I am not an expert, but before I BBQ the prepackaged marinated fajitas, the foiled onion, the jalapeno peppers, the side of chicken and sausage, first I need to fire up the grill. There is a technique for the piling of the charcoal bisques in order to make sure that they all heat up and wait until they turn gray, then I spread them out recently along the bottom of the pit before I start throwing the meat on the grill. After many charred fajitas later, I have finally learned that the veggies cook at a different heat setting that the meat.
Like everything, it takes time to perfect the craft of grilling, and it so with teaching. A teacher must ensure that while planning a lesson, they are able to meet the students at their learning stage. This can be achieved through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). At the BBQ pit, the cook must ensure every item is placed on the grill at the right temperature to ensure everything is cooked well within their time frames this parallels Universal Design for Learning as teachers prep for student instruction and coaching.
As I reflect on my craft in regards to the Universal Design for Learning table, I know I am doing some things well, that there are some things I could do better and should start this coming school year, and some things that I still need help and training.
🤓Doing well 🤔 I should start this or I can do this better 🥺 Need some help
As a Dual Language teacher, many of the UDL guidelines have become second nature as I have taught students a new language starting from zero. Some of the things I excel at are creating good ambiance conducive for learning. Tapping into background knowledge and obtaining text on events of varied cultural student experiences from Mexico, Puerto Rico, England, America, and Brazil.
As I look at the table I see I need the most help with Action and Expression. Building fluency with graduated levels of support and practice performance. While this guideline encompasses many things, what I really want to look into this year is Providing differentiated feedback and multiple examples of novel solutions to authentic problems for second graders or lower elementary students.
Perhaps I can begin by looking into published articles and sign up for the upcoming ISTE conference in Anaheim this coming November. There are a couple of sessions on feedback that I find appealing. The following list has some resources I plan to tap into.
UDL Learning spaces idea kit: UDL card alignment and idea guide V1.0. UDL-IRN. https://udl-irn.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/UDL_Idea_Kit_Reference_Guide.pdf
Atkinson, R. K. (2002). Optimizing learning from examples using animated pedagogical agents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(2), 416-427.
Atkinson, R. K., & Renkl, A. (2007). Interactive example-based learning environments: Using interactive elements to encourage effective processing of worked examples. Educational Psychology Review, 19(3), 375-386.
Burnett, A. (2020). How to create a gradeless classroom in a school that requires grades. ISTE20 Anaheim. https://conference.iste.org/2020/program/search/detail_session.php?id=113550480
Chi, M. T. H., & Bassok, M. (1989). Learning from examples via self-explanation. In L. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser, (pp. 251-282). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dalton, E. M. and Brand, S. T. (2012). The assessment of young children through the lens of universal design for learning (UDL). Forum on Public Policy Online. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ979436
Doering, A., & Veletsianos, G. (2007). Multi-scaffolding environment: An analysis of scaffolding and its impact on cognitive load and problem-solving ability. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 37(2), 107-129.
Hoctor-Thompson, M. (2020). The promise of student agency with UDL. ISTE20 Anaheim. https://conference.iste.org/2020/program/search/detail_session.php?id=113617646
Idol-Maestas, L. (1985). Getting ready to read: Guided probing for poor comprehenders. Learning Disability Quarterly, 8, 243-254
McNeill, K. L., Lizotte, D. J., Krajcik, J., & Marx, R. W. (2006). Supporting students’ construction of scientific explanations by fading scaffolds in instructional materials. Journal of the Sciences, 15(2), 153-181.
Moreno, R., & Flowerday, T. (2006). Students’ choice of animated pedagogical agents in science learning: A test of the similarity-attraction hypothesis on gender and ethnicity. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 31(2), 186-207.
Orsmond, P., Merry, S., & Reiling, K. (2002). The use of exemplars and formative feedback when using student derived marking criteria in peer and self-assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 27(4), 309-323.
Renkl, A., & Atkinson, R. K. (2003). Structuring the transition from example study to problem solving in cognitive skill acquisition: A cognitive load perspective. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 153-22.
Ryokai, K., Vaucelle, C., & Cassell, J. (2003). Virtual peers as partners in storytelling and literacy learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 19(2), 195-208.
Van Merrienboer, J. J. G., Kirschner, P. A., & Kester, L. (2003). Taking the load off a learner's mind: Instructional design for complex learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 5-13.
Young, M. (2020). Feedback smarter, not harder: Extensions/Add-ons for providing feedback to students. ISTE20 Anaheim. https://conference.iste.org/2020/program/search/detail_session.php?id=113541140
Zydney, J. M. (2008). Cognitive tools for scaffolding students defining an ill-structured problem. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 38(4), 353-385.
How have you faired with UDL? Let me know how I can create authentic problems for students.
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