Promoting Social Emotional Engagement through a Universal Design for Learning

A positive, caring, and supportive school environment paired with high levels of student engagement and motivation for learning are key factors that significantly influence a student’s success in school and, as a result, for life beyond. With school districts tasked to educate a diverse student population with a range of abilities and learning styles, teachers are challenged to maintain high levels of motivation and engagement to facilitate learning within their individual classrooms. An innovative program through the Marcus Autism Center specifically addresses these challenges within the context of the classroom through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework relevant for all students in both the general education and special education settings. Based on the most current social neuroscience and on normative social emotional guidelines, the SEE-KS program facilitates teachers’ ability to meet the needs of all students through proactive planning that considers students’ developmental levels and learning styles. By mentoring coaching teams at both the district and school levels, SEE-KS additionally places special emphasis on building on-site capacity of school districts through a financially sustainable staff development program. Videos and results of current collaborations between Marcus and several Georgia school districts will highlight SEE-KS’ potential to impact a range of students in Georgia’s schools. Content use by parents: I will discuss a range of UDL supports that can be utilized by both school staff and families to promote social emotional engagement and learning for all students and why the specific supports are key at various developmental levels