The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) www.cast.org an educational non-profit and the creators of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is working with the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) to develop seven professional development modules specifically for Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers. These modules will be designed to help educators effectively teach and support neurodiverse adults, including those with learning disabilities. Since, fewer than 3% of ABE teachers are trained in special education, our goal is to fill the modules with research-based hands-on strategies. They will include video and hyperlinks to additional resources. Once complete, the modules—which will be developed for individual or collective use—will be made freely available through OCTAE’s Literacy Information and Communications Systems (LINCS) website.
Timeline
We have completed the initial review of the current modules and updated the research on best practices for teaching ABE learners. We are now moving into the content creation phase between January 2022 and July 2022 we will be finalize content and design. This is where we need your help!
Informational Webinar
CAST is hosting a webinar to that will allow participants to inform the redesign of the curriculum and resources.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsdumhrz0tHtXSJyFJaRRPWmrC5o1ZGOD7
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Please reach out to Amanda Bastoni; abastoni@cast.org; (603) 547-7438; If you are unable to attend the webinar and are willing to engage in any of the following ways:
- Participate in a focus group (providing feedback on topics and/or content)
- Share your experience through a formal interview that might be included within the modules
- Can connect us with learners who are currently or have in the past been an ABE student (we do not just need success stories, as we are also hoping to better understand the barriers these learners are experiencing)
- Or, if you have ideas or questions related to this project
Comments
I'm going to send an email as if I can't, though ... Imissed a thing or two when this little snow event happened here...
We're looking forward to hearing your insights for supporting the design of new professional development modules aimed at helping educators effectively teach and support neurodiverse adults, including those with learning disabilities.
If you haven't registered yet, there's still time to do so at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsdumhrz0tHtXSJyFJaRRPWmrC5o1ZGOD7
If you can't make the webinar, you can also reach out to Amanda Bastoni; abastoni@cast.org; (603) 547-7438 to share your perspective.