Sunday, March 17, 2013

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational approach that has evolved from recent brain research.  Intended to reach all types of learners at their most comfortable instructional levels, curriculum is designed around three key questions:
1.  HOW does a learner gather and categorize information he/she receives?
2.  HOW does a learner best organize and express his/her ideas?
3.  HOW does a learner get and stay motivated to learn?

The final question is probably the most important one to start with, as motivation is key to learning of any type.  Finding out what stimulates interest, excitement, or motivation in learners is key to engaging them in instruction.  In this category, it is important to consider everything from the environment in which material is presented, to how students are asked to interact with one another and their own thoughts while learning.  All of this has a marked impact on their engagement with what you are trying to teach.  The problem is that every learner is different, and what motivates one may intimidate another.  This where gauging that classroom climate comes into play.  The trick is recognizing what works best for a majority of your class, and then adapting on an individual basis for those who will be truly uncomfortable and need a different type of stimulation for engagement.  
Looking back to Dweck's Theory of Motivation (previous posting) may help in this realm.


The first question involves the obtaining and arranging of knowledge.  This area requires that information be presented in a variety of formats and methods for all students to become adept.  Some of the best ways to do this involves presenting the material in a variety of ways (audio, visual, kinesthetic, etc.) that engage the senses and allow them to process the info.  Second, provide an alternative to just written or spoken explanations.  Remember that students learn well when material is presented in visual formats as well, but not every visual is clear.

The second question addresses the element of response, and, in turn, assessment.  Providing students with various ways to respond to content they have learned allows for a wider range of success.  To this end, students can be given choices as to their responses to learning.  This allows for differentiation and creative expression for those who are inclined to respond best in this manner, and more linear or conceptual thinking options for students who are more likely to respond well to a highly structured task.

In summary, the major intents of UDL in curriculum design and implementation are threefold:
1.  To provide multiple means of representation of content material
2.  To provide multiple means of action and expression for students to articulate and exemplify the extent of their learning
3.  To provide multiple means of engagement so students are interested and motivated to learn from beginning of unit to end
The overall goal of UDL is to give educators a means by which to consider the learning needs of EVERY student, not just provide instruction that works "for the masses" but does not give students a stake in the setting, obtainment or proof of their educational goals.

A helpful reference website is provided at the right.


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Student motivation

It may be the weather, or the impending thaw, but whatever it is, this time of year is a tough one when it comes to student motivation.  Student motivation is waning, and the theorists abound with possible reasons and solutions, some easier suggested than implemented.
At the right, I have gathered a few links to interesting theories and suggestions to improve student motivation.  The commonalities I found amongst these theories was that they all indicated it was a problem largely rooted in the student, yet the solutions given are things that a teacher can do to address the problem.  While I think there is certainly room for debate here, the bottom line is that we, as educators, can really only control ourselves and the learning environment we provide in the confines of our classroom.  There are multiple other factors for every student in the motivation category. 
But, the suggestions given for teachers are worth reading and considering.  Even if they do not change every student, it may make you feel better about the vibe of positive energy you are putting out there, and could make a difference for some students who respond largely to the environment they are in at the time.
Please look to the right for some of these links.

Dweck's Theory essentially argues that students qualify themselves into two types:

Fixed IQ theorists:  those who believe that their learning potential is fixed (since birth) and nothing can be done to change it.  These are the kids who say "I'm not good at grammar," and, therefore, do not try to learn it whenever it is presented.  Eventually, it becomes somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy: they believe they do not have the potential for success, so they are not able to succeed.

Untapped potential theorists:  those who believe that their intelligence is due to learning directly, and are, therefore, invested in continued learning to further their knowledge base.  These students are willing to continue to try new avenues of learning, even if they have failed, because they recognize the potential to learn is always in existence, just sometimes harder to reach.

And, there are also students who qualify themselves somewhere in the middle, especially depending on the learning subject or task at hand.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Thinking Maps

Critical thinking skills are the next level that all teachers strive to take their students to, the quintessential peaks that assessments are designed to measure.
However, before reaching the summit, there are multiple moments of formative learning and conceptual bridges to build to lead students along the path of higher achievement.
Thinking maps provide multiple clear, visual open canvases upon which students can explore and grow their critical thinking skills of comparison, conceptualization, pattern identification and cross-curricular connections.
The visual formats can be applied to a variety of disciplines and grade levels, allowing for consistency among learning experiences horizontally from class to class, and vertically from one grade level to the next.
The intention of thinking maps is to offer students a familiar format for organizing and analyzing their complex thoughts in response to learning.  In addition, using these maps provides a common forum for reference and discussion about learning objectives amongst teachers.
Please reference the source link "Thinking Maps" connected at the right.  It is an excellent site, giving you access to the educational philosophy and intention behind these maps, access to the various types of maps, applicative ideas for many areas of instruction, and even concrete alignment connections to the common core standards!
The second resource at the right, "Thinking Maps as a Transformational Language for Learning," includes an article written by David Hyerle, Ed.D., where he explains this educational concept he founded and how these maps can lead to student successes in various classrooms.  This site also links you to examples for how these maps could be practically used in the high school classroom.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Graphic Organizers

