Sacramento, CA
July 30-31, 2024
Conference Website
This year, for the first time, CAST’s Annual Symposium and the UDL-IRN Summit are joining forces to create the world’s largest International UDL Convention. We are excited to bring together these two events to develop and explore how UDL can be used around the world to break down barriers to learning.
Tuesday, July 30
Blending Traditional Alaskan and Western Science Learning in Simulations
Leslie Bondaryk and Carolyn Staudt
12:45 – 1:45 PM (PT)
For students coming from a cultural background where language is only spoken and science practices are part of the oral tradition, a standard presentation of westernized explanation can bewilder students and slight the community. In order to respect both tradition and state-required curriculum standards, we are developing a suite of simulations that feature multiple points of view (both Y’upik and Western renderings of constellations and star navigation systems) and translated on-demand readings of critical terms. These simulations and associated culturally aware lessons will be discussed in detail along with the process used to engage the community Elders in their creation.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for addressing the educational needs of diverse and variable learners in many settings across many stages of life. It is a means to eradicate persistent inequities in education, informed by the educators who use it and their students.