UD and Evidence-Based Practices

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Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1767] Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net
Date: Sun Dec 2 09:58:59 EST 2007

Hello Kate, and others,

On Nov 30, 2007, at 10:57 AM, Kate.Brandt at mail.cuny.edu wrote:

I also have some questions about the standards. What is "universal design?" And exactly which evidence-based teaching practices will we, as staff developers, be expected to pass on to teachers?

In the proposed AALPD Professional Development Standards there is a reference, in two of the indicators under standard 2, to "universal design":

Standard 2. Prepares practitioners to appreciate and respond to the needs of all students, create supportive environments, and hold high expectations for all learners.

Indicator (a) PD planning takes into account the principles of universal design

Indicator (b) PD providers are trained in the principles of universal design

Universal Design

This is evironmental design that helps everyone, not just people with disabilities. A curb cut in a sidewalk, for example, makes crossing a street easier for those pushing strollers and those on roller skates, bicycles and skateboards, (the great majority of the people who use curb cuts) as well as those in wheelchairs.

In a classroom or computer lab universal design refers to the idea that it is not sufficient to have separate, sometimes stigmatizing assists for learners with disabilities; instead, the entire learning environment -- including technology -- should accommodate the widest range of learners, including those with physical and learning disabilities.

Universal Design and Technology

An example of universal design in technology is a software feature, found now in nearly all personal computers, that allows users to increase the size of the text. This helps people who have difficulty seeing small text, including those who are more severely sight- impaired. Another technology example is the text-to-speech software found in many computers, and that could easily be installed in all computers, that enables people who are legally blind to have text, including web pages, read out loud. This software may also be useful to those who have specific reading disabilities.

For more information on universal design you might look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_design

For a definition of universal design in a learning environment, you could look at: http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

or

http://telr.osu.edu/dpg/fastfact/undesign.html

or

http://www.nectac.org/topics/atech/udl.asp

As for which evidence-based practices should be "passed on", the AALPD standards are not intended to be prescriptive in this area, but they do embrace both research (not necessarily "gold standard") and professional wisdom (which in my opinion has not yet been adequately defined in our field). Standard 5 focuses on practitioners' abilities to evaluate and apply research (including professional wisdom) and theory. I believe that the idea of Standard 5 is not to push any particular evidence-based practice but rather to help practitioners become skilled in evaluating and applying (and then judging the results of using) evidence-based practices.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1768] Re: Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: Corley, Mary Ann MCorley at air.org
Date: Sun Dec 2 12:51:03 EST 2007

Hi, David:

I thought I would share with you and others on this list a fact sheet that CALPRO staff developed on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). There is a great deal written on UDL, but we wanted something short and practical that would provide teachers with the definition and background of UDL as well as some concrete tips for incorporating UDL into teaching and learning. This fact sheet also is posted to the CALPRO Web site at http://www.calpro-online.org/documents/FactSheetUniversalDesign.pdf

Although the principles of UDL that we discuss in the fact sheet are in the context of what teachers need to know to ensure that instructional design and delivery are appropriate for and accessible to all learners, these same principles can and should be applied to the design and delivery of professional development. I believe that this is an appropriate standard for PD, but I think that we in adult education have not had many discussions on the concept of UDL, so it's perhaps a bit murky for us. In fact, in California, this fact sheet is the only adult education product that explicitly relates to UDL-and we probably need to do more to move the concept forward. I would be interested in hearing from others about whether your PD efforts address the topic of UDL.

Thanks,

-Mary Ann Corley

CALPRO Director

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1772] Re: Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: Michael Tate mtate at sbctc.edu
Date: Mon Dec 3 14:45:39 EST 2007

Hi David, and others,

Universal design would also include 1) making a class syllabus available prior to the start of the class, so slow readers and those who know they will have other claims on their reading time during the quarter can start early, 2) designing tests without time limits, so that those who have slow processing speed or who find the best answers by reflecting on the question and the answer over a longer time frame are not disadvantaged, 3) designing tests that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge orally, in short answers, or through projects, 4) designing calculators into math classes and tests, so that those who have short term memory deficits or who understand the principles but get tangled up in the calculations can demonstrate their knowledge.

