There’s no such thing as average.
Of course, that’s speaking neurologically. Learning about the variability of human brains was just one of the takeaways from TRRE’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Institute, attended by teaching residents from cohorts I and II, teaching mentors, and members of the TRRE management team. Participants gathered at North Country Education Services (NCES) on June 27th and had the opportunity to learn about UDL, neuroscience, and what learner variability means for instructional curriculum and design.
Led by Allison Posey, curriculum and design specialist from
CAST, the Institute focused on learning the core principles of UDL and applying
them to design lessons and classroom environments to meet the needs of all
learners. Rooted in concepts from architecture and technology, as well as
neuroscience, UDL focuses on proactive design to allow for flexibility, and
emphasizes that barriers to learning are often social, instructional, or
environmental.
After learning about UDL theory, Posey led participants
through a simulated “Design Challenge,” where they had an opportunity to think about
identifying learning barriers within a lesson and redesign it so that a variety
of learners would be able to meet the instructional goal.
One teaching resident said the UDL Institute was “the most
educational life changing experience in years.”
The TRRE program rests on three instructional pillars, one
of which is content and pedagogy, which emphasizes application of UDL
principles within the classroom. Additionally, UDL is embedded in to TRRE
curriculum and coursework.
TRRE teaching residents and graduates can expect to see more
UDL professional learning coming their way during the 2018-19 school year.
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