WEEK 5 BLOG

 

    Part 1

  I selected the Universal Design for Learning article by Rogers-Shaw et al. (2018).  In their article they discussed the basics of universal design and the advantages for not only students with disabilities, language barriers, and of low socioeconomic backgrounds, but also advantages for all learners.  Rogers-Shaw et al. (2018) stated, "UDL has been used with 'students with atypical backgrounds in the dominant language, cognitive strategies, culture, or history of the average classroom who, therefore, face barriers in accessing information when present in a manner that assumes a common background among all students'" (p. 21).  They mentioned the Goldilocks analogy for UDL in that educators need to try different methods until they find what is just right for their students. Rogers-Shaw et al. also mentions that with UDL, there is a "focus on learning relevance, value, and authenticity in terms of learners' needs and desires through the inclusion of real-life tasks and an understanding of the importance of flexibility." (2018, p.21).  This is what I struggle the most with in upper-level math courses, including my current lesson concept.  I have some ideas for certain topics that seem engaging to me, bringing in real life concepts or issues, but a more mundane topic like classifying triangles, how do you create value and relevancy on something like that?

  Throughout the reading Rogers-Shaw et al. also continues to mention the need for multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement (2018, p. 26). This is something I was aiming for with my lesson - different ways for students to show their understanding. First, identify triangles around them and classifying them, then putting more formal geometric notation into it, and finally considering which triangles always, sometimes or never exist.  However, does this concept imply I should have multiple means for representation for each component of this lesson for students to choose from?  (Truthful question - I don't believe I have a strong pedagogy background).

Part 2

  As I've developed my lesson plan, the needs of diverse learners have been a top priority. The students I service are at a wide range of levels academically, socially and emotionally. This requires me to focus on all the different ways students learn and participate so I can meet all students where they are. While doing so, I encourage students to use a plethora of strategies and hold them to high expectations. In my lesson, students focused on learning each other's country, culture, and tradition. This will help them develop their vocabulary, listening and speaking skills using the context in which they have expertise. Students exchanging information and interests about their backgrounds and cultures should help increase confidence, foster better relationships, and mutual understanding. 

 Students will work and socialize in pairs and groups. Students will receive multiple forms of feedback and opportunities to implement that feedback at each stage, students are encouraged to include their interests in the real-world problems and students are grounded in the learning objective with the support of a rubric that outlines how to be successful. Some additional UDL strategies that I can meaningfully integrate into my lesson include clarifying vocabulary and symbols for representation and increasing mastery-oriented feedback for engagement. Prior to starting this project-based lesson, I'd love to pre-teach and review vocabulary with visual examples to encourage students to use real world examples. Additionally, my lesson has multiple opportunities for feedback that can be used to intentionally guide them towards mastery of both content and technology standards.

References

 About universal design for learning. CAST. (2021, April 20). https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl#.XGn5889Kho4.

Rogers-Shaw, C., Carr-Chellman, D. d., & Choi, J. (2018). Universal Design for Learning: Guidelines for Accessible Online Instruction. Adult Learning, 29(1), 20-31.