UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING: Building Bridges Between Learning Differences and Literacy

1
UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING Building
Bridges Between Learning Differences and
Literacy

• Ms. Joey Serim, MA, Learning Specialist

2
UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING - a.k.a. UDL

• What kinds of teaching techniques, modifications,
  and media enhance the educational experience of
  diverse learners?
• How is UDL a perfect match for diverse, online
  learners?

3
(No Transcript)
4

• UDL strengthens student strengths,

and helps remediate or by-pass their challenges.
5
Challenges?

• Specific learning disabilities
• Low achievement due to frustration
• Gaps in learning
• ESL and ELL issues
• Socioeconomic issues

6
UDL levels the playing field for all learners, by

• making curriculum content accessible to all
  learners
• allowing for multiple methods of presentation,
  participation, expression, and assessment
• strengthening the strengths!

7
But how can I ensure successful learning for 25
diverse students???
8
(No Transcript)
9
A few GOOD ideas

• Graphic organizers
• Screen reading software
• Change font size, color, spacing
• Highlight and mask text to create smaller chunks
• Include podcasts, pictures, dialogue, sound
  effects, video clips

10
Teaching these strategies to students will create
lifelong, active, independent learners.

• Be sure to model
• I do
• You watch,
• You do
• I watch,
• and I provide support as needed.

11
Your turn
12
But what about those students who have learning
disabilities?
Do you worry about the I words..IEP?..INCLUSIO
N??!
13
Specific Learning Disability Defined

• The term specific learning disability means a
  disorder in one or more of the basic
  psychological processes involved in understanding
  or in using language, spoken or written, which
  disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect
  ability to listen, think, speak, read, write,
  spell, or do mathematical calculations.
• From IDEA 2004

14
What can this look like in a learning environment?
Possible difficulties with

• basic reading skills (decoding, fluency)
• reading comprehension
• mathematics - calculation
• mathematical reasoning
• oral expression
• listening comprehension
• written expression
• attention

15
Lets connect the dots..
16
Difficulties with

• basic reading skills
• reading comprehension
• math calculations and reasoning
• oral expression
• listening comprehension
• written expression
• attention

• Text to speech software with adjustable speed,
  font size, color
• Pod cast

• Calculator
• Real or virtual manipulatives

• PowerPoint or other digital presentaton

• Multisensory teaching

• Speech to text software
• Read-aloud editing software

• Visual imagery from primary sources

17
When we use aUniversal Design for Learning,we
help our students move from this gtgtgtgt
18
(No Transcript)
19
To this
And NO child is left behind!
20
UDL RESOURCES

• ? CAST (Center for Applied Special
  Technology) Universal Design for Learning
  http//www.cast.org (Teaching Every Student Web
  Site)
• ? The Access Center Improving Outcomes for
  All Students K-8
• accesscenter_at_air.org
• ? SchwabLearning.org A Parents Guide to
  Helping Kids with Learning Difficulties (good
  information for educators and students)
• ? LDOnline information on learning disabilities
  and resources, technology, etc.
• www.ldonline.org

21
WRITING ENHANCEMENT SOFTWARE

• Dragon Naturally Speaking
• Recognizes normal, continuous speech and creates
  text
• Spoken words are transcribed immediately onto
  computer screen
• ViaVoice by IBM
• voice recognition software that transcribes
  speech onto computer screen
• text to voice feature
• available for Macintosh

• Co-Writer 4000 (Macintosh Windows) Predicts
  words that make sense in the context, based on
  recency and redundancy.
• WriteOutloud (Macintosh Windows)
• Encourages reading writing
• Includes a talking spell checker
• Students immediately hear if words are omitted or
  misplaced
• Alows for revising of word choices, spelling,
  sequence
• Don Johnston, Inc.
• www.donjohnston.com

22
SOFTWARE TO ENHANCE AND ORGANIZE STUDY SKILLS

• Inspiration Software, Inc.
• www.inspiration.com 1-800-877-4292
• Inspiration - powerful visual learning tool for
  students in grades 6 through adult. Allows
  students to create graphic organizers that
  represent concepts and relationships for more
  organized writing and improved study skills.
• Kidspiration - created for students in grades
  K-5, allows them to build graphic organizers by
  combining pictures, text, and spoken words.
  Improves comprehension and written organization.

• Freeware graphic organizers
• http//www.freeology.com/graphicorgs/

23
READING WRITING ENHANCEMENT SOFTWARE

• WYNN 5 by Freedom Scientific
• Reads aloud Web text, file documents and scanned
  material
• Access to writing, self-editing and study tools
  like dictionary, word prediction and highlighting
  
• Masking, which highlights selected text by line,
  sentence or paragraph while blocking out the rest
• WYNN_at_freedomscientific.com.

• Kurzweil 3000 Access to any curriculum
• decoding support through read - aloud
• Increased reading fluency
• Study skills tools and support
• Writing and self-editing tools
• Independent test taking
• http//www.kurzweiledu.com

24
TEXT-TO-SPEECH FREEWARE

• ReadPlease 2003
• English, Spanish, German, French, UK English
• For Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP
• Works in word processing programs and in e-mail
• http//www.readplease.com
• Talk-To-Me for Windows
• Reads E-Mail, instant messages, web pages,
  documents
• Can set alarms for event reminders
• http//www.talk-to-me.net
• Text-Edit Plus for Mac users
• http//www.tex-edit.com/
• WordWeb dictionary and thesaurus for Windows
• http//wordweb.into/free/