Post date: Aug 19, 2014 8:41:51 PM
This past summer, I was fortunate to attend a week-long course at Harvard University: Universal Design for Learning.
The term, "universal design" is borrowed from architecture. The basic premise is that when a building is designed, it is assumed that it will be used by EVERYONE. So, an architect has to consider the needs of a diverse population when designing a building. Some people may need an elevator to get to the second floor while others may need an escalator, and some people will take the stairs.
Like architects, we teachers need to design our curriculum assuming that ALL students will access it. That includes students with disabilities of all types. Too often, teachers tend to "modify" curriculum by watering it down for special education students (as well as for other students who are struggling). While most teachers are well-intentioned, believing that they are being sensitive to the student's individual needs by offering modifications, modifying curriculum actually results in students falling further behind their peers and feeling excluded from the academic program.
In the English class that I co-teach with Mike Ivanoski, we utilize the principles of UDL. For example, during our Shakespeare unit, we didn't care HOW students read Shakespeare, only THAT they read Shakespeare. Some students watched, some listened, and some read independently. We are mindful of the "goal" of each lesson when we plan and we explicitly teach students to try various strategies in order for them to find the ones that work best for them.
In our classroom, doing things "differently" is the norm and our classroom culture is one of open discussions about learning to become more strategic and independent learners.