For evidence based instruction, 1) build strategy instruction into lessons so that teachers teach how to use a reading strategy so students can practice it on the coming essay assignment, 6) build your class around graphic organizers, so that students can understand how the classes connect to their goals, and how today's lesson connects to the class goals. Strategy instruction and graphic organizers are essential for students with LD, and are very beneficial to the rest of the students in class. Another evidence-based practice, feedback, again is crucial for students with LD, but again is beneficial to all students. Have teachers build activities and classes that have frequent feedback points, so students can gauge how well they are mastering a learning point. Ideally, the feedback would be multimodal as the instruction has been.

As a field we underuse haptic and kinesthetic approaches, so building hands-on activities into classes will be beneficial for all learners while being critical for students with disabilities that interfere with listening or reading.

Michael Tate

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1797] Re: Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com robinschwarz1 at aol.com
Date: Mon Dec 10 18:18:18 EST 2007

Michael-- this is beautiful-- I have forwarded it to a group of committed ESOL teachers who are striving to make their instruction more universal-- I say this in many ways, but you say it more eloquently! It is so important for teachers to understand that these adjustments are to the advantage of those who need them, not giving an advantage to those who don't really need them. After all we, really want our students to demonstrate what they KNOW and are learning, not race against a time limit or struggle to line up figures in an addition problem. Thanks so much for these wise words.
Robin Lovrien Schwarz

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1802] Re: Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: Nadia and Kevin Colby thecolbys at prodigy.net
Date: Tue Dec 11 09:52:46 EST 2007

Yes, the method is wonderful and I guess I did not do my homework before asking the question. What is really interesting is that universal design, according to the Ohio University Grant Partnership, states clearly that UD is essentially GOOD TEACHING that allows all the students to access learning, but it does not remove academic barriers.

So, UD really gives us a lot as teachers in terms of our approach to teaching, but there is (stated with hope and the commitment and understanding that this is the reality we live in Adult Education) the academic strides that some of us feel we need to walk to substantiate in the best way the method suggested in the standards.

Here is the link a had a look at (I hope it is not repeated below): http://telr.osu.edu/dpg/fastfact/undesign.html

Robin thanks for posting this again. And by the way, as a student I see my professor really going beyond the lecture type of approach, working in groups and using power points presentations that really make salient the content of the class. At times it has been painfully difficult to understand some concepts but I can see as a student that learning is really enhanced. In all fairness, as a teacher, I feel closer to my students because I am sharing with them the joy of learning, but I am also aware that at times the content is not immediately accessible and they struggle just like me, despite the differences of level and subject matter.

Thanks again, Robin.

Nadia

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1798] Re: Universal design, evidence-based teaching practices
From: Emma Bourassa ebourassa at tru.ca
Date: Mon Dec 10 19:06:47 EST 2007

I'm wondering if anyone has tapped into the valuable resource of elementary teachers who are faced with level differences and adapting materials. There may be some valuable ideas there. While the students may (altho probably not) speak all the same language, the strategies that I have seen through my B.Ed have been directly transferrable to all of my ESL classes, regardless of their level or the strand. www.learner.org has many programs on literacy, multicultural text and second language teaching that I've found inspirational.
emma

Emma Bourassa
English as a Second or Additional Language/ Teaching English as a Second Language Instructor
ESAL Department
Thompson Rivers University
900 McGill Road. P.O. Box 3010
Kamloops, B.C. V2C 5N3
(250) 371-5895
fax 371-5514
ebourassa at tru.ca

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1800] Re: Universal design
From: Donald E Finn/AC/VCU definn at vcu.edu
Date: Mon Dec 10 22:42:52 EST 2007

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1801] Additional UD Link
From: Donald E Finn/AC/VCU definn at vcu.edu
Date: Mon Dec 10 22:48:18 EST 2007