July UDL Connections
Where theory meets practice
Each month this newsletter will 1) highlight critical UDL practices, 2) make connections to the UDL guidelines, 3) connect you with great tools and resources, 4) share some ways schools are putting this practice into action and 5) offer additional approaches to utilize this highlighted practice.
However, July's Newsletter will showcase themes from November to June for a little summer reading. Enjoy!
Each month a different subcomponent from the Ohio UDL Practice Profile is highlighted.
The practices are meant to be specific and observable. They are meant to be practicable and teachable. However, they are written in a way that can be adapted to context. This means, whether you are a first grade reading teacher or a high school pottery instructor, these practices are for you!
This month's resources STANDS alone
On Wednesday, May 24 Dr. Loui Lord Nelson shared a masterpiece with us, The UDL Gears.
The UDL Gears answer the most common question in UDL Implementation; “What does UDL look like?”
- Mindsets
- Skills
- Practices
- UDL Guidelines
Loui's UDL Gears will be the only resource we're highlighting this month because of the clear alignment to this newsletter's format.
1) Each newsletter focuses on UDL Practices
2) The Practice Profile we share each week also calls out Skills needed to implement UDL.
3) The UDL Guidelines are included in the gears, as well as in our newsletters.
Although there isn't a direct one-to-one correlation between all of the practices in Loui's Gears and the following newsletters, they will hopefully be a nice supplement to your own UDL journey. As you scroll through the newsletters below, you can access them by clicking on the image.
You can also access the newsletters for each month using this list. This list is organized by the month as well as the specific guidelines and practices that will be highlighted for that month.
November's Topics
November's newsletter answers the question:
How are you helping learners set social-emotional goals and reflect on progress towards those goals?
Resources such as virtual calming rooms and mood meter apps are shared, along with how this information applies to leading professional learning.
December's Topics
This newsletter shared ways to remove barriers and empower learners through self-reflection. The UDL Barrier Flowchart and Matt Bergman's great classroom examples are just a few of the gems in this newsletter.
Finally, applying self-reflection within professional learning examples and strategies by Anne Beninghof and Heidi Orvosh are shared.
January's Topics
This newsletter was by far the most shared. It features resources around clear goals that scaffold learners by providing multiple entry points without compromising rigor and high expectations for all.
It also features teacher-created examples and an awesome teacher-based team template.
This newsletter aligns nicely with Loui's Mindset Gear: Have high expectations for every learner.
February's Topics
February featured a plethora of resources and examples of how to clarify vocabulary in the classroom and throughout a learning system.
It was the debut of the UDLIRN SIG's Expert Learning Chart and contains an invitation to crowdsource the best UDL images or icons to clarify the language of UDL for all learners.
March's Topics
This newsletter contains some great listening and summary scaffolds for the classroom or your next district meeting. Actual district poster examples are included. The Fact, Feelings, and Values listening protocol pictured in the image to the right was used during this year's UDLIRN Summit at the UDLIRN Implementation SIG Networking session.
April's Topics
This newsletter highlights many ways to utilize a variety of methods and materials both within a classroom and throughout a school district to remove barriers. Actual examples from the field are shared, including interactive newsletters and professional learning materials.
May's Topics
May's topics are focused on ways to select, create, and plan for flexible assessments so students can show what they know in a variety of ways. This newsletter also includes two adult data collection resources that can be used by leaders to monitor UDL implementation aligned to the Ohio ULD Practice Profile by sharing a couple of performance assessments that are aligned to the profile.
June's Topics
Last month's newsletter is about supporting executive functioning and highlights both memory and self-regulation/rating strategies. Some math examples and ways to improve student outcomes are shared through job-embedded teacher supports that incorporate memory scaffolds into collaborative team structures and leverage peer coaching.
Lisa Arthur
As the lead UDL consultant for SST 16, Lisa coaches educational leaders in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and provides professional learning to build the capacity of UDL practitioners. She is a member of the Ohio UDL Collaborative purposed with building the capacity of regional UDL facilitators in order to build state-wide capacity for UDL implementation.
Lisa is licensed as an Intervention Specialist in the state of Ohio and with MA in Counseling she brings a unique skillset to the field of education.
Email: lisa.arthur@sst16.org
Website: https://www.sst16.org/
Location: 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey, OH
Phone: 440-735-8565
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sstregion16
***This Newsletter was created in collaboration with Cherie Smith, a fellow UDL Consultant from SST6.
Cherie Smith
Cherie Smith began working at State Support Team Region 6 in July 2015. She has a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and the Inclusive Classroom. Most of her experience has been in special education as a supervisor and an Intervention Specialist at the secondary level. She has taught students wtih disabiliteis in both Florida and Ohio.
Cherie is currently a co-chair of Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network's Implementation Special Interest Group and is a member of the Ohio UDL Collaborative.
As an SST6 Consultant, she supports districts in the Ohio Implementation Process as a Regional Data Lead. She leads Universal Design for Learning and is part of the Special Education team supporting districts with IDEA Internal Monitoring, Postsecondary Transition, PBIS, and College and Career Readiness.
