Universal Design for Learning-For Youth Development and Workforce Development

Greetings Everyone-

This spring we led a series of workshops on effective curriculum design for youth development and youth workforce agencies. We would like to share with you some of our thinking around how to make your curriculum and activities engaging. 

Most people are familiar with Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences which challenges the notion of intelligence based IQ testing. We all have different kinds of intelligences and we all need opportunities in our learning environments to shine and show what we know. We have applied this concept for years in youth development as a way to engage and support young people. 

This year with the introduction of the common core, the California Department of Education is working hard to create in-roads for all students to access the rigor of the common core standards. Universal Design for Learning has been the key to creating access and inclusivity for special education students to the common core.

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? 

UDL is an approach or framework for designing universally-accessible curriculum. It includes multiple means of representation (to allow various ways of acquiring information and knowledge), multiple means of expression (to allow alternatives for demonstrating knowledge), and multiple means of engagement (to challenge appropriately, to motivate, and to allow learners to express and participate in their interests). When UDL is done well, all students benefit--not just special education students.  In short, when applying UDL to teaching new concepts we need to give students lots of different ways to access the information: listening, reading, watching a video, observing an action etc. We also need to give students many ways to show what they know: making a presentation, writing, drawing a comic, rapping or singing, etc. This short video is a great entree to UDL from the Howard County Public Schools in Maryland.

UDL isn't just for the K-12 classroom environment. As providers who work with youth after school, disconnected youth, adults who have struggled with persisting in training or other post-secondary-- our curriculum design and our engagement strategies must be stellar. We are the providers of last resort for individuals who may feel that they have failed in other pathways to education and career. Here is a great resource on youth workforce development and UDL published by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability.

For those of you who are interested in aligning your work with the common core in California there is a symposium presented by CalSTAT and CDE on June 3rd on Creating Inclusive and Accessible Learning Environments taking place in Sacramento. If you are unable to attend you can participate virtually for free. The presentation from Kevin Schaefer on UDL will be good as will the presentation on Growth Mindset. You can see PowerPoints for these presentation online. The previous symposiums on Common Core State Standards and Special Education are also online.

If you are interested in reviewing your curriculum and getting feedback on how to better document what you are doing, map your work to specific competencies or make it more engaging and accessible using UDL and the theory of multiple intelligences--Pathways Consultants is available for consultation. Give us a call: 510-325-6959.

As always, we welcome dialogue with all of you.

Best,

Amanda Gerrie

Kim Coulthurst

Pathways Consultants