UDL from the Teacher's perspective
Now that you studied the UDL principles and found that all students can learn once barriers are removed. How does viewing the curriculum as disabled rather than students change the way you develop your lessons?
Watch the video below of High School Science Teacher, Linda Mullen discuss how she develops lessons using UDL and how UDL has changed her teaching.
Watch the video below of High School Science Teacher, Linda Mullen discuss how she develops lessons using UDL and how UDL has changed her teaching.
Linda Mullen, Science Teacher
Dorchester County Public Schools
“Now that you studied the UDL principles and found that all students can learn once barriers are removed. How does viewing the curriculum as disabled rather than students change the way you develop your lessons?”
Linda: The way I look at it is, the curriculum tells us what we have to teach but does not say you how. Rather than looking at kids and saying “well, they can’t do this, they can’t do this” UDL tells us: “Find what they can do. Find their strength and play to that strength.” If that means that if you need to show it to them in a different way, or you need to let them show you in a different way, that is where you multiple means of expression, engagement and representation.
“If you think of a lesson that you have developed, and how you might engage those students differently, what are you doing or will you do differently now?”
Linda: I think I am focusing in on who my students are and working towards what interests them. How can I make this something that is relevant to them? Because that is the hardest part- once we do that, they can develop their own interest and we can roll from there.
Dorchester County Public Schools
“Now that you studied the UDL principles and found that all students can learn once barriers are removed. How does viewing the curriculum as disabled rather than students change the way you develop your lessons?”
Linda: The way I look at it is, the curriculum tells us what we have to teach but does not say you how. Rather than looking at kids and saying “well, they can’t do this, they can’t do this” UDL tells us: “Find what they can do. Find their strength and play to that strength.” If that means that if you need to show it to them in a different way, or you need to let them show you in a different way, that is where you multiple means of expression, engagement and representation.
“If you think of a lesson that you have developed, and how you might engage those students differently, what are you doing or will you do differently now?”
Linda: I think I am focusing in on who my students are and working towards what interests them. How can I make this something that is relevant to them? Because that is the hardest part- once we do that, they can develop their own interest and we can roll from there.