August 21-23, 2023

UDL: Eliminating barriers and building on strengths in your classroom (3 days)

Dr. Carly Christensen

Social Justice in education is facilitated by implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create more equitable classrooms for all learners. As such, within this strand, we will examine disability/exceptionality through the lens of social justice in education. This 3-day strand will build your capacity to implement UDL within your own unique settings.

The benefits of UDL will be explored through the voices of students with experiences being learners in UDL-designed classrooms. We will explore student variability, emphasizing the removal of barriers and building on strengths. Misconceptions and myths about UDL will be examined, alongside evidence from the field. You will be invited to engage in learning, and unlearning, concerning common classroom practices. We will examine our own teaching strategies focusing on identifying and removing barriers. We will practice and demonstrate the reimagining of lesson planning and assessment from a UDL perspective. You will leave this strand with actionable steps in your UDL journey to creating equitable classrooms.

This strand is designed with school-based teams, general teachers, and educational assistants specifically in mind. District teams, parents, and community agencies would also benefit from learning about the possibilities and benefits of designing learning spaces using UDL.