Assistive technology is specific to individual students, especially those who have IEPs. UDL is universal, meaning it affects and benefits all students in the classroom.
1. Teacher as facilitator
This culturally responsive teaching practice, as described by Dr. Nelson, focuses on the idea that the teacher serves a very vital role in the classroom. The teacher acts as a guide and aid for student learning, and they must take into account the different cultural and learning needs of each of their students. In order to reflect this practice in my lesson plan, I will be sure to include an aspect in which students will be working together in cooperative learning groups based on how they learn and how they want to display their knowledge. Also, having a student directed discussion group could be helpful to add to my lesson, so that all of the students have the opportunity to share their individual thoughts and bring some new ideas into the classroom. 2. Communications of High Expectations This practice is based on the principle that all students should be held to high standards when it comes to their school work. Having high expectations for students will likely encourage them to want to try their best and complete work that they are proud of. In my lesson, I have clear goals and objectives that I want the students to meet. I specifically state what I want the students to be able to do for my lesson, which is an example of developing high and clear expectations. If I were to truly be teaching this lesson to students, I would be sure to show constant encouragement and make it evident to my students that I believe in their ability to meet the goals that I set for them in my plan.
Dr. Ralabate Traditional Method #1: Reciprocal Teaching Reciprocal teaching is a method that requires dialogue between teachers and students and is based around the development of reading comprehensions skills. In order to help with reading comprehension skills, this method is composed of four key strategies. These include requiring students to : summarize the main content, come up with questions about what they have read, clarify misunderstandings, and predict what may come next. The teacher might even do a think-aloud with her students while reading a book to them. To enhance this method using UDL, I would allow students to represent their knowledge about what they read in a way that works best with the way they learn. For example, when they are going through the four key strategies, they would be able to complete these steps using visual representations, verbally, or in any way that benefits them and truly shows how much they know. Method #2: Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is a learning method that requires students to work together in groups, because of the belief that children learn best when they are working with others. The five key elements to cooperative learning include: positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual and group accountability, inter-personal and small group skills, and group processing. To enhance this method using UDL, I would make sure that students who are partaking in cooperative learning all have the ability to access and display information in ways that they feel are most beneficial to them. I would perhaps base grouping on the different types of learners that are incorporated or have students choose their groups based on how they want to display the information. I think that the independence to choose how they reach their goal is very important, even when children are working in groups. Growth mindset is the attitude that intelligence and skill can be improved through effort and experimentation. People with this mindset learn from their mistakes, seek challenges, and believe in themselves and their ability to be successful.
Top Ten List for Writing Goals the UDL Way:
1. Make sure to share the learning goal with your students. 2. Allow students the opportunity to create the learning goal. 3. Create goals that are flexible, like UDL instruction. 4. The goal should be clearly defined, with clear expectations. 5. Goals should be created based on what the students need to learn and know. 6. The goal should include options for scaffolding, depending on the types of learners that it is being applied to. 7. The goal should relate well with the next lesson that is going to be taught. 8. Goals should be able to be accomplished within a specific time frame. 9. Goals need to be measurable. 10. It is important to determine how the goal will be assessed and the materials needed to meet the desired results. How does a taking a variability perspective impact your lesson planning? Taking a variability perspective means that the lesson must be created with flexibility in mind. According to our textbook, when lesson planning, educators must take into account how their individual students learn in order to create the most successful lesson. Neuroscience greatly affects how well a student does or does not learn the content that is being presented to them. Some information is only stored in short term memory, while some information can be moved and stored in long term memory. It is a major goal of the teacher to guide his/her students to understanding lesson content and storing it in their long term memory. In order to do so, teachers should incorporate potential experiences into their lesson plans in order to guide important information into the students' long term memories. The more that the content is personally relatable to varying students, the more they will understand and value the information. What is Learner Variability? How can UDL help educators to plan for learner variability?
In Todd Rose's video, he describes learning variability as something that goes against the idea of the "average learner". He mentions that learning is not a one size fits all notion, and that the learning strategies that work for some people, do not necessarily work for others. Everyone's brains work in different ways, therefore everyone learns in different ways. I like when Rose says that "variability is the rule, not the exception," meaning that everyone is individual in the way that they learn, and that this is not something that is situational. Rose uses the Rubick's Cube as an example of learner variability. There are many strategies that can be used to solve the Rubick's Cube, and the way that each individual chooses to solve it depends on their particular variability. UDL can help educators plan for this variability in learning because it can create a guideline for designing environments that support the full range of learners in our classrooms, according to Rose. UDL can help to accommodate for the needs of each individual learner, and the strategies that he/she uses to solve problems. It can also focus help educators focus on bringing all different types of learners together, in a way that benefits them all at the same time.
1. Why is it important to consider the design of your learning environment? Focus on classroom space, procedures and teacher behaviors observed today. Considering the design of a learning environment can be crucial for the students in it. According to Nelson, the learning environment is where learning takes place and it must involve varying components that suit the needs of all of the students. This environment must cater to the students as individuals and take into account their different interests and learning needs. Creating an environment that does this, can help students feel more comfortable in the classroom and allow them the support that they need to thrive in the classroom. At Prettyboy Elementary School, I saw multiple ways in which the teachers took the design of their learning environments into account. All of the classrooms I saw had multiple seating options for students, like wobbly stools, chairs, the carpet, and bean bag chairs. This allowed the students to pick what suited them best, whether they preferred to sit still or move about while they learned. The teachers also broke the students up into groups and had them move about the room in different stations to complete a task. Some students read independently, some used their computers, others worked in pairs, and others worked with the teacher. This allowed for the students to experience multiple different ways of complete a task that could tend to different types of learners. 2. How do learner centered environments impact the experience of students? Learner centered environments impact the experience of students in a positive way. In learning centered environments, students are more likely to feel engaged and like they serve an important purpose in the classroom. This makes the learning process more enjoyable for the students and allows them to bring their individual assets into the classroom. |
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April 2016
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