UDL Question for Discussion
I just found an excellent resource on UDL. I added it to our web site.
World Usability Day
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wud/details/udi.html
There is a link to UDL materials from U Conn that you will find very helpful.
http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/udi_information.cfm
Here's a question for discussion.
You found a very nice butterfly mobile for your third grade class to make as their culminating project. It displays the life cycle of a butterfly. The mobile comes with step by step directions written on a third grade level along with a pattern . Your objective it to teach sequencing and reinforce the life cycle of butterflies. A printed copy of the directions and pattern are handed out and students are told to work independently.
Is this a UDL activity?
posted by Susan Silverman @ 4:04 AM
5 Comments:
Criteria for UDL is related to flexibility and multiple options for accessing information (recognition), processing information (strategic) and affecive (engaging) in learning. From the description you gave, even though the activities are not necessarily text-based, I'm not sure the flexibility and multiple modes are present. Does any one have a different take?
Cheri, You're comments are great and such wonderful detail. You've provided a lesson in an of itself. I was like you at first, hesitant to say that the project Susan described is a non-example but this is how we learn and why we have the blog for the free exchange of ideas. Thanks again.
What great comments! I was hoping my example of a non UDL activity would generate some interesting conversation. Unfortunately whenever I visit schools I see student work displayed throughout the hall and it is exactly like the project I described.
My hope is that our project will promote awareness of UDL so that educators throughout the world will have examples of student work to use as a reference. I shared our project with Bridget Dalton from CAST.
http://www.cast.org/about/staff/bdalton.html
She is very excited about our work and will be showing it to her colleagues from CAST.
We are off to a great start!
Great Find!
http://www.ccids.umaine.edu/ec/growingideas/univdestip.htm
I added it to our web site.
Consider how a unit on insects (perfect for our butterfly study) can be enhanced by UDL:
Environment: Books about bugs might include picture books, board books, big books, lift-the-flap books, interactive books, digitized books.
Curriculum and Teaching Strategies: Activities might include listening to a visiting expert, watching video clips, playing with toy bugs, moving like a caterpillar to a bug song, or using a magnifying glass for hands-on study of collected bugs.
Assessment: Observe children’s choices to understand their preferences. Provide ways for children to represent their ideas and theories about bugs. Collect samples of their work. Document their understanding of the topic for their portfolio and to determine if learning goals have been achieved.
I just look at Hope's web resource from University of Maine. What a terrific find!!
I am working on a presentation I'll be giving next week looking at features in software that adhere to the principles of UDL. I'll be showing features of Thinking Reader. It is basically a middle school program for struggling readers. However, I'd love to have other examples so if any one has any ideas please let me know.
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