The Concordia classroom is a very diverse environment. This diversity is expressed in terms of the students’ ages, cultural background, language, disability condition, socio-economic status, and other non-traditional profiles. The heterogeneity of this inclusive classroom and our new online reality brings with it the challenge to design courses that meet the objectives of the course or program while effectively responding to the needs of all learners. In order to meet these challenges, innovative approaches like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are being implemented. Designing our courses using these strategies and techniques makes them more accessible to everyone, thus reducing the need for individual accommodations.
By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:
- Describe the three principles of universal design for Learning (UDL)
- Identify effective teaching strategies and approaches for each principle
This workshop will be led by Anna Barrafato.
Anna Barrafato holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill University and is a licensed psychologist and a Disability Accommodation Specialist at the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She has been working in Student Services for over 10 years, and has provided individual personal and career counselling, as well as facilitated workshops and group therapy sessions in the areas of eating disorders, career development, ADHD, etc. Ms. Barrafato is a part-time faculty member within the Department of Education at Concordia University and has taught courses in inclusive education, educational psychology and diversity.
For further workshop information, contact the Centre for Teaching & Learning at 514-848-2424, extension 2495 or teaching@concordia.ca.