Three Books I’m Buying after Attending the #UDL4Justice Conference

UDL isn’t just about access anymore.

I was fortunate to attend and present at CAST’s Third Annual UDL Symposium last week in Boston, MA. The theme of this year’s conference was UDL for Social Justice: Using Universal Design for Learning to Educate Underserved Learners.

CAST’s Third Annual UDL Symposium was focused on Social Justice

Universal Design for Learning is such a critical framework that drives our work at Goalbook, so it was compelling to hear Allison Posey of CAST (@AllisonAposey) kick off the conference by proposing a huge perspective shift for the UDL community. The shift being that the purpose of UDL is not merely to create access but to create a more just school system for ALL students.

The keynote speakers continued to stress the importance of thinking beyond access to actively promoting equity.

My Post #UDL4Justice Reading List

While the conference deepened my understanding of how UDL and Social Justice are related, it also made me realize how much more I have to learn. Below, are three books that are at the top of my reading list. They were referenced during the keynotes and sessions that I attended.

#1 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World, Django Paris and H. Samy Alim

Is this book Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning 2.0? (Amazon)

This book was shared in a keynote presentation by Kathleen A. King Thorius and Federico R. Waitoller (@Waitollerf). My big takeaway from their talk was that diversity isn’t a deficit that needs to be dealt with, it is an asset that needs to be encouraged, affirmed, and sustained. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies was presented by the speakers as representative of the next level of thinking about Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning. [ Amazon ]

#2 Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom, Patricia A. Jennings

How can teachers apply mindfulness practices to support the social/emotional well-being of students? (Amazon)

Lisa Beth Carey (@equitableaccess) from the Kennedy Krieger Institute recommended this book in her session, Social Justice: One Brain at a Time! Her session focused on the importance of executive function to learning and how teachers can use techniques to directly develop and support it. I’ve heard many anecdotes of teachers using meditation, yoga, and mindfulness in classrooms, but being a total novice, this book seems like the perfect starter to help me understand how teachers can practically develop the executive function capacity of their students. [ Amazon ]

#3 Culturally Responsive Design for English Learners: The UDL Approach, Patti Kelly Ralabate, EdED, Loui Lord Nelson, PhD

Will this book show how UDL + ELL + CRTL can all come together? (Amazon)

I had the privilege of attending a session led by two UDL-gurus and the co-authors of this book: Patti Ralabate and Loui Lord Nelson (@louilordnelson). They presented on the attributes of each stage of language development as well as strategies to support access at each stage (HINT: not every strategy is effective at every level!). UDL + ELL + CRTL— that is a combination that I’m glad that someone else has thought through! [ Amazon ]

Did you attend CAST’s #UDL4Justice conference? I’d love to hear about any your big takeaways, readings, or next steps you had after the conference in the comments.

Read more about what we are learning and doing at Goalbook on Medium and Twitter (@goalbookapp).