At the start of the year, Mary Jayne builds solid routines for choices in learning and provides students with permanent resources for independent learning. She offers a variety learning format choices including self-paced, collaborative learning and teacher guided. To promote student reflection and academic risk taking, Mary Jayne has students volunteer to share their biggest “no” (mistake). Students use each others' work as a learning tool, reflecting on mistakes, analyzing challenges and suggesting alternate strategies. Mary Jane reports having students collaboratively analyze mistakes in work helps student reflection, content understanding and discourse to soar. As Mary Jayne states "I honestly have a better pulse of my class this year . . . I truly know who get's it and who doesn't." Watch the video below to explore Mary Jayne’s classroom and math center.
Math Routines, Self-Paced Learning, Student Reflection and Centers - A Perfect Learning Equation!11/4/2016 Mary Jayne Bortz, 6th grade math teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School, has embraced the UDL framework. She incorporates learning centers to provide options for new learning and practice, solid routines for student choice and control, and processes for self-reflection to guide students to take ownership of their learning, take academic risks, and learn collaboratively. She uses the UDL framework to increase engagement for all learners and explicitly sets the goal for all students to become expert learners. Students sign an Expert Learner contract at the outset of the year and her lessons frequently emphasize what makes an "expert learner".
At the start of the year, Mary Jayne builds solid routines for choices in learning and provides students with permanent resources for independent learning. She offers a variety learning format choices including self-paced, collaborative learning and teacher guided. To promote student reflection and academic risk taking, Mary Jayne has students volunteer to share their biggest “no” (mistake). Students use each others' work as a learning tool, reflecting on mistakes, analyzing challenges and suggesting alternate strategies. Mary Jane reports having students collaboratively analyze mistakes in work helps student reflection, content understanding and discourse to soar. As Mary Jayne states "I honestly have a better pulse of my class this year . . . I truly know who get's it and who doesn't." Watch the video below to explore Mary Jayne’s classroom and math center.
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As Great Seneca Creek Elementary School library Media Specialist, Lisa Norris, has embraced this belief by providing a Makerspace in her media center, thus providing the opportunity for all students to become “inventors.” When she first started researching Makerspaces she immediately made the connection to UDL. The elements in the Design process are the building blocks our students need to become "Expert Learners." As Lisa says "If you can think critically, collaborate, ask questions, and be creative you can teach yourself whatever you want to learn." In this space learning materials, supplies, and concepts are available and accessible to all learners - with a variety of abilities and preferences. Students at every level can design, tinker and create regardless of language skills or academic proficiency – it is an equal access environment, rich in opportunities for choice, and self-paced learning, key UDL concepts. In a school day that is often regulated and prescribed, the Makerspace may be the only time in a student’s day where they can create and learn at their own pace. Lisa provides many visual cues so students require minimal teacher direction and time dedication to be successful. There is an emphasis on the design process illustrated in the image above. She also developed check-in and participation routines including a “tinker pass” and shared the process with teachers. Teachers then modify the “tinker pass” process to fit the routines in their own classrooms. Student and staff response has been overwhelming! 2nd grade teacher, Germaine Cooley and Erin Swift are huge fans reporting that their students are"really engaged.....and it empowers students who aren't our traditional learners." Erin also reports that the learning in the Makerspace can be "connected to the learning in the classroom." To quote one satisfied customer “you can be your own inventor”! Watch this video to hear Alexander (4th grade) and Gabriele’s (3rd grade) impressions! |
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AuthorsWelcome! I am a media specialist at Brookhaven Elementary School. I began this blog when I was hired to work with the HIAT team as a UDL Project Specialist for the Expanding Bridges Grant. Since the Grant ended, HIAT staff now collaborate to contribute to the blog and share UDL stories from MCPS! Archives
December 2016
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