Divergent by Design

Divergent by Design

By Grant Wood AEAEducation
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Divergent by Design episodes

  • 9: Supporting Student Self-regulation

    Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and manage your energy states, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in ways that are acceptable and produce positive results such as well-being, loving relationships, and learning. It's how we deal with stressors and it lays the foundation for all other activities. In this episode, we look at some resources and strategies that you can use with students to help them self-regulate in the classroom.

    Links from this episode include:

    • CHECKPOINT 9.1: Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation
    • CHECKPOINT 9.2: Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
    • CHECKPOINT 9.3: Develop self-assessment and reflection
    • What is Self-Regulation?
    • Modeling SEL for Students - Casel Schoolguide
    • CASEL’S SEL FRAMEWORK
    • Learner Variability Navigator | Learner Variability Project
    • How to Teach Self-Regulation
    • SEL Personal Reflection

      •  

      32 min
    • 8: Multiple Means of Demonstrating Understanding

      Having students show what they know is a fundamental part of any classroom, but what does that look like in a UDL classroom? We have some ideas for you, as well as some tech tools and options for assessment. Here are some links from this episode:

      • Use multiple media for communication (checkpoint5.1)
      • Use multiple tools for construction and composition (checkpoint5.2)
      • Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance (checkpoint5.3)
      • The Making of a UDL Assessment
      • UDL Tips for Assessment


        • 32 min
      • 7: Language of Learning

        In this episode, Lynn and Jonathan are joined by Lisa Klein, an ELL Consultant at Grant Wood AEA. Lisa helps us unpack the importance of language for all students and gives us tips on how to be better communicators in the classroom. Links from this episode:

        • CHECKPOINT 2.1: Clarify vocabulary and symbols
        • CHECKPOINT 2.2: Clarify syntax and structure
        • CHECKPOINT 2.3: Support decoding of text, mathematical notation, and symbols
        • CHECKPOINT 2.4: Promote understanding across languages
        • CHECKPOINT 2.5: Illustrate through multiple media
        • Lera Boroditsky: How language shapes the way we think (TED Talk)
          • 37 min
        • 6: Maintaining Motivation

          Motivation is hard for adults, so imagine how hard it can be for students. In this episode, we look at a variety of ways that educators can help their students maintain motivation through goal setting, challenges, collaboration, and feedback. Here are some links for the things we talked about:

          • CHECKPOINT 8.1: Heighten salience of goals and objectives
          • CHECKPOINT 8.2: Vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
          • CHECKPOINT 8.3: Foster collaboration and community
          • CHECKPOINT 8.4: Increase mastery-oriented feedback
          • Dive into UDL book
          • Newsela
          • TweenTribune
          • Britannica Online
          • The Learning pit

            • You can connect with Lynn on Twitter at @THLibrariZen and find Jonathan at @jonathanwylie.

            26 min
          • 5: Advantages of Assistive Technology

            In this episode, we take a look at how to reduce barriers to learning that would be introduced by the motor demands of a task. To help us out, we are joined by the amazing Kelli Robertson, the Accessibility Lead at Grant Wood AEA. Kelli talks to us about what assistive technology is and the role that it plays in the classroom for breaking down barriers to learning. Here are some links from this episode:

            • Vary the methods for response and navigation
            • Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies
            • Categories & Examples of AT Ideas
            • How to browse websites using a keyboard only
            • Use Voice Control on your Mac
            • Windows Speech Recognition


              • 33 min
            • 4: Customizing the Learning Experience

              Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. We know that, but how can teachers plan for that? In this episode, we explore that in more depth and give you some tools and ideas to get you started. 

              Here are some links from this episode:

              • Offer ways of customizing the display of information (checkpoint 1.1)
              • Offer alternatives for auditory information (checkpoint 1.2)
              • Offer alternatives for visual information (checkpoint 1.3)
              • Accessible Educational Materials
              • Helperbird
              • Read&Write
              • Snap&Read
              • Immersive Reader
              • YouTube playback speed
              • Otter.ai
              • Alt text on graphics
              • AEM Center: Perceivable: Present information in multiple ways


                • 34 min
              • 3: Engaging All Learners

                In this episode, we look at the perennial topic of student engagement. What are the best ways to engage all of our learners so that the content is more relevant and responsive to their needs, backgrounds, and cultures? We might not have all the answers, but the UDL guidelines give us lots of great, research-based ideas that are proven to have an impact on students learning, so we take some time to explore those in this episode. 

                • Recruiting Interest
                • Optimize individual choice and autonomy
                • Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
                • Minimize threats and distractions

                  • Challenge for this week:

                  • Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom by Alicia Discepola (video)
                  • Student Engagement Definition by the Great Schools Partnership 


                    • 28 min
                  • 2: Diving Deeper into UDL

                    In this episode, we do some UDL myth-busting and take some time to really get to know the UDL Guidelines in more depth. Here are some links that are related to the things we talked about in this episode! 

                    • Universal Design
                    • The Myth of Average: Todd Rose
                    • Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008
                    • How to navigate the UDL Guidelines
                    • UDL in the ESSA
                    • What Is Universal Design for Learning?
                    • What is UDL? (Infographic)
                    • If Equity is a Priority, UDL is a Must

                      • If you want to continue the conversation, feel free to reach out to Lynn (@THLibraryZen) or Jonathan (@jonathanwylie) on Twitter.

                       

                      27 min
                    • 1: Grounding and Growing

                      In this episode, we spend some time talking about what UDL means to us, how our journeys have evolved over time, and what we want to do with future episodes of this podcast. 

                      If you want to continue the conversation, feel free to reach out to Lynn (@THLibraryZen) or Jonathan (@jonathanwylie) on Twitter. 

                      16 min
                    • Divergent by Design Trailer

                      Coming soon! A brand new podcast that explores the UDL guidelines as an opportunity to think differently, to diverge, and to deepen our instructional design to honor all of our learners.

                      2 min

                    About Divergent by Design

                    From the publisher's feed

                    Join us for a conversation about instruction, edtech tools, and classroom practices through the lens of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines. As we delve deeper, we’ll be sharing ideas…