March UDL Connections

Each month this periodical will 1) highlight critical UDL practices, 2) make connections to the UDL guidelines and checkpoints, 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.

5.3.a Intentionally reinforcing characteristics of expert learning in all settings (growth mindset).

Link to the UDL Practice Profile

According to CAST, " in order to develop better capacity for self-regulation, learners need to learn to monitor their emotions and reactivity carefully and accurately."

Develop self-assessment and reflection (checkpoint 9.3)

What does it mean to be goal-oriented, strategic, and motivated?

Consider this Article that describes the learner engagement continuum (pictured below) from Amy's book Reimagining Student Engagement: From Disrupting to Driving. How can a continuum like this inform adult and student self-assessment for motivation? How can we help our learners begin to "drive" their learning? - by facilitating expert learning!

Next, when learners encounter barriers and are not making progress toward their learning goals, consider BodiMojo as a way to be strategic and goal-oriented:

1. Receive daily intervention tips.
2. Track your mood.
3. Identify some actionable skills to improve your "mojo."

Also, remember to consider the power of self-reflection and consider using something like this reflection journal from MIZOU. This journal is an example of AI-generated using Ohio's SEL standards for 4th grade. Journal entries in MIZOU are recorded for teachers to access, but the information does NOT go to the web for others to access. This resource is one to look into if you want to offer your learners some collaborative reflection! By the way, students can use voice-to-text in this tool, and the prompts can be read aloud to the students.

Remember, facilitating expert learning is actionable. It would be best to teach your students what it means to be an expert learner and make explicit connections as much as possible. The Building Growth Mindset video has some excellent examples of this! However, I'd like to direct you to around 6 minutes into this video. The teacher states, "If your skills are not challenged, I would like you to..." This is a verbal prompt that is intentionally reinforcing expert learning.

I would add, "Remember, your goal is to be an expert learner, so if your skills are not challenged..."

By Thomas Armstrong, Mindfulness in the Classroom is a book that promotes reflection and meta-cognition. One example found on page 88 is having students keep a math log to record their mindful experiences in math class. If I could follow up with Thomas, the author, I would ask how students are completing these logs.

• Are they all hand-written?
• Are students leaving a series of video messages for themselves?
• What about using something like AudioNote to allow for flexible means?

Consider also, when was the last time you saw a student calling a friend to discuss what they learned in math? OR any class? That's a sign of an engaged student and one who is more likely to be a driver of their own learning and would be evidence the learner is at the active engagement side of the continuum (again, pictured below).

Finally, I've included below a photo I snagged from an intermediate school I visited recently. I loved the life-size examples students created for their research and writing assignments. I wasn't in the classroom during this work, but if I had to guess where this student fell on the continuum, it would be at least to the invested and active engagement end.

What do you think?

Do you reflect on your levels of engagement during professional learning or meetings?

Do you ask your learners to reflect on their level of engagement?

If so, I'd love to hear about it and see your examples!

Who says self-assessment needs to be a survey?

• Try using visuals.
• Try using conversation.
• Try sorting or moving cards/labels.

OR

Try ALL Three like our friends at Four County Career Center in their Anatomy and Physiology for Health Careers and Vet Tech courses.

During a recent co-planning time, I observed a coach and teacher planning for an upcoming lesson where they would ask students to be more mindful of their work.

To do this, they asked students to choose four questions from their assessment to reflect upon. From there, they asked that they explain their response.

At the last UDL Collaborative, the group used this thought- cather as a way to organize UDL aligned coaching to districts. It's also a self-reflection scaffold for district leadres to consider how well the district/school is facilitating expert learning.

Take a moment to reflect on how well your organization is facilitating expert learning and expert practice.

As a school leaders, helping teachers self assess their own growth can be so valuable!

Elena Agula from Brightmorning's Mind the Gap graphic is a great visual that represents various areas of growth. That Gaps are Defined HERE.

As a teacher, the next time you are reflecting on your professional learning needs, perhaps phrase it in this way. Is it a specific skill you need or is it motivation (will)?

A special thank you to Elif, from Houston, who shared this resource with us during the last Theory to Practice Brown Bag.

Flexible Means in Mathematics (youtube.com)

It's a great resource to add to this month's UDL connections because you can continue to think about these topics as you enage in this one hour webinar from CAST!

The video they show within this video is actually a TED Talk by Jo Boaler where students were asked to share what they see given the three arrangements of blocks. It was FACINATING to hear how the changes were perceived. Those ideas and that type of learning would be ideal for math learning logs.

I hope you have an opportunity to watch!

July 30th & 31st, 2024
Pre-conference sessions on July 29th
Online and in-person
Hyatt Regency Sacramento, CA

This year, for the first time, CAST’s Annual Symposium and the UDL-IRN Summit are joining forces to create the world’s largest International UDL Convention.

For more information and to register, visit https://www.cast.org/products-services/udl-con-international-2024

Join us for UDL Theory to Practice Brown Bag Sessions during your lunch once a month, and plan on sharing how you are using, have used, or plan to use the practices and resources mentioned in the UDL Connections.

Remember, no presentations will be planned during these sessions. Participants are ask to

1) Share a resource/practice from UDL Connections that you've tried OR

2) Share and ask for feedback, OR

3) Share and ask questions, OR

4) Share what you'd like to try and why.

Everyone is also invited to listen and learn from one another.

Our next Session is Mar 22, 2024 11:00 AM

These sessions occur every month on the Fourth Friday until May 24, 2024

Apr 26, 2024 11:00 AM

May 24, 2024 11:00 AM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://sst6-org.zoom.us/j/81521788853

Meeting ID: 815 2178 8853

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Monthly: https://sst6-org.zoom.us/meeting/tZUodeivpjMiH9efaLqXpBQ94dKUurebRpJn/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGpqzkrHdyduByERpwcGYjod-3xiFxHgvpYmh7JEhhDQDKvYuZpB6dtFdri

Lisa and I can't wait to see you there!

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 supports districts with IDEA Internal Monitoring, Postsecondary Transition, PBIS, and College and Career Readiness.

Email: csmith@sst6.org
Website: https://www.sst6.org/UniversalDesignforLearning.aspx
Location: 1045 Dearbaugh Avenue, Wapakoneta, OH, USA
Phone: 419-739-0170
Facebook: facebook.com/SST6ohio
Twitter: @SST6

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