After Reflection, What Am I Doing Right?
Having completed the UDL preassessment on my lesson about transportation, I identified some strengths and some opportunities. I help foster collaboration and communication. It is imperative that students use French with each other in order develop proficiency. I frequently use cooperative learning groups and encourage and support opportunities for peer interactions. I am also adept at offering alternatives for auditory information. All new language is complemented by pictures, and physical actions and gestures.
Concerning areas of growth, I would like to optimize individual choice and autonomy. Most of my lessons follow one path that the entire class must follow. This would include offering a variety of ways to practice and assess skills.
The two largest obstacles I face are my schedule and lack of a classroom. I teach ten half hour lessons a day, and I am on a cart traveling from one room to the next. This puts a limit on the amount of resources and activities I have available. By the end of the course, I would like to find as many aspects of UDL that I can include in the constraints mentioned above.
Rob, I'm also a traveling teach this year - which is EXTREMELY difficult! I had my own classroom last year, but due to room shortage, I'm not traveling. It's amazing how much I'll forget, or the lack of resources I have now, as opposed to last year. I had a traveling caddy on wheels, but quickly got sick of bringing that with me everywhere.
ReplyDeleteRobert, you raise an excellent point about being able to find aspects of UDL that can be included even with your constraints of not having a physical classroom. I think there are definitely resources available that you'd be able to implement into your lessons even without a physical classroom. For example, just being aware of what Universal Design for Learning is about and how to basically implement it will be beneficial to you and in turn your students. I look forward to reading more about all you're learning about UDL and how you can incorporate it into your teaching!
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