Beginning To Look At My Curriculum Through UDL

Turning now to my own teaching, I would like to talk about Michael, a 4th grade student with autism. I have taught French to him since he was in 2nd grade. Michael is a very capable student, but has difficulty relating to peers. This provides challenges when doing group activities such as projects and games. He often misinterprets normal behavior from classmates as teasing or cheating. He can become agitated leading to yelling or even hitting. Part of the standards of the American Conference for Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) requires the development of interpersonal communication.

He also does not like to sing which is an important part of language learning.

Here is a possible curriculum barrier template.

Curriculum Element	Student Characteristic	Barrier in Learner Environment
Group Work	Difficulty working with peers.	Michael has trouble completing cooperative group assignments due to difficulties with peers.
Games Requiring Communication with Peers	Trouble not winning games	Michael often assumes that if he does not win a game that his classmates are cheating and making fun of him.
Songs	Does not enjoy singing.	Michael does not enjoy singing. He chooses not to take part in songs. Inclusion of songs can lead Michael to not participate in subsequent activities.