Skip to main content

Class #3 Take Aways

In our third class we dove deeper into understand Universal Design for Learning. What is UDL? This is a question that gets asked often. The answer is that UDL is a set of principles or framework optimized to give all individuals an opportunity to learn. The Cast website provides us with a great overview and explanation of UDL.

Let's have a dinner party! During this class activity we had to plan a meal for many people with dietary restrictions. Planning a meal with many restrictions faced us with a challenge. But once we thought about it, we thought that keeping it simple with options might be best. This in activity, related to accommodating many different students with a variety of needs in the classroom. This activity really showcases the importance of really knowing our students, their strengths and needs. Especially areas they need help in, and getting them the appropriate assistance they need. The Dinner Party Analogy is explained by Katie Novak.

 

Google Read and Write. I have used this extension tool of Google before last year with a struggling student. Once this student was shown how to use it, their written output increased over time, and they were more engaged and willing to participate in their assignments. I found it very easy to navigate myself, and it turn, easy to show students. But I am looking forward to learning more about the extension with my group. With the many different options available within the GR&W, many students with different needs can benefit from it. TextHelp is a great website we have been using to help navigate GR&W.

Comments

  1. Love your post Ashley, I agree with the fact that the Dinner Party activity really showed us how important it is to know our students, their interests, and what would be meaningful to them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Critique #1: Accessible For All

Palmquist and Prenevost pose a very important question. The first question that any educator should ask "What needs do my students have in literacy?". Identifying a students needs is step one in setting them up for success. Each student has different levels of need and support, how they access these supports is up to us. Matching the students needs to the correct accommodations and/or modifications, and right assistive technology is crucial. I believe this is the most important thing. Without being identified and assessed properly, students get given technology that is not beneficial to them. The five pillars of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) are discussed right away. They point out the importance of these reading skills, and they all of them need to be considered when developing a students literacy skills. It often happens that phonemic awareness and phonics become a big focus for those struggling students, and sometimes the re...

Critique #2: Take the Pencil Out of the Process

In this article by Leslie Broun, it was written out of personal and professional experience of allowing students with ASD to use keyboards in the classroom. I'm sure as we were all reading, we thought of a student, or many, who struggle with paper and pencil writing activities, and who would benefit from the use of a keyboard. Broun explains that many students struggle with physical act of printing and the writing process. These difficulties interfere with their academic performance. Some students never grasp the skills to use pencil and paper to express their thoughts. The inability to form letters correctly is call dysgraphia or dyscriptia (printing and writing). Some students with ASD also struggle with the motor tasks of printing and writing. Theses students who struggle can lose out in other areas such as academic participation and sometimes demonstrate poor behavior. But, with the simple substitution of a keyboard, these students can flourish. Having computer devices in a...