EDLD 5364 - Week Three UDL Reflection

I used the UDL Curriculum Self-Check to guide me in my reflection. Considering how difficult this week has been using it as a reflection tool was extremely helpful. I used it to assess my daily teaching practices along with the UDL lesson I made for this course. On a daily basis I work with LFS. This is mandated by the district I work in. I find LFS to be very easy. It is way easier than the way that I used to write lessons. LFS is not so different from UDL. I find that the two complement each other. I also like the tools and tool kits provided by both methods. LFS has a toolbox that teachers in my district have access to for planning and creating things like unit/lesson plans, graphic organizers, and learning maps. UDL does some of the same things but offers some other unique things especially the book builder which I absolutely adore.  I have enjoyed learning about UDL and what it offers to students and teachers.  I am glad that I will be able to use it in conjunction with my LFS strategies.  The strategies and flexibility of both methods really complement each other.

Goals
My teaching is all about flexibility.  So I find UDL as a very useful way of thinking and enhancing what I want to achieve in teaching.  While I want my students to achieve great things I want them to do that in their own ways.  The disappointing thing that I have found in teaching is that my students are often very resistant to this.  They just want me to tell them what to do and how to do it.  I say to them that if I do that then they have learned nothing and I am only grading my own work.

I have really worked to have it clear in my mind how the goals would work for individual students and that information would be delivered in various ways for students and I also included various modes in the book that I made. While I know in my mind that there is always differentiation in presenting and working with information; I don't know that it is always clear to everyone else including my students.  I often have to repeat many times they ways in which they have choices in achieving goals.  I honestly do not know if it is me or that they are not listening or want want to believe what I am telling them.  This is an area I need to work on. 

My next steps will be put more thought into my goals and getting students more involved in setting and presenting them so they will take more ownership and have a better idea about what is going on.

Methods

I believe that I access prior knowledge in the anticipatory set but I think that I can do a better job of it in both my UDL lessons and my LFS lessons. I certainly am taking student ability and experiences into consideration.

Critical features is something that I am very good at. I do need to improve on using non-examples to help students understand critical information and key points.

Scaffolding is something else that I am extremely good at. This is something that I help other teachers with this often.

Transfer and retention is something I am good at as well. I always provide multiple supports for student learning.

There is always flexibility for my students in my class. The concern is whether or not students take advantage of it. I think because I teach Art that students simply want to think it is their time to do nothing. There needs to be a change in the system in that regard.

I am happy to see that I am using very sound methods.

I give my students continual feedback but they do not always take advantage of it. It has become so glaringly evident that I have made it a participation grade for my students. Again another issue with the system and perception in relation to Art.

Varying the challenge is easy in Art because the assignments are so open. My Leonardo assignment is not different even thought it is Art History. I will have to admit I do have difficulty in understanding middle school students in this respect. I am much better suited for high school or higher education.

I think external markers are lacking in my lessons, but I am not sure because I do use chinking and therefore they can see progress in that way from step in the process to the next. I don't use a chart for it though but they do have graphic organizers to help them see progress. I am really on the fence about whether what I do in this regard is sufficient.

In the lesson I wrote for this course, choosing learning content is an absolute. It is often true in my middle school lessons.

Materials

In the Leonardo lesson and my daily teaching, students always have choices in which media they will use to produce a product.  I just don't usually have a means for including technology in my real teaching as I do in my fantasy teaching

In the Leonardo lesson as in my teaching there are varying ways to assist hearing and visually impaired students.

Enhancements for language barriers are built into the Leonardo lesson.  I have to work at this in my teaching position.

Graphic organizers and rubrics are always available to my students in the Leonardo lesson they might not be as evident as they are in my actual teaching.

Templates and sentence starters are more evident in my daily teaching for research and art history than they are in the Leonardo lesson.  Hmm that is interesting to find out. However, I do use them in aspects of my teaching whenever they are necessary.

I rate my self in the middle of student ability to access and critically evaluate information on websites.  In real life it is the time factor and my ability to schedule computer time.  In the Leonardo lesson there is time for that but I am nit sure it is evident.

Reflection is something that I expect from my students.  Howevr, this is an area of improvement for me.  I don't think it is absolutely evident in the Leonardo lesson nor do I think that it is always done in my daily teaching.  I need to find better ways of implementing reflection and the courses I am taking are helping me with that.

Materials and media in the Leonardo lesson provide support for individual abilities in learning.  I do this in my teaching position as well.  There are definitely varied levels of challenge because I allow students to make their own accommodations and I help them with that whenever necessary, but I don't know if that is evident.

Lesson content in my regular teaching is always relevant to the lives of my student.  I tried to make this evident in the Leonardo lesson by having students make connections from the Renaissance to modern times. 

Assessment

Assessment is always ongoing in the Leonardo lesson and my real teaching.  However, I am not certain that all of my real student know this some like to stay in a fantasy world and at least pretend that they do not get grades in Art.

Assessment is flexible and varied.  I like to make that less evident to students in my classes then I would for parents and administrators, because I don't want students to think that someone has it easier than they do.  On the occasions that it is recognized by students I have a conversation with the students and they do understand that equal and fair are not the same thing.  I just prefer to not have that conversation all the time.

In the Leonardo lesson students choose their mode of assessment.  In real life that sometimes occurs.