Nine Key Resources to Ignite Learning & Transform Education
Organization:
CAST
Website:
Overview:
CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that is recognized for creating the Universal Design Framework and UDL Guidelines. CAST was founded in 1984. The acronym “CAST” is from the original organization’s name which was Center for Applied Special Technology. Today, “CAST” is how the organization is recognized. CAST has a 14-member Board of Directors that includes educational leaders and pioneers as well CAST’s co-founders David H. Rose and Anne Meyer. The CAST website provides a long list of Funders and Partners that have made CAST’s work and contributions possible through ongoing support and commitment to making education more accessible, rewarding, and effective for all through UDL.
Mission:
Transform education design and practice until learning has no limits.
Values:
We thrive on high-quality creativity and relentless innovation.
We celebrate individual differences and variability.
We believe in self-reflection that feeds lifelong learning and improvement.
We measure excellence in ideas and products by the impact these have to make life better for as many people as possible by making true learning opportunities available.
Optimize CAST Resources:
CAST’s resources empower educators and organizations globally to apply research from the learning sciences and innovative practices to educational design and teaching to support all learners. CAST created the UDL framework to “improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST, para. 1). The UDL framework is used by educators worldwide to guide “the design of instructional goals, assessments, methods, and materials that can be customized to meet individual needs (CAST, para. 2). The CAST website has extensive resources that provide foundational research on the UDL framework, learning, understanding neuro-variability, and recognizing that the brain is not fixed but has incredible plasticity and continues to change over a lifetime based on experiences and interactions.
Educators can access the interactive UDL guidelines along with videos and UDL spotlights on the CAST website. CAST also highlights the importance of “unlearning” for educators through brain science, UDL, and practical steps for integrating UDL into classrooms across all formats. Educators can learn more about the history of CAST and UDL framework by reading Stories from Our Work, Timeline of Innovation, and UDL in Public Policy on the website.
CAST is actively engaged in projects across K-12 and higher education that involve different disciplines and all classroom formats (face-to-face, online, blended, and remote). Educators are encouraged to read what CAST is doing with Research, Design, and Development, Accessibility & Inclusive Technology as well as Postsecondary Education and Workforce & Career Education. CAST provides dynamic professional learning opportunities for educators at all levels, including Events, Institutes & Online Courses, Consultation & Curriculum Design, and Speaking Engagements. Online course offerings range from self-paced to synchronous online and customized offerings.
CAST provides learning resources and online tools that can be easily accessed online by educators. Additionally, CAST hosts events throughout the year from the Annual CAST UDL Symposium to free webinars and UDL-IRN events. There are many ways in which educators can get involved with CAST. There are opportunities for research, employment, internships, and donating. CAST invites educators to follow them online through social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube) as well as visit them onsite just 15 miles north of Boston in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Educators are encouraged to subscribe to the CAST newsletter to receive information about upcoming events, research, and engage in an incredible global network that is transforming education.
Key Links:
Learn more about CAST by visiting the CAST website!
CAST: Until Learning has no limits
Author: Dr. Kristen Betts