http://www.cast.org/pd/consortium/index.html
Issue Number 22: December, 2005
Dear Readers,
The Consortium newsletter highlights a variety of new resources for educators who are interested in increasing opportunities for all learners, especially those with disabilities. We are also pleased to announce a spring institute focused on “Reaching and Teaching All Learners: Universal Design for Learning”.
Enjoy and Happy New Year,
Grace
Reaching and Teaching All Learners: Universal Design for Learning
An introduction for preK-12 educators
How do I address the diversity of students in my classroom? How can I design curriculum to take advantage of the new technologies in the context of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? This Institute is an introduction to UDL and its application to classroom practice. Participants will have hands-on experience with materials, technologies, and strategies as they develop realistic action steps that apply UDL to their own practice.
Dates: March 28-29, 2006
Register now for a 20% savings.
Resources for Teachers
Explore a variety of resources that support understanding and implementation of Universal Design for Learning, and download professional development slides and activities that are useful in teaching others about UDL. Also, take a look at available grants for educators.
CAST’s Professional Development Initiatives
CAST works closely with educators across the country to meet the needs of diverse learners through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants learn to apply UDL principles and flexible digital technologies to improve curriculum, instruction, and course materials. CAST's professional development specialists tailor services to meet participants’ unique needs at the classroom, school, district, and state levels.
Differentiated Instruction and Implications for UDL Implementation
CAST’s publication on Differentiated Instruction and UDL provides the reader with a definition and description of essential features and attributes of this classroom practice and includes links to websites by primary researchers, developers, practitioners, and users which contain information, examples, and applications about this classroom practice.
Test Delivery and UDL
CAST conducted a pilot study that applies principles of Universal Design for Learning to the creation of a prototype computer-based test delivery tool that provides students with a flexible, customizable testing environment with the option for read-aloud of test content. There is preliminary support to indicate the potential benefits and usability of digital technologies in creating universally designed assessments that more fairly and accurately test students with disabilities. Read Applying principles of universal design to test delivery: the effect of computer-based read aloud on test performance of high school students with learning disabilities.
New Publication
The Universally Designed Classroom Accessible Curriculum and Digital Technologies, edited by David H. Rose, Anne Meyer, and Chuck Hitchcock and published by Harvard Education Publishing Group, addresses crucial questions about how to create full access to the general education curriculum for learners with disabilities.
Summer Institutes
CAST will be offering summer institutes, focusing on the following topics: Literacy, English Language Learners, Emergent Literacy for Children with Cognitive Disabilities, Assessment, and Postsecondary Education. Each of these institutes is guided by the principles of UDL and offer practical applications for classroom practice. The schedule will be posted in early January 2006 on the CAST website. If you would like individual notification of these upcoming professional development offerings, please send an email to institute@cast.org.
Thank you for your interest in CAST and our work. It is our intention to send this newsletter to individuals who have requested to receive it. If you believe you are receiving this in error or wish to no longer receive it, you can unsubscribe by sending a message to natconsortium@cast.org with a subject of "unsubscribe consortium".
Please feel free to forward this email to colleagues who may be interested in this content.
Grace J. Meo
Co-Director of the National Consortium on Universal Design for Learning
mailto:gmeo@cast.org
http://www.cast.org
