Investment: $299

This course helps educators shift from reactive differentiation to intentional design by applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to literacy instruction. Participants explore how anticipating learner variability – particularly in multilingual and inclusive classrooms – during planning leads to more flexible reading and writing experiences, with practical strategies that support access, engagement, and rigor for all learners. 

Designed for international and multilingual school contexts, this course translates Universal Design for Learning into everyday literacy practice. Through concrete classroom examples and guided redesign, educators learn how to identify barriers in reading and writing tasks, apply the three UDL principles, and create inclusive literacy instruction that balances high expectations with meaningful access for diverse learners.

Course curriculum

    1. Course Information

    1. Padlet

    1. Introduction: From Differentiation to Design

    2. Chapter 1_Why Differentiation Isn't Enough

    3. Chapter 2_What Universal Design for Learning Actually Is (and Isn’t)

    4. Chapter 3_The Three UDL Principles in the Literacy Classroom

    5. Chapter 4_Spotting Barriers in Literacy Instruction

    6. Chapter 5_From Barriers to Better Design

    7. Chapter 6_Designing for Engagement in Literacy

    8. Chapter 7_Designing for Representation & Expression Without Lowering Rigor

    9. Chapter 8_Build & Apply a Universally Designed Literacy Task

    1. Complete this short survey and get your course completion certificate!

About this course

  • $299.00
  • 12 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

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Facilitators

Catherine Montera

Catherine Montera is an educational leader and Head of Student Support Services at Bahrain Bayan School, where she leads inclusive K–12 systems across learning support and counseling. She specializes in literacy design through a UDL and MTSS lens, helping schools build proactive, sustainable structures that improve both student access and teacher clarity. Catherine has led comprehensive program redesigns that shifted school culture from compliance to ownership. She holds advanced degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership and is currently completing doctoral research on strategic organizational systems and teacher retention in international schools.

Karlie Barness

Karlie Barness is an EAL Coordinator with nearly 30 years of experience in international education across Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. She is deeply committed to architecting robust multilingual ecosystems designed through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens to proactively support linguistic learner variability. For Karlie, language is a fundamental issue of equity and identity. She specializes in developing inclusive systems from the ground up, focusing on shifting mindsets to foster environments where every student belongs. Her strategic approach balances the creation of broad accessibility with a steadfast commitment to maintaining firm goals that align with a school’s vision and mission. Karlie facilitates professional learning that builds collective impact. Whether implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), refining Tier 1 instruction, building collaborative practices to support multilinguals, her goal remains constant: creating multiple pathways for learners that are as sustainable for teachers as they are transformative for students.