Week 5 Blog Assignment

                         Professional Development on Universal Design for Learning for Teachers

Hi, In this blog we will deep dive into an article about the benefits of professional development (PD) on universal design for learning (UDL) for teachers. In this day and age, the needs of learners have become more varied than ever. Since the inception of the IDEA (individuals with disabilities education) act, the responsibility of doing justice to learners with varied needs on teachers has increased. The universal design for learning (UDL) framework is seen as an answer to cater to these varying learning needs in the student population. Teachers need to be trained on the principles of UDL and then execute them in the classroom.

An article by (Craig et al., 2019) has focused on a week long PD on universal design for learning for teachers. The study looked at a few parameters but their emphasis was on whether there was a difference in application of UDL principles by teachers who attended the PD and teachers who did not. Craig and colleagues also felt that effective PD should be followed by a lot of support to the teachers from instructional coaches and the like in order for the framework to be executed effectively. 

The UDL framework provides multiple means of engagement, representation, action & expression to address the varying needs of the learners (CAST, 2018). Engagement is key as it not only helps motivate the students but also in self-regulating themselves. Representation further supports engagement as it accommodates the varied needs of the learners. As far as action & expression go, the learners are given a wide range of tools to demonstrate evidence of learning (Meyer et al., 2014).

The study emphasizes that effective PD helps teachers in applying the principles of UDL in their instruction. The limitations in this study are that it was done in only one school district and participating teachers voluntarily opted for the summer PD. On the positive side this has been done for 6 years every year during summer. 

My 'Build a Molecule' lesson is aligned to the UDL principles as the PhET simulation and Seesaw lend themselves to engagement, representation and action & expression which encompass the framework. I feel that the lesson caters to the varying needs of the learners and their abilities.

As far as the 'CAST' universal design for learning goes, the PhET simulation helps the students in mastery oriented feedback (engagement). It gives feedback to help the students fix their mistakes by bonding the atoms correctly while building molecules. The students work on google slides in Seesaw which reflect their access to tools and assistive technologies (action and expression) (CAST, 2018).

In conclusion, The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) 2024 is aiming to put an end to the divide in digital use, design and access (NETP, 2024). This could be addressed by incorporating the UDL framework in schools which is in alignment with what NETP is aiming at. By embracing the UDL principles, schools can truly close the divide in digital use, design and access.

                                                                     References

CAST (Centre for Applied Special Technology), 2018. Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.2. Available from: http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 (2004).

Meyer, A., Rose, D.H., and Gordon, D., 2014. Universal design for learning: theory and practice. Wakefield: CAST Professional Publishing.

National Educational Technology Plan - Office of Educational Technology. (2024, January 24). Office of Educational Technology. https://tech.ed.gov/netp/

PHET Interactive Simulations. (n.d.). PhET. https://phet.colorado.edu/

Seesaw. (n.d.). https://app.seesaw.me/

Stephanie L. Craig, Sean J. Smith & Bruce B. Frey (2022) Professional

development with universal design for learning: supporting teachers as learners to increase

the implementation of UDL, Professional Development in Education, 48:1, 22-37, DOI:

10.1080/19415257.2019.1685563