Evaluation Of A Universal Design For Learning

Today’s education system is challenged with creating and incorporating the most effective and meaningful methodological and conceptual curriculum designs to date. One of the key challenges is to design curriculums that facilitate understanding, retention, and generalization (Bulgren, Deshler, & Lenz, 2007, p. 121-122). However, there is no single way to overcome these challenges due to the variances and complexities within each content area. These, along with the demands of meeting high stakes testing, and the endless revolving door of performance standards, places teachers in a constant state of turmoil as they seek to create coexistence between student achievement and rigorous and challenging standards. One strategy being implemented

My curriculum observation is an analysis of a third grade class in a public charter school. Charter schools are known for their strong core curriculum and creative elective courses and teaching methods. I also selected this particular class setting and student group because of the questioning and dialogue commonly used in the learning process at this grade level. I speculated that the in-class interactions would consist of open-ended questions and reflective dialogue. This extends the learning process and allows for better assessment of student comprehension of the material. My goal was to pinpoint teaching strategies and theories being used by the teacher and determine their effectiveness.

Curriculums are the roadmaps for schools which provide purpose and direction for administrators, educators, parents, and students. Curriculum typically refers to, “the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn, which includes the learning standards or learning objectives they are expected to meet; the units and lessons that teachers teach; the assignments and projects given to students; the books, materials, videos, presentations, and readings used in a course; and the tests, assessments, and other methods used to evaluate student learning.” (Curriculum, 2015, para. 1) Curriculums may come in many shapes and forms, whether they’re purchased as a package at the school or district level or they’re created or refined by educators and

Curriculum, as stated by Glickman (2014) “is the what of instruction”. Additionally, Ornstein and Hunkins, (as cited by Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014) have listed the elements of the curriculum and they “are sequence and continuity, scope and balance”. The mastery with which a teacher can incorporate the elements of the curriculum in instruction is categorized by levels. The levels of teacher involvement in curriculum implementation are described and exemplfied

This assignment is another opportunity to apply the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) in the design of instruction and assessment. In this assignment, a lesson plan is developed, incorporating UDL and effectively leveraging educational technologies in the classroom.

This “hidden curriculum” of teaching is on-going and essential to the learning process. We are always modeling, teaching, guiding, fostering, probing, and inspiring learning! Additionally, educators assume the responsibility for empowering students to become deeper thinkers and stakeholders in their own learning. We acknowledge that curriculum is much more than factual regurgitation of knowledge, yielding only lower level thinking skills. The complex job market will be filled by employers looking for individuals who can provide both an analytical interpretation of information and the demonstrate the ability to be results driven.

Before taking this course I took, “Introduction to Education.” During that course we spent a lot of time talking a lot about the Governments role in education and the growth of its role in education. We spent time talking about how states and local governments were primarily responsible for the education process. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was also discussed. Both of these laws offered great improvements to the education process but also had drawbacks. One drawback is as the book stated a lot of teachers have to teach what is contained in the test. Gifted children are not challenged and disabled children don’t always grow academically as quick as a normal student.

“UDL is a proactive strategy that helps teachers build differentiation into their lesson plans from the beginning, eliminating the need for most of the accommodations teachers typically make after the fact, and providing the flexibility and accessibility needed to reduce the barriers for students with disabilities” (Spencer, 2011, p.11). By planning lessons in this proactive manner and making them more accessible to students with special needs, teachers end up helping everyone in their class and providing improved access to the curriculum for all students. The goal of UDL is to challenge us as teachers to expand our thinking about instruction and lesson design so that we move beyond traditional lecture and worksheet teaching and begin integrating technology and flexible practices to create curriculum and instruction that is more appealing to all students. It is a win-win for all

Developing an innovative curriculum each school calendar year is very imperative when producing an effective learning environment for students and faculty members. The term “curriculum” is known as the academic content that is taught in schools. School leaders and teachers may define curriculum as courses offered by the school, but is rarely used in such a general sense in school. When developing the curriculum, one must attain to the organized preparation of the lesson that is going to be taught in that given school year. Being an Christian educator and leader, it is imperative to show the Christian philosophy and worldview on how the plan impacts the belief and opinions about curriculum development, express my personal belief about the truth of society,

Before reading chapter nine and ten of What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know, I always though of the curriculum as a set of standards that is needed to be teach in order for the students to pass for the year. I guess in high school and college that may be true, but in middle school it is completely different. The curriculum should incorporate the student’s experiences, lives, curiosities, and connections to learning and the outside world. Since middle school is a time where children are trying to find themselves in the world it is important to not only focus on the educational aspect for these students. Different parts of their lives need to be added into the curriculum in order for them to relate to what they learning.

Curriculum and inadequate instruction both have their pros and cons when it comes to the decision-making process of what works best to achieve higher level learning among students. Curriculum mainly focuses on the knowledge and skills that are important to learn where as instruction is what learning will be achieved to meet the needs of students, standardized testing, and outcomes. Teachers in the 21st century have to employ instructional strategies that are innovative, research-proven techniques/strategies, technologies, and real world resources-contexts in order to differentiate among the many

In the Westglen School, K-6: Universal Design for Learning video, we see boys and girls of several different age groups that range from kindergarten to sixth grade. The classrooms seem diverse ethnically and culturally. We are shown that the universal design for learning means each child is included no matter what their learning style is or if they have a disability. Learning styles applies to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences which dismisses the idea of general intelligences and “defines intelligence in terms of distinct sets of processing operations that permit individuals to engage in a wide range of culturally valued activities” (Berk and Meyers, 2016, p. 449). In this video, the professionals identify learning barriers or missed opportunities associated with each child and apply their needs in the classroom setting.

Most of my direct experience working with curriculum is as an public elementary school teacher. I prided myself for many years in aligning the state curriculum frameworks and objectives with the instruction going on in my classroom, and received praise from administrators for sticking to the “playbook”. As time went on, though, I realized that my mixed ability classes were simply not performing up to my personal expectations. I began to create flexible groups for math and language arts, and differentiate instruction based on group needs and student interests. I saw significant improvements in student engagement, behavior and overall achievement.

In order to teach successfully teachers must learn about first learn about their students. Teachers must assess the student’s capabilities and interests. Some students are visual learners, while others learn from hands on activities, or verbal communication. Not all students can learn through memorization, rather they learn through interest and relation to the topic. “To realize what an experience, or empirical situation, means, we have to call to mind the sort of situation that presents itself outside of school" (Democracy and Education). The curriculum should encompass material that is most useful for a student to learn. It seems that in the majority of schools, students are not given the flexibility to guide their own learning, but rather follow rigid instructions that destroy the student’s imagination.

Often times in education young teachers speak loftily of wanting the best future for their students. This expression of empathy and passion for their student’s lives is easier to say than it is to execute. Comparably, when love-struck couple promises to do anything for each, even give their life for their dearest, the words are easier to say than to live up to the daily challenges and obstacles. It’s easy for a teacher to passionately express their well wishes for a student but much harder to live out the difficult commitment to facilitate their students’ progress towards success. For me this began with a realization that my content area subject was not the most important thing for me to be teaching my students, it was literacy. Only