| Course Number: | EDX 5710 S42 |
| Instructor: | Richard Reardon, Ph.D. |
| Location: | Online |
| Dates and Times: | Feb 12, 2025 - May 28, 2025. Four Zoom meetings from 4-6 pm on February 12, March 12, April 9 and May 7 with the remainder of the course in an online/asynchronous format. |
| Credits: | 3 Graduate Credits |
| Tuition: | $1,195 |
Every classroom is filled with amazing individuals who vary wildly in who they are as people. This includes BIPOC students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students who are new to the language of instruction, have learning differences, are experiencing poverty, need behavioral supports, have had poor previous instruction, or have endured trauma. This diversity is an asset that educators can leverage when we ensure our instruction is tailored to the strengths and needs of each student. That’s where Universal Design for Learning (UDL) comes in. UDL ensures all students succeed by enabling educators to remove barriers to learning. Supported by neurological and education research, the tenets of UDL challenge educators to engage students and sustain their interest, represent instruction in accessible ways, and support students to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways. By applying UDL principles, educators can anticipate potential barriers to learning and adjust from the start, driving the accessibility of learning for all students by meeting the needs of each student. Engage and sustain interest, represent accessible instruction, and allow for expression of learning.
Audience: All K-12 educators with a Bachelor's Degree
Course Goals:
Educators will understand and be able to incorporate the fundamental concepts of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the design of standards-based lessons, units, and assessments that consistently engage students in inclusive classrooms.
Educators will create learning experiences that guide students to identify their strengths, interests, and needs; problem-solve; ask for support when appropriate; take academic risks; and challenge themselves to learn
Educators will demonstrate an understanding of multiple means for engagement of students which correlates to the affective network in the brain impacting the “why” of learning (i.e. motivation, purpose of learning, etc.)
Educators will demonstrate an understanding of multiple means of representation which lines up with the recognition network of the brain. This is the “what” of learning (i.e. options for comprehension or intake of info.)
Educators will demonstrate an understanding of multiple means of action and expression. The “how” of learning is related to the strategic network of the brain and means that educators need to find ways to allow for different ways to express knowledge gained
Educators will understand and be able to incorporate the fundamental concepts of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the design of standards-based lessons, units, and assessments that consistently engage students in inclusive classrooms.
Educators will create learning experiences that guide students to identify their strengths, interests, and needs; problem-solve; ask for support when appropriate; take academic risks; and challenge themselves to learn
Course Objectives:
Actively explore and analyze concepts of school culture and climate for inclusive learning
Take a deeper look into universal design for learning as a solution to bring greater equity in outcomes for students
Dialogue and explore making classrooms more welcoming, safer, and more supportive of a wider range of learners.
Answer the questions, “Do we push in support, or pull out for support?” “How do we deliver intervention without disrupting participation in core instruction, even in our specials or electives?”
Learn a specific grouping strategy that can be used across multiple classrooms for efficient delivery of support in every classroom and explore how this grouping strategy can be used to ensure every student is seen, heard, and valued.
Chapter 1: Planning for Variability; A Natural Part of the Human Condition- False dichotomies, student variability, improving instruction, the role of UDL in an MTSS framework
Chapter 2: Creating Emotionally Safe Environments Where Students Feel Welcomed and Empowered- Becoming intentionally inviting, harmful and exclusionary practices, and collaborative classroom cultures 2/12/25
Chapter 3: Options for Expression that Reduce Inequities in Assessment- Tasks vs skills; understandings, confounding variables in assessment, options for student expression
Chapter 4: Engaging Classrooms; Environments in Which Students are Curious -Strategies to “hook” student interest, using clarity, choice, relevance, and balancing participation. 3/12/25
Chapter 5: Developing Expert Learners; Facilitating Content that all Students can Access, Remember, Understand
Modes of representation, retrieval strategies, supporting conceptual understanding, accessible content for ALL
Chapter 6: Flexible Support and Intervention Designed to Enhance Skills Delivered in Inclusive, Equitable Settings
Grouping and serving students in MTSS, paraprofessional roles defined, interventions, working in coordinated small groups 4/09/25
Chapter 7: Mastery Assessment, Grading and Feedback -Grading barriers, assessment, grading and feedback, formative and summative assessments, goal attainment
Chapter 8: Building Interdisciplinary Teams for Equity and Inclusion Whole school approach to implementing UDL, nested levels of school change, supporting each other as adults 5/7/25
Richard Reardon, Ph.D.
Ric Reardon, Ph.D., has worked in the field of Special Education K-12 and as an associate professor of special education at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition, he served as the district inclusion coordinator for a large school district in Florida monitoring schools for LRE compliance and supporting them in providing meaningful inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. Dr. Reardon has consulted with school teams, schools, and districts for years in areas such as special education best practices, inclusion, and leadership.
"Seen, Heard, and Valued: Universal Design for Learning and Beyond". Dr. Lee Ann Jung, 2023 (Corwin Press, 1st Edition).