Educators have a very difficult job that requires them to be skilled with not only their desired age group or level but also with areas that they may not be comfortable with. Diverse is what a teacher should be because every student that walks into a classroom has a different struggle. This chapter addresses the students that have disabilities or impairments and gives information on how to teach them.
Topics of interest in this chapter:
- Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning
Universal design and differentiated instruction are related in that they are both trying to help students learn in their own way. Universal design is more controlled by the teachers lesson plan and curriculum. Differentiated instruction is where an educator allows for more collaborative work. There can be many different types of learners in one classroom at a time and to engage them all with a single approach doesn't seem fair. The three main types of learners are auditory, kinesthetic and visual. The three are used together most of the time to learn but one or two can be more dominant. Although it may seem strange to excel in one area it does not mean that it is still not a gift that can be used. How can the auditory learner (learns better by hearing) get the best out of an assignment that must be read silently in class? A way to fix that issue would be to make a lesson plan that requires students to read aloud in groups. Educators need to engage students and keep them hungry for knowledge. It is interesting to see that there are still many educators who are monotonous in the way they teach. They have been teaching the same way for 20 years and sometimes more. How can teachers expect their students to grow if they themselves are stuck in their 3rd or 4th year of teaching? A way to avoid being trapped in a repetitive routine is to connect with students and make lesson plans that will allow them to reach their personal potential.
References:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL). (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaSZqgr2eUM
Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies (Vol. 2, pp. 244 - 273). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies (Vol. 2, pp. 244 - 273). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Good to see the comic strips - they add a nice element of individualization and creativity! :) I often think of UDL and DI as interchangeable - as you say, the focus is on personalizing learning for individual students. Choice plays a major role here and one can see how vital these strategies could be. Fortunately, technology can be a major player in making UDL and DI happen.
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