The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines are a tool that can be used to design learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners (CAST, 2018). Instructional designers and teachers can use these principles to create learning environments that reduce barriers to access for all students, while keeping in mind the learning goals of the lesson. The three guiding principles of UDL are engagement, representation, and action and expression. In this session educators will be provided with examples of these principles in action in sample materials from OpenSciEd and classroom videos. In these examples, participating will identify how the materials have been purposefully designed with multiple avenues for engagement, representation, and action and expression. Additionally, they will identify the built-in supports for teachers to highlight student assets and to address potential barriers to learning for their local student population. Teachers will utilize a tool to help them analyze their own lessons to identify goals, potential barriers, and ways to use the UDL Principles to remove barriers and create flexible paths to learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will utilize a tool to help them analyze their own lessons to identify goals, potential barriers, and ways to use the UDL Principles to remove barriers and create flexible paths to learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney (OpenSciEd: San Carlos, CA)

This session by members of NSTA’s Professional Learning Committee is designed to help teachers deepen their understanding of the effective and practical strategies to facilitate academic discourse that promotes inclusive science and STEM classrooms. Participants will engage in a variety of instructional strategies to ensure that all students have access to scientific discourse, and opportunities to collaborate with peers, through intentional planning. Participants will engage in a variety of formative assessment classroom techniques (FACTS) from Page Keeley’s Uncovering Student Ideas texts, including commit and toss, pro/con pairs, structured think-pair-share, and more. In addition, we will be discussing the shift away from traditional talk patterns- like I-R-E (Initiate, Response, Evaluation) and towards Productive Talk to promote an inclusive science and STEM classroom where discourse supports student sensemaking. Finally, we will provide resources and discussion around the “lead4ward Instructional Strategies Playlist”, which provides teachers with detailed descriptions of specific, instructional strategies. Links to additional discourse resources will also be provided. The instructional strategies used in this presentation will promote student engagement, differentiation, and scientific understanding to help form a more inclusive learning environment where all students can participate in scientific discourse.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience a variety of impactful instructional strategies that promote scientific discourse to help create an inclusive STEM learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Angela McMurry (The Ohio Academy of Science: Dublin, OH)

It is often thought that a makerspace activity is something that is nice to do with students but not a necessity. Yet when makerspace activities are integrated into daily instruction, it can open many avenues that promote an inclusive classroom. This workshop will focus on strategies and ways to use makerspace to promote student voice and choice for areas of concept development, empathy-driven problem solving, and assessment. Participants will explore the key elements of makerspace and examine ways to use makerspace challenges to support sense-making. The discussion will also focus on the idea that makerspace activities can nudge all students to consider multiple ways of solving problems, thus enhancing their “out of the box” thinking. As part of this session, participants will explore different strategies in using makerspace to introduce a phenomenon, model a phenomenon, and assess students understanding on different dimensions of learning: Crosscutting Concepts, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Science and Engineering Practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Makerspace challenges provide student choice and voice in how they make sense of a phenomenon, a solution to a problems, and core ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Michele Detwiler (Gary Adult High School: Tampa, FL)

This workshop highlights one way to incorporate science history on a routine basis in the science classroom. Participants will receive a brief overview of the neuroscience research that explains why storytelling is emerging as one of the most effective educational tools for students of all ages. They will also explore how telling stories from science history promotes understanding of science practices, supports strong student science identities, and leads to discussion about the human nature of science and the underlying ethical and cultural implications. The presenter will share about the development of People to Ponder, a series of science profiles that can be used throughout a school year. This is not one specific set of scientists but rather a strategy to consistently include science history in instruction. Participants will experience through a student lens what a typical People to Ponder lesson might involve. Once they’ve experienced the strategy, participants will have a chance to reflect on and discuss how they might structure something similar in their classrooms. Participants will be provided with resources and instructional scaffolds that can assist them in their planning. They will leave with at least one activity or lesson planned for implementation in their classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a strategy for sharing science biographies that promotes student engagement and understanding of science topics while creating an inclusive and culturally responsive teaching environment.

SPEAKERS:
Anna Babarinde (Sonoma County Office of Education: Santa Rosa, CA)

Enter a magical world with your students where everyone becomes enchanted with STEM. This budget-friendly lesson can engage and excite your students! Cross-curricular materials provided!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The cross-curricular unit uses common cost-effective materials, as well as STEM topics, to promote learning for all students in the classroom; 2. there are a variety of assessment tools for different student ability levels, including participation assessments, written assessments, and verbal assessments; and 3. this "station-based" lesson will keep students moving through the STEM topics, captivated by the activities, learning without knowing it is happening.

SPEAKERS:
Elesha Goodfriend (Walters State Community College: Morristown, TN), Kelly Moore (Walters State Community College: Morristown, TN)