Suzanne+Z

**What is interesting about Suzanne?** This will be my 23 year teaching! :) I teach 8th grade Earth Science at GW Middle School in Ridgewood, NJ. I live in Glen Rock. I have 3 children, ages 11, 12, and 14.

//How about something a little bit more jazzy...// I have been to Africa and the Amazon rain forest to do research with scientists. I will be starting an addition on my home in the fall (yikes... scary stuff!) I want to learn some good vegetarian/vegan recipes. I love, love, love science. I have a pug named Benny who is my best behaved child... and I think loves me the most. :)

**RTC Universal Design for Learning – Class Reflections** **__Reflection #1__** //At the core of UDL is the premise that often the curriculum is disabled (and disabling!). It is not flexible; it often poses barriers, and consequently prevents rather than supports optimal learning experiences. Do you agree or disagree with this view? Why or why not?//

If by curriculum we mean the content and skills that we expect each student to “walk away with” after taking a course, I would not agree with this statement. Curriculum is just a destination of sorts. What is disabling is the way in which that curriculum is often delivered to the students in a one-size-fits-all approach, with little option for expression, individualization, and inquiry. Curriculum can be disabling however in the mountain of information that is often included… making it difficult for individual and inquiry based instruction and assessment.

**Reflection #2** //What are the benefits of analyzing the curriculum for strengths and weaknesses rather than focusing on the student’s strengths and weaknesses? What are the challenges of this approach?//

When we analyze curriculum, we look for weakness in the broad scope of design. It is critically important to have an over-arching theme and plan (essential questions) in the design, and reviewing curriculum to ensure that the details (content, activities, methods) match the essential questions. The weakness of only taking this approach is that we can miss how well the set-up of this curriculum is working. Ultimately, if we don’t approach the students’ strengths and weaknesses, the best planned curriculum doesn’t stand a chance of being integrated into meaningful student understanding. This is why UDL is so powerful. It allows for curricular improvement, while addressing the individualized needs of learners.

**Reflection #3** //How can using a variety of materials and methods reach more of the learners within your classroom? What are the benefits of doing so? What are the challenges?//

Using a variety of materials enables students with different learning strengths, weaknesses, and styles to be challenged and find success. What reaches one student may not be right for another, so varying your learning strategies benefits the engagement, accessibility, and understanding of all students. The major challenges that we face are varied, but I think the biggest challenge to most is the fear of letting go and putting the learning into the hands of the learner. For so long, teachers have been information imparters… and now we are can’t come close to the information that digital media can provide. Our job is changing, and that change can be hard. But—it can also be very exciting. To think that we can touch so many students, inspire them to make information and learning their own, allow them to be creative and surprise us – and the world – is awesome in the truest sense of the word. Univeral Design is our new obligation to fulling our promise as educators to prepare our digital learners for their new, ever changing world.

**__Reflection #4__** // What barriers are inherent in traditional assessments? What are the challenges in offering varied options for assessment? // Traditional assessments can be barriers physically and emotionally – and often do not offer the range and variety of assessing students ability to reason, think creatively, or think reflectively. For me, the challenge is always time… time to create the varied assessments, time to create rubrics for varied assessments, time to complete the varied assessments, and time to evaluate the varied assessments. I think assessment is critically important, and should be used as a learning tool – not really an “evaluation measure.” Coming up with many different engaging assessments for each unit goal (rather than each lesson) helps to alleviate some of the burden… but it is not optimal. In addition, having the resources to have multiple assessments is also difficult.

__**Reflection #5**__ // Given the realities of our modern age and the demands of our children’s future, is it really okay to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate modern technologies into their instruction? //

5 New technologies to try

 * wikispace
 * delicious
 * paper.li
 * google docs
 * google earth

4 Ideas to share with others
 * "Talk About It"... This is a strategy that I have found very effective to get kids thinking and for me to find out quickly what they know. I give the students a question to think about and then say "Talk about this at your table for 20 seconds." I listen in on the conversations at each table, and literally in less than a minute, I can get a good grasp of understanding. More importantly, it gets kids talking with each other, discussing the content, and deliberating with each other. Even students that don't know the answer, can either agree or disagree with the conversation at the table. No one loses!
 * This is one of the most inspirational short films, and one of my favorites. It really is about not being fearful of failure...which is very pertinent for us facing so many new challenges. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
 * media type="youtube" key="eqCVVMsh9Gg" height="349" width="560"
 * On Edutopia today, I watched an amazing film by TED that talks about how Google searches and provides information. It was very enlightening about how the internet FILTERS information differently for different individuals!
 * media type="youtube" key="B8ofWFx525s" height="349" width="560"
 * When developing our culminating lesson, Anne and I worked backwards... starting with Assessments. It was interesting to do it this way, and actually worked out well for us. It's not intuitive, but it worked. Give it a try. :)

3 Principles of Universal Design for Learning

 * =====//Represents information in multiple formats and media.//=====
 * //Provides multiple pathways for students' action and expression.//
 * //Provides multiple ways to engage students interests and motivation.//

//These principles, implemented with new media, help teachers to improve how we//
 * //set goals,//
 * //individualize instruction, and//
 * //assess student progress.//

2 Changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the Digital Age

 * 1) To be less of a broadcaster, and more of a facilitator.
 * 2) Be reflective of the UDL Principles: Representation, Expression, and Engagement in all of my lessons.

1 BIG idea to implement “in the fall” Giving access to specialized learners ends up helping all students to remove barriers to learning.