Teacher Education

Universal design for learning (UDL) has been hailed for over a decade as a revolutionary lens that allows campuses to shift their efforts to create inclusive environments. In recent years, UDL has gone beyond the field of disability and been explored with regards to international and indigenous students. There is now a sizable body of literature that details the benefits of implementing UDL in higher education, as well as a number of emerging studies examining the strategic challenges of developing UDL across institutions. There is, however, still a relative paucity of research discussing the transformation of instruction or assessment in concrete terms. Therefore, there is a necessity for research and information on UDL that has already been implemented in classrooms and the practical examples of what this process of transformation looks like. The Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case Studies, and Practical Implementation offers practical examples of UDL having successfully been embedded in courses within various disciplines and classroom formats, as well as across the undergraduate and graduate sectors. The chapters provide case studies and concrete examples of what the UDL reflection on practice might look like in specific faculties and departments. While highlighting UDL in areas such as educational technology, student engagement, assignment design, and inclusive education, this book is ideally intended for inservice and preservice teachers, administrators, teacher educators, higher education professors and leaders, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the integration of UDL into strategic academic plans.

What educational purposes should the school seek to attain, and what educational experiences can be provided that are likely to achieve these purposes? Rather than literally answering these questions of curriculum and instruction, Tyler develops a rationale for studying them, and suggests procedures for formulating answers and evaluating programs of study. Quite simply, his book outlines one way of viewing an instructional program as a functioning instrument of education. The four sections of the book deal with ways of formulating, organizing, and evaluating the educational objectives that have been chosen for the curriculum. Tyler emphasizes the fact that curriculum planning is a continuous cyclical process, involving constand replanning, redevelopment, and reappraisal. Substitution of such an integrated view of an instructional program for hit-or-miss judgment as the basis for curriculum development cannot but result in an increasingly effective curriculum.

Education of America′s school children always has been and always will be a hot-button issue. From what should be taught to how to pay for education to how to keep kids safe in schools, impassioned debates emerge and mushroom, both within the scholarly community and among the general public. This volume in the point/counterpoint Debating Issues in American Education reference series tackles the topic of curriculum and instruction. Fifteen to twenty chapters explore such varied issues as alternative curriculum, curriculum control, standardized curricula, subject- versus student-centered curricula, textbooks, and more. Each chapter opens with an introductory essay by the volume editor, followed by point/counterpoint articles written and signed by invited experts, and concludes with Further Readings and Resources, thus providing readers with views on multiple sides of curriculum and instruction issues and pointing them toward more in-depth resources for further exploration.

This work aims to help bridge the gap between two approaches to classroom teaching - systematic (teacher-directed) instruction, which is found in most special education services, and constructivist (child-centred) instruction, which is often found in progressive general education.

This contributed volume, written by scholars in the field, provides readers with critical information regarding moderately to severely disabled students. Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities in Inclusive Settings offers a description of appropriate curriculum content for students with moderate or severe disabilities in inclusive settings, and a process through which collaborative education teams can identify appropriate functional and general education curriculum content. In addition instructional approaches that facilitate the infusion of instruction and curriculum for students with significant disabilities within general education contexts are discussed. This book also provides background on inclusion for students with moderate or severe disabilities, related to both legal considerations and research findings. Developers of special education curriculum, special education teachers, school administrators.

This in-depth collection by 17 renowned international scholars that details a developmental framework to maximize academic success for deaf students from kindergarten through grade 12. Part One: The Context commences with an overview of the state of general education and that of deaf learners, followed by a state-of-the art philosophical position on the selection of curriculum. Part Two: The Content considers critical subjects for deaf learners and how to deliver them, including mathematics, print literacy, science, social studies, and physical education. This section also addresses the role of itinerant services, as well as how to teach Deaf culture, provide for students with multiple disabilities, and facilitate school-to-work transitions.   Part Three: Instructional Considerations Across the Curriculum provides suggestions and guidelines for assessing and planning programs for deaf students using meaningful contexts; optimizing the academic performance of deaf students with emphasis on access and opportunities; implementing a cognitive strategy that encourages teaching for and about thinking as an overriding principle; establishing instructional and practical communication in the classroom, especially in relation to ASL and English-based signing; and solving old problems with new strategies, including Web-based technologies, resources, and applications. The lessons of these assembled scholars coalesce in the Part Four: Summary as a general recommendation for ongoing adaptability, a fitting capstone to this extraordinary volume of work.

Universal Design for Learning is the best way to teach all students effectively, but how can a busy teacher get started with UDL right now? Answers are in this vibrant, research-based guidebook, created by seasoned teacher and former UDL coordinator Loui Lord Nelson. K - 12 educators will learn how to use the three key principles of UDL; Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression, to present the the information in multiple ways and meet the needs of diverse learners. Written in first person, like a face-to-face talk with a passionate educator, the book gives teachers a reader-friendly UDL primer and a practical framework for implementations, with detailed guidelines on lesson planning and checkpoints that help them stay on track. Use UDL principles to help students: sharpen executive function skills; improve comprehension and information processing; stay engaged during lessons; communicate effectively using multiple tools; develop self-regulation and self-assessment skills; sustain effort and persistence; increase autonomy; and more.

This timely and accessible volume explores how our understanding of research in child development can help cultivate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes children need for informed and thoughtful participation in society by viewing the curriculum through a developmental lens. Gordon Biddle and Garcia-Nevarez cover a range of key topics including characteristics of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of children; heritable and environmental influences on children's developing self; language and literacy development; mathematical cognition; growth mindsets; and evidence-based positive behavioral interventions and supports. The expert team of contributors offers an advanced exploration of developmental science and how this applies to learning and education in order to create inclusive environments that support children with a range of abilities, including those with the most significant medical, intellectual, and developmental delays. Each chapter contains boxes exploring how the topic relates to the themes of "Promoting Social and Emotional Competence Theory," "Research to Practice Connection," "Common Core and Other Standards," and "Social Justice and Diversity," ensuring comprehensive and consistent coverage across the volume. Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum and Instruction will be essential reading for students of child development and education, as well as educators and those in teacher training who are interested in how theory and research can be effectively harnessed to improve children's outcomes.

