Today, we think aloud about the five take-away themes future teachers identified from a four-week summer course about teaching exceptional learners. We know the best way to learn/teach something is to connect it – make it meaningful. We will discuss the five big ideas they learned (or unlearned): (1) debunking “learning styles,” (2) person-first language, (3) General Education teachers teach ALL students, (4) evidence-based practices, and (5) differentiation with Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Here are some resources related to today’s episode:

• Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel
• TEDx Talk on Learning Styles & the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection: https://youtu.be/855Now8h5Rs
• The Office of Disability Rights page on Person-First Language: https://odr.dc.gov/page/people-first-language
• Infographic on Evidence-Based Practices from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES): https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/infographics/pdf/REL_SE_Evidence-based_teaching_practices.pdf
• The UDL Guidelines: https://udlguidelines.cast.org