interacting with, learning from, and helping one another?

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Social-Emotional Environment• Invite and encourage all children to join in, using multiple

means of communication (e.g., speaking English and/or children’s home language, signing, displaying symbols).

• Give simple directions using multiple means (e.g., verbally, signed, in print, modeled) so each child may see, hear, and understand any rules and expectations.

• Use books, songs, and communication that involve and represent all children, regardless of cultural predominance or linguistic and skill levels.

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Family Involvement

• What information will I share with families about this activity, and what forms of communication will I use?

• What reading levels and languages should I keep in mind?

• What opportunities for involvement can I provide that accommodate varied work demands and time constraints?

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children

Family Involvement

• Share information with families through a newsletter written at an appropriate level

• Have key phrases translated into families’ home languages, and include photographs of children engaged in an activity.

• Provide multiple opportunities for families to be involved

• Bilingual parents might be willing to translate the information for monolingual families

• Families could support their child’s involvement by asking specific questions about the activity and/or the book read to the group.

The Universal Design of Early Education: Moving Forward for All Children