I think it might be helpful to know a little bit about why people have made the effort to integrate UDL into their classrooms and schools. These four people- student, teacher, media specialist, and principal, share their thoughts about the impact of implementing UDL in their schools. This is my first draft of the video- I'll add some b-roll soon and close captioning soon...
Some schools have been working through the process of implementing the UDL framework for almost three years now.
I think it might be helpful to know a little bit about why people have made the effort to integrate UDL into their classrooms and schools. These four people- student, teacher, media specialist, and principal, share their thoughts about the impact of implementing UDL in their schools. This is my first draft of the video- I'll add some b-roll soon and close captioning soon...
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This morning I saw the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in action in the Advanced Chemistry class of Ms. Marie Paul. As soon as I entered the room the hum of engaged learning was evident. There was a video on the Promethean Board with a scientist who was explaining a chemistry concept and some students were taking notes from the video. There were students at their desks working and also taking laptops out of the cart to get them started so they could log in. There were students who were talking to Ms. Paul about their assignments and she had a clipboard in hand to sort out homework assignments. Ms. Paul has her lecture available on her Youtube channel for students to access as they work through the chemistry problems. Click on the image below to access one of Ms. Paul's lectures from Youtube. Ms. Paul's room had an atmosphere of purposeful and engaged learning. Students were both collaborating and working independently to understand the content from a variety of sources. They were able to build capacity for self-regulation by making choices for their learning. One student told me that the learning process in this chemistry class was different than most of his lecture based classes. Student Reflection It is challenging but when I leave the class, I actually know how to work out the problems for myself. Teacher Reflection from Ms. Paul I can definitely see added value of using a UDL lens in my planning. Students have multiple ways to learn the material. The videos are just one of the resources available to them. Beside the videos, my PowerPoint presentations are posted on Edline and my students have access to the whole textbook online. If a student chooses not to watch the videos, they can always go over the PowerPoint, read the material from the textbook even though very few opt for that option. The students also have a choice of completing their homework online or on paper. They even have a choice of taking their quizzes online or on paper. I honestly feel that I am making a better use of the face to face class time. I don't spend most of my time in front of the classroom lecturing. Instead, 90% of my time is spent interacting with the students. My role has changed. I walk around and help. I am more of a tutor and a guide, answering their questions. I used to be so busy in front of the room lecturing; I never had a chance to interact with the shy students who would never raise his/her hand to ask questions. I decided to start recording my lectures after a workshop I went to last December where 2 teachers presented the benefits of a flipped classroom. The next day, I created a YouTube account and started recording. I have made several mistakes, but I am doing better now. After that workshop and after listening to the testimonies of other teachers through the “Classroom 2.0 Live Video”, I was convinced that interacting with my students would be best use of my class time. My first recording was done on a snow day using the application “Screen Chomp” from my iPad. I posted the site of the video on Edline and sent an email to all my students asking them to watch the video before they come back to school and several students did. Now, I use ActivInspire for my recording, upload them on YouTube and post the YouTube link on Edline. Students are more engaged in class and I have better homework and test grades. Benefits of UDL for All Students One of the myths that we sometimes hear is that the Universal design for Learning mostly benefits the students with some type of special need. We consider this a myth because we realize that all learners have a "jagged profile" in which they will excel in some areas and have challenges in others. This image from Todd Rose's Myth of Average Ted Talk shows us some of the areas where learners can vary. We know that if we stretch the framework of our lessons to provide options for learners on the edge, rather than the middle, all students will benefit. In this instance, the advanced chemistry students were able to benefit from having multiple means of representation through the Youtube lectures that Ms. Paul had prerecorded, her PowerPoint presentations, an online textbook, and the CALM website to help guide their learning. They also had benefit of working at their own pace with the one on one assistance of Ms. Paul as she circulated to identify students who might need some tutoring/coaching to move through the work. Finally they have the option to complete homework and quizzes online or on paper.
Thank you Ms. Paul for sharing your outstanding work with students! Click on each picture to see a larger image. A few short weeks ago, I was able to visit the classroom of first grade teacher Abby Stone. Her students were busy reading, writing, and talking as they researched about the topic of penguins. I took a few pictures and thought I would share because they demonstrate some of the nuts and bolts about how she set up her classroom to implement the UDL principle of providing multiple means of representation.
The first picture clearly shows the steps that students were to follow in their research process as well as the choices that they would have. The students had a choice for how they wanted to learn about their topic. The content was presented in print and digital formats and the students were able to choose which one they wanted to use on that day. It was interesting to see that there were students that had chosen each of the three formats. In UDL classrooms, we often see visual supports for classroom routines. The second photograph shows technology structures for using the computers as a choice. The specifics for how to access a variety of websites and resources will help guide students to get to their choice. Sometimes navigating through the menus and passwords can be tricky as they are different for each digital resource! Posted directions can remind students of the specific path to get to each one. These structures will empower students to become independent users of information. The third picture shows the variety of graphic organizers that students were able to choose from as they gathered their information. By offering these choices, Ms. Stone has allowed for different opportunities that students' can flex the strategic network of their brain. I imagine Ms. Stone had to build an understanding of each type of organizer throughout the year, but at this point, the students had many to choose from. Surely if this can work in first grade, we can envision providing these choices for older students as well. Can anyone think of other ways that teachers can support choice for all students? |
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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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