2017 UDL Symposium

“A great teacher understands that not all students learn the same way. Gives their students options in learning and in class work.” 8th Grade Student from Susan B.Anthony Middle School, Revere, MA.

Middle school students can be bold and opinionated, but too often they feel like no one listens to what they have to say. Failing to listen to our students' voices creates barriers between students and teachers and causes learners to become passive participants in their own education.  Instead, what if we learned from students to hear how we can better engage them in their own learning?

With Universal Design for Learning as our school's focus, we began incorporating student voice in different areas of our school with the goal of creating more engaged learners and citizens. During this session we will share our UDL journey and provide examples of how we increased student voice in three major areas: in staff-wide professional learning, in individual classrooms, and in school-community activities.  Participants will have opportunities to share their own ideas, reflect on current practices and personal goals, and hopefully gain ideas for next steps in their own implementation process.