For Educators
Professional Development Resources
Explore a variety of resources that support understanding and implementation of Universal Design for Learning, and download professional development slides and activities that are useful in teaching others about UDL.
General UDL:
- CAST UDL Toolkits help educators to understand and apply UDL principles in classrooms and/or to train others in UDL. (http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/ )
- This Master Reference provides an overview of CAST initiatives, resources, and products, links to UDL tools and resources, and other related online links. (http://www.cast.org/pd/resources/masterref.html )
- Tools & Activities web-based and downloadable tutorials, tools, templates and activities to help you put the ideas of UDL into practice. (http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/ )
- Ideas and Information resources provide educators with publications, presentations, model lessons, and case stories that support implementation of UDL to practice. (http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/ )
- Publications communicate CAST's research results and provides practical advice on applications of Universal Design for Learning. (http://www.cast.org/publications/index.html )
Math:
- Web-Based Resources for Mathematics: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning are a valuable resource including a large annotated list of free web-based math tools and activities.
- Web-Based Resources for Mathematics: Articles Related to Mathematics Education These provide users with access to articles that are cataloged according to the type of research, content, and process standards developed by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (Available as a download at http://www.cast.org/pd/resources/index.html )
- The Math Matrix is a searchable database that presents evidence and products for the use of technologies that support the instruction of mathematics for students with special needs. (http://www.citeducation.org/mathmatrix/default.asp )
- On line math tools and software is an extensive math site that provides virtual tools and manipulatives to be used with students that have difficulty visualizing. (http://rtecexchange.edgateway.net/cs/rtecp/view/rtec_sub/150 )
English Language Arts:
- The Reading Matrix database of products and evidence select one of the six purposes of technology that support reading for students with reading disabilities. (http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/matrix/default.asp )
- Read about Strategy Instruction Goes Digital: Two Teachers' Perspectives on Digital Texts with Embedded Learning Supports. This Reading Online interview features two middle school teachers who have used CAST's universally-designed digital novels with embedded strategy instruction, text-to-speech capability, and multi-media glossary supports to improve their students' reading comprehension and engagement.They share teaching strategies and examples of student work.
- Dade County Reciprocal Teaching Resources. These lesson plan resources from Project WebSIGHT in Dade County, Florida offer a variety of supports for implementing reciprocal teaching, including lesson plans at the elementary and middle school levels. (http://www.miamisci.org/tec/ )
- Strategy Instruction Assessments and Lesson Plans. These materials, from CAST's Strategic Learning Editions Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, support teachers and students in using strategy instruction in the classroom. (http://www.cast.org/pd/resources/strategy.html )
- ReadWriteThink website is a partnership of the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation to provide educators and students with access to free-of-charge content regarding best practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction. (http://www.readwritethink.org/ )
- The Poetry Archive has an extensive collection of poets reading their own work. You can enjoy listening to the voices of contemporary English-language poets and of poets from the past. There are activities and materials specifically designed for teachers and for children. (http://www.poetryarchive.org/ )
- Electronic Books and Online Resources: Explore online reading including interactive stories, articles, and books. Involve readers in writing stories including adding to stories, writing new endings, creating illustrations, and facilitating discussions. (http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic93.htm )
Social Studies:
- Picturing Modern America: Historical Thinking Exercises for Middle and High School by the Education Development Center provides historical thinking exercises for middle and high school students. (http://www.edc.org/CCT/PMA/ )
Video Resources:
- The Story of Movies, an educational program for middle schoolers, was created by the Film Foundation in partnership with IBM and Turner Classic Movies as "an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum, in recognition of the importance of exposing future generations to classic cinema and teaching them about the cultural, artistic, and historical significance of film." The program, available to teachers free of charge, aims to help students understand and interpret the language of film and visual images. Each teaching unit includes DVDs, a teachers' guide, and a student activities booklet. The films for study are Robert Mulligan's "To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962), Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), and Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stool Still" (1951). (http://storyofmovies.org/ )
- Learner.org provides a teacher video library highlighting teaching practices of K-12 educators in all academic disciplines. Access to the videos is free (with registration) and has classroom demonstrations and examples of best practices relative to the topic. (http://www.learner.org/ )
Other:
- WestEd's Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners contains links to a slide show, handouts, and related materials for professional developers (technology coordinators and inclusion teachers) that are helping teachers integrate technology into the curriculum to support diverse learners. (http://www.wested.org/cs/tdl/print/docs/tdl/home.htm )
- This Access-to-Print document (doc) is a brief summary of twelve examples of software that support Text-to-Speech reading. (Available as a download at http://www.cast.org/pd/resources/index.html )
Teacher Grants:
- Best Buy supports local communities through charitable donations made by stores. Each Best Buy store has an annual donation budget to contribute to youth-oriented, nonprofit organizations. If your organization fits within our focus area, please visit the store nearest you to pick up a Store Donation Application. Store personnel will review all applications and make funding decisions. Store based funding is limited. All decisions are made at the discretion of the store and all decisions are final. The store donation request process generally takes six to eight weeks for a decision.
- HP is offering grants to support the innovative use of mobile technology in education. 100 awards will be made to teams of 5 teachers from K-12 schools. Awards include 5 tablet PCs, 5 multimedia projectors, 5 digital cameras, $500 teacher stipends, and customized professional development. Preference is given to low-income schools and to projects that include integration of math and/or science curriculum. The focus must be on using technology to teach rather than on teaching how to use technology.
General information
Specific Grant Application - National Cristina Foundation (NCF) provides free computer technology and solutions to give people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons the opportunity, through training, to lead more independent and productive lives. http://www.cristina.org/
- The NEA Foundation** makes $2,000 and $5,000 grants to practicing US public school teachers in grades K-12, public school education support professionals, and faculty and staff at US public higher education institutions.
- SMARTer Kids Grants: To help educators purchase SMART products, the SMARTer Kids Foundation provides grants worth anywhere from 15 to 70 percent of the suggested list price of qualifying products. This program is available to educators in the United States and Canada. Read about Smarter Kids grants programs.
Other Links
