October 19, 2009
jgronneberg@cast.org
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880
Tel: 781-245-2212 ext. 275
Preparing Teachers to Expand their Instructional Approaches for Reaching All High School Students
Wakefield, Mass., October 19, 2009—With generous support from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, CAST today published two free online modules (http://udlonline.cast.org) that introduce the theory, principles, and application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to teachers and teacher candidates. The modules, each four to six hours in length, can be used in graduate and undergraduate education courses, professional development, consulting activities, and as a resource for educators across the country.
“Our goal is to develop and advance teacher candidates’ instructional practices in core content courses such as biology, English Language Arts, and history. We are delighted to offer these free resources to educators nationwide as they address the diverse needs, challenges, and strengths of their high school students,” said Grace Meo, CAST’s Director of Professional Development and Outreach Services.
Module One, What is Universal Design for Learning? offers an overview of UDL by addressing the three principles of UDL, the connection of UDL to neuroscience, and the impact of UDL on curriculum. Module Two, Applying UDL to Lesson Development, provides practice applying the UDL principles and guidelines to instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments.
The two online modules are flexible enough to be used as part of an online, hybrid or face-to-face course. The design of the modules mirrors the three principles of UDL.
- Multiple Means of Representation: The content is represented in multiples ways including text, audio clips and video.
- Multiple Means of Action and Expression: Online activities, discussion questions and lesson plan assignments allow students to express their understanding in different ways.
- Multiple Means of Engagement: Text, audio, video, activities, additional resources, and links to useful websites give students multiple ways to engage with the content.
The release of the Online UDL Modules is timely given the passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) in 2008. The law highlights the importance of UDL as a practical framework to individualize curriculum and instruction for all learners, and provides the first-ever statutory definition of the term. The Higher Education Opportunity Act explicitly supports implementation of the framework in higher education by providing for:
- The development of innovative, effective, and efficient teaching methods and strategies for postsecondary faculty and staff that are consistent with UDL principles;
- Technical assistance to postsecondary institutions in implementing exemplary UDL practices; and
- The infusion of K-12 pre-service teacher education with a practical understanding of how to use UDL to more effectively reach the diverse learners in today’s classrooms.
The Online UDL Modules join a host of other educator tools available for free on the CAST website including the CAST UDL Book Builder v. 3.0, UDL Editions by CAST, CAST UDL Lesson Builder, CAST UDL Curriculum Self Check, and the CAST Strategy Tutor.
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About CAST
Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its development of innovative learning resources and for articulating the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework for creating inclusive educational environments. For more information, go to www.cast.org.
