I feel like I've been living under a rock, how have I not learned about Universal Design for Learning until now? I know that the guiding principles of engagement, representation, and action and expression are very much imbedded into the every day life of a teacher, I have just never read about this. So there was much for me to learn and share. I spent a lot of time trying to download Tellagami and spent countless hours trying to create something engaging on puppet pals, I've resorted to the good old fashioned writing for this assignment. How fitting that I've tried all of these varied representations of my knowledge on the week I finally learn about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). I've learned so much, have been conflicted in so many different thought processes I've gone down, engaged with a few classmates who are also struggling to understand how to find ways to implement access and engagement in the math classroom, and am excited to sum up my learning. What I've learned about UDL is that it's a learning design that helps teachers to create a more flexible curriculum that engages and challenges all our students. UDL's goal is to minimize barriers and maximize learning, which is where I will focus. How does UDL minimize barriers? UDL challenges teachers to get to know their learners in a way that is meaningful. Who are they? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their cultural background and how does that affect the way they learn? How do they learn best? Are they able to follow, plan, and/or execute a learning plan? When you know these things and much more, you know what will help them, what will engage them, and how to make their learning experience better overall. It gives you avenues to reach your learners where they are and to take them on an educational journey. How does UDL maximize learning? UDL address learning in a way that many other learning designs try to implement, which is by making the learning process personalized and engaging. When you find ways to engage your students in learning through modes that interest them, they are more likely to try. I for example, am much more likely to write or make a slideshow. I did try to challenge myself to try a new approach for each project each time, but find myself reverting back to what is comfortable. WOW...now if I have a learning preference and modality, that certainly seems to point to the fact that our students do too! So, when we allow them varied ways to demonstrate their learning they not only work more efficiently, but they also learn more in the process because they are excited to share their knowledge in a way that's meaningful and accessible for them. UDL seeks not only to make classrooms more engaging, but to make it accessible for all students. When you use a variety of approaches, such as digital materials that are easily manipulated to change the format to be more visually helpful or easy to translate, or a video or audio file available, it helps students who may be struggling to read and comprehend. The goal of UDL is to make curriculum more accessible for all students, to look at the current barriers of a curriculum, look at the needs of your students, and to make them work together to create a powerful learning experience. Overall, after further reading about UDL, it seems like the very thing that SPED has been working to get us to to do in our rooms for IEP students: Learn about our students, use this knowledge to empower our curriculum, make the curriculum obtainable for all, and then allow them ways to demonstrate their knowledge. UDL is good for all students, it's just a matter of slowly implementing it over time, so that it's not too overwhelming and time consuming. I am still curious about how to create the environment described in UDL where, "students rarely do the same task in the same way at the same time." (Posey (2014-2023)) The current challenge I see at my school is that many classrooms use direct instruction. I am one of the few teachers who uses a Building Thinking Classroom approach (5th and 6th grade math) and it is very challenging to get them to change their mindset. We start the year with lots of norms, group practice, teambuilding, growth mindset workshops, problem solving strategy games, etc., but the challenge I have found is that students are in the mindset of constantly waiting for an adult to tell them what to do next. So can my students execute a learning plan by themselves yet, no. Do they get better over time, yes... But, how does one organize and plan a math classroom where people are rarely doing the same task in the same way at one time when they do not have those skills yet? How does one move them there in a short year and how is it effective when it feels like they need a teacher lording over them, as most are not concerned with their grades? I know the 7/8th grade teacher have more of my teaching style, so I do my best to create an independent classroom with students working on their own goals, so they can have more success in the following years, but are there strategies and other readings I can read that will help me move along quicker without having to experience my own trial and error? Districts spend significant resources on providing professional learning to teachers. Most urban districts spend between $6,000 and $8,000 per teacher each year on professional learning and suggest that these costs are often underestimated. In the 2007/08 school year, Philadelphia School District spent almost $162 million on professional learning, which included training for teachers as well as release time for teachers and coaches. Yet district leaders often have little information about whether professional learning activities are having the intended impact on teacher practice and student learning. Resources are limited, and information is needed to guide decision makers to use these resources most effectively. Evaluating professional learning can help decision makers determine whether the results warrant further investment to continue or expand the professional learning activities, or whether it is time to discontinue efforts and try a new approach. Evaluation also provides important insight about the strengths and challenges of professional learning and how current efforts can be improved.