This critical volume provides readers with a deep understanding of why and how to differentiate curriculum and instruction to better meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of advanced and gifted learners. Offering clear, constructure frameworks for learning, chapters focus on four key concepts – review, reinforce, refine, and redefine – which help readers create individualized learning experiences and differentiate standards-based curriculums. Filled with specific examples, lessons, and units of study, this essential guide emphasizes differentiation as a means to differ the What (curriculum) as well as the How (instruction) to successfully respond to the many facets of students’ giftedness.

Six articles address how to reconcile educational policies and practices that focus on common learning for all students with those designed to individualize education for the unique student. Emphasizing standards-based reform, the committee makes recommendations for making reforms consistent with cu

Using national and state standards to guide your math program is just a start. You still have to decide how to apply the standards in your curriculum, determine when students should learn different content, and decide which programs and textbooks will help you make math come alive in the classroom. That's where this new ASCD resource comes in.  Priorities in Practice: The Essentials of Mathematics K-6 explores how educators--from classroom teachers to central office administrators--are tackling these major challenges in math education: * Emphasizing algebraic thinking, problem solving, and communication *Relying on research to guide the implementation of new teaching practices * Connecting math activities to larger purposes and everyday experiences * Differentiating instruction based on students' learning styles, interests, and readiness levels * Helping teachers use classroom assessment to guide instruction * Improving math teaching practices through teacher professional development and analysis of student work. Whether you're working with an established math curriculum or rethinking your whole approach, here's an opportunity to see where your program stands in the context of current trends. This is the first volume in a new series from ASCD that explores tested methods of teaching and administrating curriculum in the major content areas.

This open access international scientific study provides an analysis of how the educational strategy of Universal Design for Learning can stimulate the process of inclusive education in different educational-cultural contexts and different areas of the educational system. The findings of the research deepen the conception of inclusive education and present an analysis of factors that are significant for developing the educational system as well as providing evidence-based recommendations for educational practice. The research for this work was done in four European countries with various historical-cultural contexts: Lithuania and Poland underwent a transformation of the educational systems at the turning point in their political system, shifting from a strictly centralized Soviet policy to a liberal and democratic education system; Austria has experienced changes in social stratification and a need for cultural harmonisation arising from active national migration processes, whereas Finland has been gradually developing a socio-democratic model of national welfare. The analysis of the educational processes in the four countries has been performed using a qualitative action research method. The researchers, in cooperation with the teachers from the selected schools in their country, have implemented the strategy of Universal Design for Learning and assessed its transformation indicators in terms of the quality of inclusive education components. 

This title is a greatly expanded volume of the original Art and Science of Teaching, offering a framework for substantive change based on Robert J. Marzano's 50 years of education research. Instead of focusing on teacher outcomes, the new version focuses on student outcomes. Throughout the book, Marzano details the elements of three overarching categories of teaching that define what must happen to optimize student learning. This book is for educators who want to explore instructional strategies that correspond to each of the 43 elements of The New Art and Science of Teaching, which have been carefully designed to maximize student engagement and achievement.

The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction is the first book in 15 years to comprehensively cover the field of curriculum and instruction. Editors F. Michael Connelly, Ming Fang He, and JoAnn Phillion, along with contributors from around the world, synthesize the diverse, real-world matters that define the field. This long-awaited Handbook aims to advance the study of curriculum and instruction by re-establishing continuity within the field while acknowledging its practical, contextual, and theoretical diversity. Key Features Offers a practical vision of the field: Defines three divisions--school curriculum subject matter, curriculum and instruction topics and preoccupations, and general curriculum theory. Presents the breadth and diversity of the field: A focus on the diversity of problems, practices, and solutions, as well as continuity over time, illustrates modern curriculum and instruction while understanding historical origins. Gives an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary focus: Offers a new way of interpreting the history of curriculum studies, which connects past, present, and future, leading to more productive links between practice, policy, and politics. Intended Audience This Handbook contributes to stronger ties between school practice, public debate, policy making, and university scholarship, making it a valuable resource for professors, graduate students, and practitioners in the field of education. It is an excellent choice for graduate courses in Curriculum and Instruction, Curriculum Theory and Development, Curriculum Studies, Teacher Education, and Educational Administration and Leadership.

In Teaching to Diversity, Dr. Jennifer Katz synthesizes the research, and 16 years experience of teaching in inclusive classrooms and schools, to provide answers to several questions: How do I make inclusion work for ALL students? What are the foundational best practices of a truly inclusive learning community? How does one create such a community? The author pulls together, in an organized way, a three-block model of universal design for learning (UDL) and suggests a step-by-step approach for implementing it. This framework includes: Block One, Social and Emotional Learning: details ways to build compassionate learning communities (K-12) in which all students feel safe and valued, and develop a positive self-concept, sense of belonging, and respect for diverse others. Block Two, Inclusive Instructional Practice: includes a framework for planning units from K-12, and explains instructional and management practices for teaching, assessing, grading, and reporting in UDL Classrooms. Block Three, Systems and Structures: suggests strategies for creating inclusive learning communities, and explores ways in which resource teachers, student services personnel, and school administrators can support and create socially and academically inclusive schools and classrooms. The three-block model of UDL can empower educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to teach diverse learners in the same classroom--including those who have previously been excluded. Ultimately, it is about creating classrooms and schools that heal by teaching to the heart, mind, and spirit of every student.