This series of 12 short videos explores a variety of topics educators should consider when designing school spaces. They focus on ideas for designing spaces that promote collaboration, creativity, choice, and student agency. Other topics include consideration of light, color, sound and maximizing flexibility on a budget.

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This video series supports the School Culture and Environment Domain, Element 4 (D1.E4). It focuses on designing community, classroom, and digital spaces to support teaching and learning variability. The intent of this element is to intentionally design school spaces that respond to the anticipated variability of staff, students and school community.

How might you use it?

• Use this video series to provide choice during a professional learning experience that focuses on the intentional design of classroom physical and digital spaces to support learner variability. Ask teachers to select an area of focus, then reflect on how they can create spaces that support learner variability.
• Use this video series to jumpstart a school leadership team discussion about designing community spaces that support the variability of the school community. 

In this video, three purposes and functions of common learning spaces within the classroom are named and described. The concept of “Caves” are used as a reflective space where learners look inside and think about what and even how they are learning. Campfires are spaces where people gather and learn together. In these spaces, knowledge, and information is delivered to the group. “Waterholes” are designed for learners to collaborate, share and provide feedback amongst each other. The video shares how these concepts can be expanded to digital spaces (Caves can be blogs, Campfires are like flipped learning and google docs or other collaborative tools can function as Watering Holes).

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This informational video supports the School Culture and Environment, Element 4 (D1, E4)

which focuses on designing community, classroom, and digital spaces within a school to support variability. Within this element, school spaces are intentionally designed to respond to anticipated variability including cognitives, physical, perceptual, sensory, social, emotional and cultural variability.

How might you use it?

• Provide professional development on the three concepts and lead a schoolwide professional development for teachers to reflect on where and how they have students within learning spaces (You should have options for where, how, and when they are grouped)
• Ask yourself “Does the school have physical and virtual spaces that provide opportunities for self introspection or reflection, space to gather knowledge from an expert and space to collaboration?” (community, teachers, and students).

The School Communication Planning Guide tool provides guidance for communicating with the school community. This tool provides insight in leveraging digital options such as websites, mobile apps and social media to connect with students, staff, parents and other key stakeholders. Creating a communication plan begins with a well-conceived, well-articulated mission statement. View this resource to see what is next in this process and how it can be done.

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This tool supports the School Culture and Environment Domain, Element 3 (D1, E3), which focuses on the planning and monitoring of communications to help unify the school and community around the commitment to UDL.

How might you use it?

Options for using this tool include:

• Read the resource to determine if the recommendations or process fits your school needs
• Identify elements of the tool that can be embedded into your if your current communication plan
• Use this tool as a step-by-step guide to creating a communication plan

The Panorama Equity and Inclusion Survey helps school leadership teams understand what students, teachers, and staff are thinking and feeling about diversity, equity, and inclusion in school. The survey can be used to help schools and districts track the progress of equity initiatives, like UDL implementation, identify areas for celebration and improvement, and inform professional development.

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This tool supports the School Culture and Environment Domain, Element 1 (D1, E1), focused on ensuring that all members of the school community are included in and benefit from learning opportunities. The intent of this element is that the school community commits to designing equitable and inclusive learning opportunities and environments.

How might you use it?

Options for using this tool include:

• Access the survey after providing demographic information. Read the foundational information and decide how this tool will fit into your current Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan.
• Read the User Guide and review topics included in the survey to decide on an area of focus. Develop a plan to identify and enhance that chosen area of focus.
• After a thorough review of the survey, distribute the survey to students (grades 6-8) and staff. Disaggregate data to determine areas of need. Design a plan to address identified areas of need.

Leading with Access & Equity is a facilitator’s guide to a series of webinar modules that were developed to support schools with disparities amongst specific student populations. The modules include discussion questions posed to guide reflection as you work through the module, a slide deck and a webinar video. Additional resources to support the topic are also provided. Some of the topics included in these modules are:

• Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Incorporating UDL into your Turnaround Plans
• Identifying Inequities and Elevating Expectations in Education
• Culturally Responsive Design and Implicit Bias
• Funds of knowledge
• Learner Variability and Special Education 
• Working Together: General Education and Special Education Partnerships
• Deconstructing Inequitable Systems to Support All Learners
• Addressing Systems of Oppression

How does it relate to the UDL-SICC?

This tool supports the School Culture and Environment Domain, Element 1 (D1.E1), which focuses on ensuring that all members of the school community are included in and benefit from learning opportunities. The intent of this element is that the school community commits to designing equitable and inclusive learning opportunities and environments.

How might you use it?

Options for using this tool include:

• Review the table of contents to identify the area or areas where your school can improve. Involve your leadership team to decide how the practices mentioned can support your school.
• Review the discussion questions and module highlights and decide which modules you and your school will engage with and when.
• Engage in all modules to determine what, how and when the strategies can be embedded into your school's practices.
• The videos, discussion questions, and resources in this guide can be used to facilitate a one-hour faculty meeting or professional development session, or you can use the guide independently to deepen your learning and reflect on your practice. If you are facilitating these videos at a faculty meeting or professional development session, please be prepared to project the video and pause at the appropriate times to ensure there is an opportunity for discussion. Also, you may choose to provide time for participants to explore provided resources during the meeting, or you may provide the resources as optional extension activities.