The focus of this week's learning was creating learning activities that are flexible in presentation, learning and assessment. Rose and Meyer (2002) state, "Today's typical classroom might include students whose first language is not English; students who are not reading on grade level; students with behavioral, attentional, and motivational problems; students from varied cultural backgrounds; and students classified as gifted. In addition, there are students with particular needs, such as limited vision, motor disabilities, emotional difficulties, speech and language difficulties, and learning disabilities." This is why the need for flexibility is so important. With the varying levels of abilities, both mental and physical, and larger class sizes, teachers need to work harder to help every student learn successfully in the classroom. To help teachers accomplish the seemingly insurmountable task, Rose and Meyer (2002) suggest creating lessons that have students access the three learning networks in the brain, recognition, strategic and affective.
Students use the recognition network to discern patterns in the information and relate it to patterns they are already familiar. Many teachers present information in class one or two ways, leaving those students who need it in a different format lost and frustrated. In order for all to recognize the "pattern" the teacher may need to demonstrate the information orally, visually, textually, physically, and so on. By presenting information to the students in multiple ways, they are able to "see" the pattern. Using the various options that digital media offer, the teacher is able to build a library of resources to help reach all students.
The strategic network focuses on the problem-solving area of the brain, where students learn new information and relate it to what they already know. To successfully do this, students need to develop an internal model of the information and content in order to use it to generate results. For this, the teacher needs to provide many examples of the correct process as well as “incorrect” so students learn how to do it correctly. Digital media helps, as there are many different models of the process that are explained and presented in different ways. Through the web, students can read, watch, play and talk with other people about the process.
For student to be connected to the "why" of learning, they need to use the affective brain during the learning. "Giving students choices of content and tools can increase their enthusiasm for learning particular processes" (Rose, D. & Meyer, A., 2002). Having a student track their average of successful baskets made during a basketball game is much more interesting than working a page of math problems focused on learning how to find an average. In this way, the teacher is able to link a student's interest to a skill they need to build. When a student is actively engaged in the learning through their interests, they are able to sustain their focus and create better understanding of the content.
Digital media and other technology can quickly become a major part of the UDL lesson when planning for all students to achieve. Focusing on the structure and strategies of teaching the lesson, teachers can use technologies and methods that allow them to meet the students' particular needs for each network of learning.
Students use the recognition network to discern patterns in the information and relate it to patterns they are already familiar. Many teachers present information in class one or two ways, leaving those students who need it in a different format lost and frustrated. In order for all to recognize the "pattern" the teacher may need to demonstrate the information orally, visually, textually, physically, and so on. By presenting information to the students in multiple ways, they are able to "see" the pattern. Using the various options that digital media offer, the teacher is able to build a library of resources to help reach all students.
The strategic network focuses on the problem-solving area of the brain, where students learn new information and relate it to what they already know. To successfully do this, students need to develop an internal model of the information and content in order to use it to generate results. For this, the teacher needs to provide many examples of the correct process as well as “incorrect” so students learn how to do it correctly. Digital media helps, as there are many different models of the process that are explained and presented in different ways. Through the web, students can read, watch, play and talk with other people about the process.
For student to be connected to the "why" of learning, they need to use the affective brain during the learning. "Giving students choices of content and tools can increase their enthusiasm for learning particular processes" (Rose, D. & Meyer, A., 2002). Having a student track their average of successful baskets made during a basketball game is much more interesting than working a page of math problems focused on learning how to find an average. In this way, the teacher is able to link a student's interest to a skill they need to build. When a student is actively engaged in the learning through their interests, they are able to sustain their focus and create better understanding of the content.
Digital media and other technology can quickly become a major part of the UDL lesson when planning for all students to achieve. Focusing on the structure and strategies of teaching the lesson, teachers can use technologies and methods that allow them to meet the students' particular needs for each network of learning.
Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 6. Retrieved on October 5, 2009, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/
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