I agree with having students choose how to learn the information. At the end of the day, we want students to reach the learning target and be able to show their understanding of a concept. Not every student learns in the same manner, so why force it. As far as using choice of materials, I agree that, depending on the subject, students should have some choice, pending that they are learning.

Option 2: In special education, teachers are encouraged to use direct instruction. When I saw the additional ways to offer student choice in their learning, I found myself both encourage and motivated, as well as frustrated. I then reflected on the options provided and realized that I could have students choose whether or not to work alone or collaboratively on formative assessments. This means that during math, students don't have to complete their exit tickets alone. They can help each other. This doesn't deter for a student's knowledge about the curriculum, but rather encourages students to use their resources to support learning. It also gives students a choice and reduces stress and anxiety. This is something that I will try in the future. I can also give students a choice on how they want to learn information. Some of my students do well when listening to a passage read aloud, some students do better when watching a BrainPop video. At the end of the day, students really just need to understand the material in a way where they can explain their thinking.

I couldn't agree more. Many students have not had to problem solve because they have spent a year learning remotely at home. There was never an opportunity to share a classroom or materials. Additionally, when students were off-task, the teacher would often must the student or ignore the behavior and try to speak with the student at a later time. Many of my students are struggling to problem solve in the classroom or on the playground. Additionally, I find that I'm spending more time working with students on how to communicate with their peers and with adults. UDL considerations are critical for developing these lagging skills with out students.

Option 2: Review the next-generation skills. Which ones do your students most need to develop? How can UDL help you to build these skills in your student

When I initially reviewed the next-generation skills, I felt that learning and innovation skills were most needed. It talks about how UDL is different than differentiated instruction, and really drives home the need for all student to access general education curriculum. Then I moved onto the career and life skills section and realized this is truly what students most need to develop. Everything is this section is based on the behaviors that someone needs to be successful in their career. It then goes on to discuss the behaviors that teachers instill in their students to be successful adults. For example, "attempting to achieve a win-win resolution to a conflict". This is taught in the classroom by teaching students to "provide options to meet the needs of everyone on the team.". While everyone has an idea of how adults should behave in the workplace, the skills are truly taught in school. Furthermore, there are many employees who have yet to learn this skills and would benefit from some of the ideas presented for UDL considerations.

Jenny,

I agree that the scripts are useful. Students who receive special education services often feel defeated by school and truly struggle to maintain a growth mindset. The scripts help reinforce the need for a growth mindset. I really enjoyed reading about how all of the parts of the brain are ignited when learning. It'll be interesting to see how student mindsets change with the introduction to UDL in the fall.

This chapter really spoke to me this week. I loved the part where differentiated instruction vs. UDL were truly explained. I never really thought about how differentiated instruction could secretly be telling our students that we don't believe in them. As a special education teacher, I want to work toward more inclusive practices and ensure that my students are accessing their general education curriculum to the greatest extend possible. This paragraph reignited that want. I want to focus on student reflection. I also want to try out some of the scripts about how some work may seem hard, and reiterating that my job is to help all students learn. The reflection sheet appeals to me because students get to reflect on their own learning in a private manner and I am able to see how they felt about the lesson. In essence, their reflection is a tool for me to reflect on how to improve my practice. The scripts appeal to me, because it reinforces the concept of having a growth mindset for the students and also helps students see me as a resource for their learning. As fall as adding to the list, I feel that with the way the school year has progressed, I'm at my max and feel that this is definitely a resource to revisit over the summer so that I can plan to better implement the UDL framework when students return in the fall.

Thank you for sharing your ideas. I like that you will begin you lesson with a brainstorm. That will help the students understand the "why" of the lesson. I also like that students will be able to read in a variety of forms that work best for them. I would love to hear your reflection on this lesson. Did it go as planned? What changes would you make for the next lesson?

My very best lesson was actually a unit on Romeo and Juliet. This lesson was taught during my time working with adjudicated youth. Thy most important part of this lesson was the "why". I knew my students weren't interested in learning about Romeo and Juliet, but I knew that their neighborhood schools read Shakespeare as part of the curriculum. I wanted my students to feel that they could go back to school, and feel they understood Shakespeare and felt that their neighborhood schools were places where they would fit in. I chose to focus on the fact that Romeo and Juliet was a play. I also took topics from the play that would interest them. I was through this understanding of the why and the active engagement that truly made this unit successful. We learned about terms that Shakespeare created, we watched the play in Old English, but read it in modern text. The students were then able to take acts from the play and rewrite them and act them out. This helped them deepen their understanding of the work and provide me with a formative assessment. Everyone was able to learn in a way that harnessed their strengths.

Hi Kimberly, thank you for your candor. I too am looking forward to learning from others. I think people feel UDL is simply differentiation, but it seems like so much more than that. I look forward to putting these ideas into practice too!

Good Evening,

My name is Nora Armstrong, and I work in elementary Special Education in the Issaquah School District. I frequently hear the term UDL and want to use the framework within my practice, but have never been able to effectively implement the the framework. In my journey with UDL, I am still in the beginning stages. As a special education teacher, I am constantly creating specially designed instruction to support my students. However, I see UDL as a framework that goes beyond the walls of my resource room. I see it as the path to true inclusion. I'm looking forward to learning ways to support the general education teachers I work with. I want to bring the UDL framework into all classrooms at my school and act as a resource for doing so.