SEEING DISABILITY DIFFERENTLYBY DESIGN DEVELOPING ONLINE UDL TRAINING

SEEING DISABILITY DIFFERENTLY…BY DESIGN: DEVELOPING ONLINE UDL TRAINING FOR PRESERVICE TEACHERS WITH A DISABILITY STUDIES FOCUS Christopher S. Lanterman Matthew E. Minister Nort hern Arizona Universit y

KEY POINTS Application of UDL principles promotes both access and participation in online media Instructional Design strategies blended with UDL principles promote persistence to completion UDL training framed in a social model of disability positively impacts beliefs about disability

ATTITUDINAL CONSIDERATIONS

PARADIGMS OF DISABILITY Medical model § A fixed property of an individual § A focus on abnormality, disorder, or deficiency § Represented in traditional special education Social model § A function of interactions with the environment, attitudes, and policies § A focus on environmental, economic, and cultural barriers § Represented in disability studies and disability studies in education

OPPOSING PHILOSOPHIES MEDICAL MODEL (Special Education) SOCIAL MODEL (DSE)

INTERSECTING IDEALS Special Education U D L DSE

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING Representation UDL Engagement Action and Expression

BELIEFS ABOUT DISABILITY Teachers are less likely to take responsibility for their students with disabilities when their beliefs are situated within a medical model of disability, but are more likely to engage positively and take responsibility for students with disabilities when they subscribe to a social model of disability (Jordan, Glenn & Mc. Ghie. Richmond, 2010; Jordan, Lindsay & Stanovich, 1997; Jordan & Stanovich, 2003; Jordan-Wilson & Silverman, 1991).

THE ROLE OF TEACHER EDUCATION § Teacher beliefs about disability are typically situated within a medical model (Brantlinger, 2006). § Teacher preparation programs offer significant potential to establish the preparation necessary to provide high quality teachers for students with disabilities (Lewis et al. , 1999). § Training in UDL may be a key aspect of such teacher preparation (Baglieri et al. , 2011; Turnbull et al. , 2014).

PURPOSE OF STUDY Does training in universal design for learning, framed within either the medical model or social model of disability, significantly impact preservice teachers’ beliefs about disability along a continuum from the medical to social model?

HOW IT WORKED Module A (Medical) BLTDQ (Pre) BLTDQ (Post) Module B (Social) Interviews

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

MODULE STRUCTURE Blackboard LMS § self-enrollment course § zero-credit course shell § groups defined randomly § learner paths for modules A (Medical) and B (Social) § certificate available upon completion

TECHNICAL DIMENSIONS Random assignment Informed consent Anonymity

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Interactions with faculty Availability of support services to answer questions Certificate of completion § Used for extra credit with primary instructors +++ This aligns directly with UDL Principle “Provide Multiple Means of Engagement”

APPLICATION OF UDL Informative module instructions Clear navigation Sequential learner progression through content Usable and varied learning materials +++ This aligns directly with UDL Principle “Provide Multiple Means of Representation”

APPLICATION OF UDL Checks for Understanding – multiple choice Self-Reflections – open response, short answer Table of Contents – reveals scope of progress +++ This aligns directly with UDL Principle “Provide Multiple Means of Action & Expression”

RESULTS

MODULE CHART 47. 0 46. 5 Average P-I Scores 46. 0 45. 5 45. 0 44. 5 45. 6 46. 6 44. 0 43. 5 43. 0 42. 5 A 44. 4 Modules Pre Post B 44. 1

THEMES Discourse of difference Crisis Justice

DISCUSSION

FINDINGS: UDL AND THE MEDICAL MODEL Preservice teachers beliefs about disability are largely situated in the medical model of disability and a “discourse of difference. ” § Beliefs based on experience are powerful and difficult to change (Connor, 2014; Lortie, 1975; Pajares, 1992; Richardson, 1996). § The medical model is dominant in educational discourse (Baglieri et al. , 2011; Connor et al. , 2008).

FINDINGS: UDL AND THE SOCIAL MODEL § Training in UDL, when framed within a social model, may help preservice teachers develop more interventionist perspectives on disability. § UDL framed within a social model extends beyond a technical-rational approach to instruction and conveys the value of diversity in a classroom, focusing less specifically on disability as difference (Baglieri & Shapiro, 2012).

FINDINGS: CRISIS AND JUSTICE § A sense of paradigmatic “crisis” may indicate shifts in preservice teachers’ beliefs toward “justice” for students with disabilities. § UDL is just about equality for me…Equality is that everyone is the same, but inclusion is that everyone has the same chances. ” -- Iris § Training in UDL, especially when framed within a social model of disability, may contribute to the shift in thinking characteristic of Kuhn’s (1996) concept of crisis.

THANK YOU CHRIS LANTERMAN CHRIS. LANTERMAN@NAU. EDU MATT MINISTER MATTHEW. MINISTER@NAU. EDU