Your UDL Lesson Planner

The Step-by-Step Guide for Teaching All Learners

by
Patti Kelly Ralabate, Ed.D.

Contents

• About the Videos and Downloadable Materials ..... vi
• About the Author.....vii
• Preface .....viii
• Acknowledgments .....x

1 Why Is Universal Design for Learning a Lesson Planning Process? .....1

2 Defining Learning Goals: A Critical First Step .....15

3 Taking a Variability Perspective.....33

4 Assessing Learning: Making It Matter .....55

5 Choosing Wisely: Teaching Methods with a UDL Spin.....83

6 Adding Value: Materials and Media in a UDL Environment.....105

7 Putting It Together.....119

8 Reflecting on Expertise .....141

References .....153

Index .....157

About the Author

Patti Kelly Ralabate, Ed.D., universal design for learning (UDL) implementation expert and independent consultant, served as Director of Implementation for CAST and Director of the National Center on Universal Design for Learning. She was a UDL leadership fellow at Boston College, and the National Education Association’s key expert on special and gifted education in the Education Policy and Practice Department. She has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous guides and policy documents that serve as excellent resources for school personnel. Dr. Ralabate received a bachelor of science in education degree from the SUNY at Fredonia, New York, a master of arts in speech-language pathology from the University of Massachusetts, and a doctorate in special education from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

WHAT’S SO SMART ABOUT SMART GOALS?

Effective learning goals should pass the SMART test. In case this is the first time you’ve heard about SMART goal design, here is a brief explanation. The SMART acronym, which George Doran originally presented to business managers in 1981, has recently found its way into education circles. Various districts and state departments of education have adopted the concept behind the acronym and are offering professional learning on how to write SMART goals. Sometimes different words are used to define a few of the acronym’s letters, but the following descriptions are most often used by educators:

• S—specific to a student-based outcome: The learning goal should clearly state what you expect students to know or be able to do as the outcome of the lesson. As outlined earlier in this chapter, goals that describe completing an activity or that use vague verbs are not specific.
• M—measurable by providing timely evidence: In most cases, the assessment should be defined in the learning goal statement, and it should provide you with ongoing data or evidence that learning is improving. Goals that are tied to end-of-year assessments or standardized tests do not provide ongoing evidence that learners are achieving the learning targets, so it’s best to use rubrics and formative assessments for measuring goal achievement. Chapter 4 will expand on this idea.
• A—attainable by all students within a reasonable time frame: Learning goals need to consider the readiness of all learners to move forward. If students cannot achieve learning goals within the time frame of the lesson, those who are struggling can be overlooked. Here’s where scaffolding can help you develop goals that all the learners in your classroom or learning environment can achieve. Also, if your goals hold students to unrealistic, absolute levels of achievement or do not account for learner variability, they may prove to be demotivating to you and your students. Chapter 3 will expand on this concept.
• R—results oriented, yielding student-based learning: Learning goals need to be learner focused. Learning goals that define what the teacher will do during the lesson do not result in student outcomes.
• T—time bound and regularly measured: You should define learning goals for accomplishment within a specific time frame and assess them via regular observation and checks for understanding. Moreover, the needs of your learners—not artificial or tangential constraints, such as scripted curriculum or administrative pacing decisions—should drive time for accomplishment.

Defining Learning Goals