What is your school and district doing to evaluate and analyze the Professional Development activities in which you are involved. What are your thoughts regarding the academic returns of greater student achievement on your school and district’s annual investment in teacher professional development? I am a part of a charter school, and my school does not really do anything to analyze the PD activities that I'm involved in. In fact, they often create PDs that go against the very thing that Hanover explains not to do, there are often "one-offs" or PD created by admin only, with no teacher buy-in. Our school would be better off if they had teachers guide the learning of PD based on their needs after data assessments.
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Educators find meaning in work that stems from inner passions, interests, ambitions, and the desire to help young minds grow. We also discover meaning as we build our own capacity to continually improve. Noteworthy lightbulb moments and learning experiences related to our particular disciplines lead to valuable awakenings we use to refine our skills and help children along their path of academic discovery.
Describe a “lightbulb” moment that you have enjoyed in connecting your learning experiences to leading your learners along their academic pathway. I have had many lightbulb moments where I've connected my learning to an AHA moment in class. One of these such moments was after I had been reading about the importance of building background knowledge to help students connect previous learning with current learning. I was doing a math warm-up to show students how their previous math skills would connect with what we would be working on that day, when one of my students literally grabbed onto his hair with his hands (ever a dramatic and funny student) and exclaimed, "OH MY GAWD....everything we learn in math builds on other things we will learn in math!" We all laughed, and in my head I was like, "FINALLY!" But the class became super serious about their learning after that and I have never forgotten the value of connecting and helping students remember their previous learning with current learning.
Hundreds of digital education tools have been created with the purpose of giving autonomy to the student, improving the administration of academic processes, encouraging collaboration, and facilitating communication between teachers and learners. As you review this week’s resources, outline the process you have used to evaluate these tools and resources for your learner’s growth. How have you determined which are most appropriate for your learner's current learning needs?
As I find and select digital materials to use in my classroom I first ask these questions:
The characteristic of collaboration describes the degree to which technology is used to facilitate, enable, or enhance students’ opportunities to work with peers and outside experts. This characteristic considers the use of conventional collaborative technology tools as well as other kinds of technology tools that assist students working with others.
How have you, or how do you plan to use technology to assist your peers in collaborating with adopting digital tools and resources for learning? At our school we use a variety of tools to collaborate. Our most common tools for collaboration are google docs and sheets. We keep google docs to keep notes on our PLCs, follow-up assignments, and reflections about student data. We use google sheets to share student data with colleagues and to create cross-school sheets where we are able to analyze data. Additionally, when I have a teaching partner (last year I did not) I use planbook.com to share lesson plans that they are able to copy and use, and include all links to slides and other digital resources. I also try to keep my class website up to date with links for learning that are easy to use on the digital whiteboard that my colleagues, students, and families can access. I remember when I first started teaching and we would just take notes and print them every week. If you forgot your job or assignment you would need to go ask the note keeper to read the notes. Digital tools help make collaboration easier and gives you 24 hour access to any documents you might be collaborating on, it would be challenging to keep up with our jobs without these tools. Best Student Collaboration Tools Collaboration Tools for Students Digital Tools for Classroom Collaboration - Collaborating on Projects My PLC Agenda It is important to make creative use of other teacher’s range of expertise so all can be included and can learn as well as be willing to change. Through constant practice, teachers will benefit from working with others to build commitment to an innovative collaborative culture. These collaborations will be a continuous process with evidence of new quality thinking and intentional changes in practice. With the implementation of meaningful collaboration, teachers can problem solve more effectively as well as grow professionally as educators through the extended learning they will receive from their peers.
Describe how you have participated in collaborative activities such as this. Or address how you plan to do so through your participation and engagement in this course. I feel fortunate that for the large majority of my career I have worked with very collaborative teams of educators. My favorite such team exemplified collaboration, everyone shared roles and showed up prepared, and helped support student growth through data coaching cycles. We followed the fist to five model for consensus and worked to be vulnerable and built a positive culture of learning and kept the spirit of a growth mindset. We used a lot of collaborative tools, but at the time the most common was Google Suite tools. Each data cycle focused only on student-centered work and data, which was great. I always feel like people work best when they keep personal feelings and egos out of the classroom and student-centered work data chats were really great for this. I've also worked where these collaborative protocols and principles were not the norm and it was very challenging to get things accomplished. |