UDL - Sydney Linder

There is a direct, clearly defined, and inclusion-oriented trio of principals that make up the definition of Universal Design for Learning, they are: (1), to support recognition learning, by providing multiple, flexible methods of presentation; (2), to support strategic learning, by providing multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship; and (3), to support affective learning, by providing multiple, flexible options for engagement.

In my teaching practice I believe that I integrate UDL with new media in several ways. One example I can think of is using the SMART board with students when editing their essays one-on-one. Some students find that marking up their essays makes them feel disoriented and confused. For students with organizational issues, seeing their essay in large format up at the front of the room, pulled up on the SMART board, puts them in control of editing their work at my suggestion. Oftentimes I pull up a student’s essay without changes, and have the hard copy in my hands. That way, once they have gone through the essay with me, they have seen it evolve in front of them, and have been in charge of making those changes, we can go back and look at the paper copy to deconstruct my notes. This method, I believe, falls under the principal of supporting diverse strategic networks by providing opportunities to practice essay writing and editing with supports, and by providing ongoing, relevant feedback.

In another exercise I have been working on with students, I asked them to create an image in Photoshop of an Ancient Greek character they picked from our reading. This is a multimedia assignment. The students choose a character, create an image in Photoshop, and then create a proportional puppet of that same character. Some students have an easy time exploring Photoshop, and working in the program through trial and error. Other students find it non-intuitive and challenging regarding their attention and focus. My cooperating teacher and I chose Photoshop because the students will also have to create their yearbook page using that program and we wanted them to have experience with it before that project begins. I found the Rose reading on the CAST website very helpful when considering setting clear goals for this assignment. The students were very concerned with how their images looked, and given the difficulty of the program, I was able to articulate that: the goal of this assignment is to learn about Photoshop and to gain experience with the program. Clearly defining this for the students allowed them to feel more at ease about the aesthetic of their work.