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This series is designed as professional development for educational assistants working in the K-12 school system. Each video includes all materials needed for a P.D. day – discussion questions, hands on activities, case studies, etc. and a facilitator’s guide. Videos are streamed on Dr. Katz’s website, with all accompanying resources downloadable in PDF form

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A letter to all who hold inclusive education in their heart, and a plea to join me...

I've been thinking... 

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It's a scary thought, I know :)
I started working with kids when I was 12 years old. That was a LONG time ago.
I started off volunteering at my aunt's program for kids with schizophrenia and autism at children's hospital in Winnipeg. Yes, that's where they went to "school" in those days. Talk about medical model!

40 years later, Roger Slee wrote the article "A World Exposed: A Plaintive Plea for Inclusion." He put into words everything so many of us have been feeling. With decades of research showing inclusive education is what's best for BOTH kids with and without dis/abilities, and decades of research about how to design learning environments for the diversity of learners that make up our youth (and always have, by the way), and with so many great minds and huge spirits working to implement inclusive education, why, in 2025 is there not a single country anywhere in the world that can truly lay claim to an inclusive education system? WHY???????

Elder Bob Cardinal once said to me:

"Every child is born with a gift from the creator.
It is our job to help them discover their gift, and develop it, and it is their job to develop it and then contribute it to the community."

My gift has always been the ability to weave. To see the connections where others see separation, and put the pieces of the puzzle together into a picture that is clear for others to see. The Three-Block Model brought UDL & SEL together, along with Indigenous perspectives, into a pedagogical framework that was "doable." As a teacher for 17 years, I had done it myself, and I continue to work in classrooms to this day. We know it works, national, randomized control trials say so - for both students and teachers, and thousands of teachers have practiced it in their classrooms, so why can't we get consistent, systemic implementation. WHY?

So this fall, I was in the EU working with an international team I have spent several years conducting research and professional development with. Around the table were people with expertise in educational leadership and systems change, teacher professional learning, measurement and evaluation, and I was representing inclusive education.  I handed out Roger's article, and asked the question - where have we gone wrong? What are we missing?

What came out of that conversation was a mind-blowing epiphany. 
And of course, being the weaver that I am, I took what was told to me from the ed leadership, teacher professional learning, and measurement people, and did a deep dive reading the literature related to what they had shared. As usual, the silos of our field had cost us. It came clear where we had made errors, and what needed to change. This is not about undoing decades of work - it is about getting it out there. 

I am in the process of creating new resources that will explain. If you are in a position where you are looking to shift a system, whether that's a school, a district, a region, or a country - reach out and get in touch, and let's collaborate to get this work off the ground!

Want to know more? Here's a video explaining some of it... if you want the details, connect with me!

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Teaching to Diversity:
The Three-Block Model of UDL
Video Series

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Today’s classrooms reflect the diversity of a global world. This diversity means that students vary in what they already know, what they are ready to learn, the pace at which they are able to proceed through curriculum, and the level of adult support they require for success. Building inclusive learning communities requires that students see school as a place where they belong, are valued, and have something to contribute. The Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning is an effective approach to classroom management, planning, instruction, and assessment that creates a compassionate learning community from K-12. Developed by Dr. Jennifer Katz, The Three Block Model of UDL has been implemented in elementary and high schools across multiple provinces and states, and has been shown to increase academic achievement, student engagement, self-concept, respect for diverse others, and prosocial behavior, and teacher satisfaction and self-efficacy.

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