What are some of the advantages to using graphic organizers in your classroom?
1.  Facilitate in class discussions--  Due to organized notes, students are more confident in the accuracy and depth of what they have recorded.  A graphic organizer can also be used to make connections in discussion that students can actually see in front of them.
2.  Ease of grading-- graphic organizers are set up as one page documents, making it easier to check notes for both accuracy and completion
3.  Confident readers-- Visual format that provides places to fill in information and encourages complex, critical thinking while reading (such as skills of comparison and concept connections), allows students to feel more confident that they have gathered and recorded the correct info. while reading

First, decide, in terms of both the "big picture/conceptual thinking" and specific facts/ideas, what it is that you want students to have engrained in their mind at the end of reading an assigned article, section, etc.  Once this decision has been made, it will be easier to choose or create a graphic organizer that will meet your needs.  I have linked a "graphic organizers" reproducibles link that you may print from for classroom use.  There are some great ways for students to plot out and organize their thinking while and after reading in a variety of subject areas.  These organizers were originally printed in Doug Beuhl's Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, a book that does a great job describing how to utilize these graphic organizers and other classroom strategies to facilitate discussion and interaction with the text.

Next, familiarize students with the text(s) you would like them to read.  If it is assigned from a textbook or website, be sure they know where to find the reading.  It is not a bad idea to do a little review of the functions to the textbook that we have come to know and take for granted, like the glossary, table of contents, and the index.  This "tutorial" may save you time in the long run.

Clarify for students the intentions of the reading assignment.  Give them a few guiding questions (learning targets, if you will), and encourage students to use a graphic organizer to record what you want them to know.   The main advantage to a graphic organizer is to provide students with an effective way to approach their reading that helps them to record info. in a concise, systematic format that can be used to facilitate classroom discussions and activities in subsequent days.



Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Standards-Based Grading

The best way to give a concrete example of standards-based grading is to take a look at your elementary child's report card (or even your own, from when you were little!)
It really has not changed much in setup, and you will see that standards-based grading has been used for years, just not at our secondary level.
In glancing at these report cards, you will notice a category (reading, math, social studies, etc...), and then there are several key components underneath.
For example, under math, there may the following listings:
  • can differentiate between groupings of one and ten
  • can formulate a math sentence (the early term for equation) from a given word problem
  • can show with pictures how answers are derived
  • can demonstrate multiple addition sets that add up to a given number (ex. 6+3=9, 4+5=9)
  • can identify the impact of zero and ten in a math sentence
  • can use correct symbols for a math sentence
You get the idea...

These are the standards  by which the student's competency in math will be measured.  Next to each standard, the teacher calculates a representative score, based on data collected about this child through various assignments, in-class observations, tests/quizzes, standardized tests, projects, etc.
Often, in a parent-teacher conference, the teacher will have some samples to use in support of his/her assessment of the child's progress in various skill areas.

So, rather than receiving an overall grade in one subject (ex. math), students and parents are given direct feedback on what particular skill sets they need to work on, or congratulate their student on mastering, at the end of a marking quarter.  This type of grading, in theory, makes it easier for a parent to pinpoint how he/she can help, for a student to understand his/her strengths and weaknesses in a particular subject more efficiently, and for a teacher to be able to individualize, adjust, and differentiate instruction. 

Make no mistake, standards-based grading is a paradigm shift and a game changer.  It requires some organizational framework much like the curriculum mapping unit planners we are currently working on, but, more importantly, it requires an investment on the teachers' part in educating and effectively communicating how grades will be calculated to both students and parents.  In short, it is a good thing we have one another to lean upon and come up with collective approaches to how we will unpack and approach the particulars of teaching to standards, so that we can eventually grade based on the student's mastery of those standards.

At the right are a few helpful articles to reference about this type of grading, and its effectiveness in the classroom preK-12.  

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Constructivism

The constructivist theory, originally developed by educational psychologists Piaget and Vygotsky, indicates that student learning is dependent upon two main factors.
1-- how they are able to connect new learning with prior learning experiences
2-- how they are able to actively assess and reflect upon their own learning to improve future learning potential
The benefit for students lies in the development of their ability to self-assess their learning abilities, and to recognize the progress they have made towards mastery of a skill or concept.  It encourages students to look at learning as a process, lending relevancy to their prior educational experiences, regardless of success or failure, that have led them to this moment in their educational career.
Constructivism engages a wide range of educational techniques an, including interpersonal skills through discussion, intrapersonal skills through self-analysis and reflection, pattern recognition, and accessing higher order thinking skills, such as creation, judgment and comparison.
Please see the links at the right for more info. about this educational theory and its advantages when at work in the classroom.