Week 5 Blog

 

Week 5 Blog- Jessica O’Gorman

 Part 1

One of my favorite things to do as a teacher is to try to make learning meaningful and exciting. Last year, I began transforming my lesson on chemical reactions into a Harry Potter-themed experiment. Students perform different chemical reactions with themed potions and spells from books and movies. The benefit of reading all these articles has enhanced the overall content of my lesson to help students and me assess whether students are succeeding in learning the content. 

Upon reviewing "Using Universal Design for Learning to Design Standards-Based Lessons," it becomes clear that the approach primarily targets the need to incorporate learner variability. Early on, I had the privilege of working with a mentor teacher who happened to be the Lead IEP instructor, who emphasized modifications and meeting the needs of students. This article addresses that lessons need to have more diversity while still aligning with academic standards. It gets so old when students say, “All we do is take notes and do worksheets.” Rao and Meo want teachers to take the time to make lessons more meaningful by creating flexible and accessible lessons that do not require specific modifications because they incorporate them intentionally from the start.  

That is why “UDL is based on the premise that instruction can be accessible to a wider range of learners when lessons are intentionally designed to include multiple means for accessing, processing, and internalizing information” (Rose & Gravel, 2009). I realize now that the modifications I made were mediocre, and now I plan to be more intentional and establish other improvements that are accessible. I can now look at these tables and the breakdown of integrating more technology, including some artificial intelligence, to assist students in their learning. I have already adjusted to this lesson and will continue to seek other ways to improve in future instructional materials. 

Part 2  

The breakdown of the CAST UDL guidelines is a great visual aid and easily accessible. I have selected from the Welcoming Interests and Identities guideline 7.1 Optimize choice and autonomy. I will create more opportunities for students to make decisions on recording observations and include them in adding another station with a spell/potion of their own. Students will love having input in this project to explore experimenting with their ideas and how to execute them. By allowing students to have more of a voice and choices, I will encourage them to be invested in the learning experience. “By encouraging students to make small decisions encourages ownership and engagement” (Stipek, 1996).   

The next area I want to enhance is Building Knowledge Guideline 3.2: Highlight and explore patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships. I think this pairs well with this lesson as it is a final wrap-up of all the things students have learned thus far in the chemical unit for physical science. Students will have prior knowledge of terminology such as valence electrons and trends of the periodic table. The guided questions presented on the Google doc titled Classifying Chemical Reactions (Harry Potter Lab) will help students focus and reflect on what is important at each station. I have also presented students with further questions and linked the digital tool of Ptable.com to be accessed and used to connect their learning with questions to show that they comprehend the material. By being intentional, addressing these strategies together will be more meaningful and interesting. These diagrams and reading materials are going to improve the overall learning experience and bring more autonomy and support for all students.

Part 3

I am a teacher in Southeastern Oklahoma at Broken Bow High School and although we have access for each student to have a Chromebook, not all teachers utilize them along with any other digital tool. Therefore, many students do not use technology for most lessons, along with challenged learners who are limited by their abilities. I always make a printable copy of any lesson, work, or slide available to students with needs or co-teachers who need access.     

One way in which I try to meet the digital divide is a simple App called Mentimeter, which students access through Google Classroom. This tool allows students to anonymously answer questions without fear of being wrong and interact with the class. Students who are not capable are still included with small whiteboards and expo markers that can be held up or monitored by walking around the room. 

I think another option I could try is to have students select which house they want to represent and keep a point system on the board to motivate students to do their best work. 

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/karen_roe/7375631634

 

References:  

CAST. (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

 

Rao, K., & Meo, G. (2016). Using Universal Design for Learning to design standards-based lessons.  SAGE Open, 6(4).

 

State Educational Technology Directors Association. (2024). 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP). SETDA. https://setda.info/2024netp

 

Stipek, D. J. (1996). Motivation and instruction. In D. C. Berliner, & R. C. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology. (pp. 85-113). New York: Simon & Schuster/Macmillan.