With an understanding of how race and racism operate in classrooms and schools, we can harness the power of the UDL framework to tear down broken systems and design new ways of being. This can only occur if we are willing to be expert learners and look internally at our own practices and beliefs. In this session, join Lisa Williams and Liz Berquist as they share how UDL can be a lever for moving equity theory to practice. Guided by their work in the Baltimore County Public School System (BCPS), the 25th largest district in the US, Lisa and Liz will offer actionable practices for developing high functioning teams capable of disrupting oppressive practices and designing equitable, universally designed learning environments.

Session Video Recording
Handout

Participants will:

• Deepen understanding of the habits and practices of an expert learner.
• Explore how educators can design to support the development of expert learners.

To access the interactive learning module, click on the Interactive link above or select this link: Got a Minute? Expert Learning Digital Module

Being an "Expert Learner" is the most explicit and direct goal of UDL. It is seen, for example, in the "goal" row of the newest UDL Guidelines.  But what does it mean to be an "expert learner?" This 10-minute video explores this question from the Learner's perspective.

Self-awareness of one’s unique combination of strengths and needs is an essential first step of self regulated learning. However, research suggests that most students lack the self awareness they need to make good learning decisions.

An objective learner profile of how a student understands and retains best, their cognitive strengths and needs in the areas of reasoning, memory, processing, and executive functions, can play an instrumental role in developing student self awareness. Since these are hidden skills, most students and teachers benefit from deliberate training on how to identify and support students’ strengths and needs. Once foundational self awareness skills are established, students are well positioned to become self regulated learners.

It’s been dubbed “the million dollar” question: what does a UDL classroom really look like? Truly, there isn’t one correct answer to that question. However, all successful UDL classrooms make use of common elements. A Practice Profile includes those common elements and helps teachers implement and refine UDL practices. At the organizational level, a Practice Profile helps districts define what makes up UDL classrooms and what UDL classrooms look like across their different educational settings. The Profile’s success stems from its ability to create empowering dialogue between educators as they share and build upon one another’s teaching experiences and UDL principles. This session explores what a Practice Profile is, ways they are used, and how to go about personalizing a Practice Profile template to improve instructional UDL practice.

How can you help learners become expert learners?

In personalized learning environments, learners understand their strengths and challenges and are able to deploy strategies to support their learning. Daily, they are developing the skills needed to be self-directed learners, able to monitor their progress and make connections to prior learning.

These learners can also choose and use the right technologies for the task. As they progress, the anticipated result will be expert learners who are truly prepared for their future. The continuum toward mastery provides learners of all ages with a blueprint for building expertise. Lets take a look at the Stages of Personalized Learning Environments and how we can develop expert learners by helping them develop the skills at each stage along the Continuum of an Expert Learner.

The ultimate goal of Universal Design for Learning is to create lifelong expert learners. As Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation moves toward fully implementing the Universal Design for Learning guidelines in all learning environments, institutionalization will require the development of student capacity for UDL language and development of expert learner qualities. This resource will examine resources that support teachers and students in the acquisition of the expert learner qualities, explore the role of the UDL Facilitators in BCSC, and provide examples of lessons and strategies to support the development of UDL language for students and methods of data collection to gauge growth of student capacity for understanding UDL language.

This document and video assist you locating excellent resources housed on BCSC’s district webpage on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The “UDL” page hosts a variety of resources from a short video describing UDL to a longer video on BCSC’s district journey to UDL implementation. Take a look at “Teacher Spotlight” which highlights an elementary and secondary teacher describing their journey in implementing Universal Design for Learning. You may also take a look at BCSC’s “Request for Educational Planning” which is a downloadable form BCSC staff utilize to request educational planning support from their building UDL Facilitator. Among other resources are Technology Tools aligned to the three principles of Universal Design. As well as several other resources you may find on BCSC’s webpage.

Downloadable motivational posters depicting the UDL Guidelines, written as "I Can" statements to motivate students.  Accompanying video demonstrates classroom implementation of posters.