After reviewing the different resources offered this week about universal design, what is being modeled here? How does design afford higher levels of access and learning? Are there ways for you to bring these kinds of strategies and techniques into your own work with students?
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What is being modeled here is a broader perception of the what, how, and why of learning. It attacks the notion that students are like machines and that an “assembly line” education system will allow all of them to emerge as adults ready to enter the real world. Far from it, we are all unique individuals who learn, comprehend, and express our understanding in unique ways. This concept speaks not just to students identified with special needs but also to students who are considered mainstream.
Design affords higher levels of access and learning by helping teachers to stay focused on the “big picture.” At the same time, teachers need to recognize that each student is unique in their learning styles and abilities to express understanding. I see it as an interesting contradiction: Don’t loose sight of the overall goal of educating all of your students by also being aware of the uniqueness of each and every student in the class. When you see classroom teachers, special education instructors, and support staff working toward this goal of Universal Design of Learning I see yet another example of how teachers need to be “quick on their feet,” ready to change, modify, and reconfigure their mode of teaching at a moments notice as they move from one student to another. This is not an easy skill to acquire, and I give great credit to those teachers who are successful at this each and every day.
During my internship to become an educator I latched on to the concept of designing lessons that would address the three main learning styles: visual, auditory, and tactile learners. Having read the material on UDL I see that, while this concept is a good start there is more to the spectrum than just three learning styles. This is certainly the case when I factor in students entering my classroom in need of accommodations.
Last year was my first time using an audio enhancement tool with two different students who had hear impairments. While I don’t have a problem making my voice loader for everyone to hear, I also tend to move about the classroom as I teach. I realized that this could be problematic for these two students. Wearing the voice enhancement microphone allowed me to continue teaching in this style while also allowing these students to hear my directions clearly.
In looking at some of the tools provided in this weeks assignment, one that I took notice of is the Web Notes tool. I try to post all of my teaching materials online via my website so that students, parents, and teachers can access the content at any time. When combined with Web Notes, students with memory impairments could attach key words and phrases right onto my digital documents and webpages to help them recall the information later. Another tool that could easily integrate into this framework is Natural Reader. Again, since I put all of my materials online in digital format, students with visual impairments or dyslexia could use this tool to have the computer read such things as the directions off of a worksheet or speak aloud the copy of my notes from the previous lesson. Text-to-Speech tools like this give students power and control over their learning so that they can be and feel successful in their journey as a lifelong learner.
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