Sigh.
I have chosen to reflect on some of my past teachers and relate my experience to Universal Design for Learning. Ms. Fingerhead (the name has been changed, but is very close to the ACTUAL name) had no concept of the ultimate GOAL of learning. Instead, she was bogged down by irrelevent rules. If you chose chocolate milk with lunch, you had to eat your whole entree. If you chose regular milk, you only need to eat half. Another problem was that my constant daydreaming did not agree with her vision of education at all. Daydreaming is CRUCIAL to me. It’s how I formulate thoughts, solve problems and link together concepts. Needless to say, I did not do well in the class. It was a long year. It was a 5th grade class and I stlll have nightmares about it. In one dream, I was reprimanded for drawing a colorful fish on the chalkboard.
It’s sad to say…but my biology teacher (mentioned in the previous post) is probably the only one who at least attempted to apply UDL to his curriculum (whether he knew it or not).
I think there is a conflict many teachers face. Perhaps applying UDL seems too messy, too unorganized, too free-spirited. Maybe they are afraid they will lose control of the classroom. It could be that they feel ill-equipped to size up each student and his learning style. Another reason could be culturally based. I know a first generation Chinese teacher who believes that art and music has no place in school curriculum.
Whatever reasons are holding teachers back, they could be answered with the solid neurological research that is going on today. Perhaps this new information could open a whole new world for them and inspire them to tap into their OWN intelligence style.
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When you say, “I think there is a conflict many teachers face. Perhaps applying UDL seems too messy, too unorganized, too free-spirited. Maybe they are afraid they will lose control of the classroom.” I agree, UDL takes a lot of preparation and I can see teachers being completely overwhelmed by the thought of it. The scary thing is, though, is that when they implement it, that lose of control fear goes away and in turn, UDL becomes engaging for all students.
Oh, by the way, what were the consequences for strawberry milk?
Yes, the fear of losing control seems to be a “universal” (no pun intended) problem for human beings. I hope we can break away from that pattern as more teachers switch over to UDL.
Just imagine if your teacher used UDL in the class, it’s probably a strong possibility you wouldn’t have been daydreaming, but I like how you stated, “I use daydreams to formulate my thoughts and solutions,” which would have been supported by the UDL model. For example, we learned photostory in such a short amount, but the program fosters creativity, as well as an imagination. Nonetheless, it will take and individual like yourself to share the concept of UDL, so the one student(s) in the class that’s just like you can be fully engaged.
Wow! Does this speak to me! I have this war in myself. On the outside I appear as a nut. Yep. A bit wacky, a bit marchin’ to the other drum… but on the inside I am probably developing some mean OCD tendancies. Consequently, I feel this conflict pretty loudly. How do you determine equitable assessment measure across multiple means of expression and allow choice while trying to manage as much as we teachers do. It’s a conflict.
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