Week 5 Blog

 Part 1 - UDL Article Summary

The article written by Kavita Rao, Sean J. Smith, and K. Alisa Lowrey titled UDL and Intellectual Disability: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go? highlights the importance of UDL for students with intellectual disability (ID). This article discussed the reason behind the research, what current research is available, and what considerations we need for future research. Students with ID are commonly placed in separate settings than their peers, and when they are included, it is typically for experiences that are nonacademic. The UDL framework provides opportunities so that students with ID can be included in general education settings. It has three principles that educators use to plan their instruction. The three principles are "provide multiple means of representation, provide multiple means of action and expression, and provide multiple means of engagement" (Rao, Smith, & Lowrey, 2017, p. 37).

There are limited articles for UDL as a tool used with students with ID. For the research portion of this article, they used six articles that specifically listed students with ID in their studies. These six studies all used the principles of UDL, and results found that there were various forms of improved outcomes such as increased engagement, gains in reading skills, and better access to curriculum and instruction. These were various cases using different types of designs and used different settings in different cases. There were studies using self-contained classrooms, inclusive classrooms, and mixed settings.

In future research, some things that should be considered include: how UDL can promote inclusion of individual supports for students with ID; ways that UDL can be used with other evidence-based practices to support various areas of all student needs; and how UDL can be utilized schoolwide for students with ID.

Part 2 - CAST UDL Strategies

The first strategy I chose to integrate into my lesson plan is “Cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning” (Consideration 3.3) from the UDL Guidelines. This strategy emphasizes offering various methods for representing and building knowledge. It includes multiple ways of presenting material by both the educator and the learner, as well as using multiple models to explore or deepen understanding. In my lesson, students will have several opportunities to interact with different models that represent the same concept. I’m also working on a way to offer two forms of assessment: one more formal and test-based, and another where students create or craft a representation that demonstrates their understanding of the targeted skill (CAST, 2024).

The other strategy included in my lesson is "Clarify vocabulary, symbols, and language structures" (Consideration 2.1). Before beginning any lesson, we review the vocabulary and key terms that students will need to understand. In this particular lesson, we are working on comparing numbers using the terms greater than and less than. It's important that students understand these concepts, so I use vocabulary cards that include both the definition and a visual image. We will review these cards together before starting the lesson, and they will remain displayed on the wall for students to refer to throughout the activity. During the lesson, I will consistently refer back to the cards, point to them, and randomly ask students to explain what the terms mean. We will also discuss related words with similar meanings, such as more, less, and fewer, to help students build a stronger understanding of the vocabulary (CAST, 2024).

Part 3 - 2024 NETP Connection

Technology can be a useful tool that provides original and creative opportunities for many students, however sometimes it is unclear how to do this. The 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) highlights the need to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies so that all students can make the most of technology. By creating lessons that provide various ways for students to engage, learn, and demonstrate their understanding, I can better address their unique needs. This approach helps reduce the Digital Use Divide by ensuring every student, regardless of their background or abilities, has the opportunity to succeed and feel confident using technology in their learning.

References

CAST. (2024). The UDL Guidelines. The UDL Guidelines. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A Call to Action to Close the Technology Access, Design, and Use Divides: National Educational Technology Plan. Department of Education. NETP2024.pdf

Rao, K., Smith, S. J., & Lowrey, K. A. 
(2017). UDL and intellectual disability: What do we know and where do we go? Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 55(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-55.1.37


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