Click the Button above to be directed to Jennifer Katz's (PhD) website. The developed the 3 block Model of Universal Design for Learning. This model highlights Social Emotional Learning, Inclusive Instructional Practice, and Systems and Structures in UDL.
A Project in Engagement
This photo for me sums up the idea of Universal Design For Learning. These students are from SJ Willis Alternative Program in Victoria B.C. where I have taught for 7 years. They represent an at-risk group of learners that have to be referred to our program via a district based review. These kids have and do struggle with the "standard" structure of most school settings. They come to use with a number of issues ranging from severe anxiety, depression, extreme behavior issues, and addiction issues. Most feel less than adequate in many aspects of their lives but have especially not experienced much success at school. In an attempt to meet these kids where they are at and increase engagement in various subject areas the staff created a film festival week. Teachers paired up and chose films relevant to different subject areas for Grades 10-12. We created mini lessons and projects following the film to inspire kids to dig deeper into what inspired or interested them about the movie. These students watched the movie "Poetic Justice" which is a film about students living in the ghetto and how their teacher inspired them to express their feelings through poetry thus inspiring them to want more for themselves from life than they had previously thought. We had speakers come in from Raising Voices which is a local group of spoken work artists who work with local schools. We also had two local rappers come to the school to teach the kids how to put a beat behind their words. The students were excited and engaged and some really opened up and went out on a limb when speaking or rapping their poetry. We saw a side to the students that is often hidden or not emphasized in the school setting. The students were given credit for their poetry units in their respective English classes. Other movie/projects involved Claymation, graffiti, cooking (The Julia Childs Movie) and many more. The students had a choice as to what movie and project they wanted to participate in which increased engagement. I fell that the students felt empowered and proud of their finished products.....and it shows in this photo.
This photo for me sums up the idea of Universal Design For Learning. These students are from SJ Willis Alternative Program in Victoria B.C. where I have taught for 7 years. They represent an at-risk group of learners that have to be referred to our program via a district based review. These kids have and do struggle with the "standard" structure of most school settings. They come to use with a number of issues ranging from severe anxiety, depression, extreme behavior issues, and addiction issues. Most feel less than adequate in many aspects of their lives but have especially not experienced much success at school. In an attempt to meet these kids where they are at and increase engagement in various subject areas the staff created a film festival week. Teachers paired up and chose films relevant to different subject areas for Grades 10-12. We created mini lessons and projects following the film to inspire kids to dig deeper into what inspired or interested them about the movie. These students watched the movie "Poetic Justice" which is a film about students living in the ghetto and how their teacher inspired them to express their feelings through poetry thus inspiring them to want more for themselves from life than they had previously thought. We had speakers come in from Raising Voices which is a local group of spoken work artists who work with local schools. We also had two local rappers come to the school to teach the kids how to put a beat behind their words. The students were excited and engaged and some really opened up and went out on a limb when speaking or rapping their poetry. We saw a side to the students that is often hidden or not emphasized in the school setting. The students were given credit for their poetry units in their respective English classes. Other movie/projects involved Claymation, graffiti, cooking (The Julia Childs Movie) and many more. The students had a choice as to what movie and project they wanted to participate in which increased engagement. I fell that the students felt empowered and proud of their finished products.....and it shows in this photo.
Assignment #1
WHY IS UDL IMPORTANT?
Meet Kate! She isn't your average student and struggled throughout her school aged years. She could have been spared years of pain and suffering if Universal Design for Learning had been practiced. The basic idea is that we are not all created equal and that certain tasks or part of the curriculum need to be modified to suite the individualized needs of the learner. This should not mean more work for the teacher but involve more choice for the student to "show what they know". This should accommodate any physical or mental disabilities while highlighting the students natural strengths and skills.
WHY IS UDL IMPORTANT?
Meet Kate! She isn't your average student and struggled throughout her school aged years. She could have been spared years of pain and suffering if Universal Design for Learning had been practiced. The basic idea is that we are not all created equal and that certain tasks or part of the curriculum need to be modified to suite the individualized needs of the learner. This should not mean more work for the teacher but involve more choice for the student to "show what they know". This should accommodate any physical or mental disabilities while highlighting the students natural strengths and skills.
Assignment #2
Kurzweil
Assistive Technology for helping students with aspects in literacy
I have been introduced to this technology in the past through other special educations classes and Pro-D activities. Although our school has a license for Kurzweil I have never used it in class as I teach Math and Science and so texts are difficult to scan as documents in Kurzweil because of the multiple examples and shading on each page. I could see this as being useful if you could scan a number of word problems and use a smart board to highlight certain words or phrases allowing kids to find definitions for words they were unclear on. The Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10 and 11 have very wordy multiple part problems that often stump students who are not confident in their reading. I enjoyed playing with Kurzweil but I have a lot more to learn.
Kurzweil
Assistive Technology for helping students with aspects in literacy
I have been introduced to this technology in the past through other special educations classes and Pro-D activities. Although our school has a license for Kurzweil I have never used it in class as I teach Math and Science and so texts are difficult to scan as documents in Kurzweil because of the multiple examples and shading on each page. I could see this as being useful if you could scan a number of word problems and use a smart board to highlight certain words or phrases allowing kids to find definitions for words they were unclear on. The Apprenticeship and Workplace Math 10 and 11 have very wordy multiple part problems that often stump students who are not confident in their reading. I enjoyed playing with Kurzweil but I have a lot more to learn.
Assignment #5
Click the Square icon on the bottom right to view the Prezi in full screen.
This was my first Prezi experience and I found it to be user friendly and a great way to present information or show what you know. I like that you can add YouTube video's or Audio, add images, and links to websites to expand your presentation. |
Click to set custom HTML
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