The Best Teaching Strategies

As the needs of learners in today’s classrooms become more complex, teachers are beginning to recognize that traditional approaches are no longer effective. The teachers have had to adopt innovative techniques and strategies that allow them to attend to the needs of learners better. Improvements in learner engagement and academic performance are among the issues that point to the effectiveness of the new approaches. Universal design for learning (UDL) is among the approaches that are revolutionizing modern learning.

UDL Principles 

As noted above, UDL is transforming how teachers engage with learners. There are three major principles that underlie this technique. These principles are engagement, representation and action and expression (“About Universal Design”, n.d). Essentially, the principle of engagement is concerned with challenging learners to participate fully in the learning process instead of reducing them to mere recipients of instruction. Representation involves presenting information to learners in a coherent manner that facilitates understanding. Action and expression seek to enable learners to convey the insights that they have gained. Personally, I find that the three principles of UDL are vital for effective learning and I would readily embed them into learning. For example, I would work closely with my students to ensure that they are able to communicate the lessons that they have learnt in class.

Curricular Components of UDL 

There are four curricular components that accompany UDL: learning goals, instructional materials, instructional methods and assessment (“Curricular Components”, n.d). Basically, through learning goals, teachers are able to outline the expectations that they expect learners to satisfy. Learning methods are concerned with the techniques that the teacher uses while the instructional materials involve the tools and resources that facilitate learning. Assessment is the process that the teacher employs to establish that learning has been effective and that students have actually learnt. The learning goals are perhaps the most important curricular component. It is vital for teachers to outline the goals before the other components because the goals define the learning process. For example, after determining the learning goals, the teacher can use the appropriate tools and assessment methods that allow for the goals to be accomplished.

Section 4 

For the assignment in this section, the teachers at Sycamore Middle School have asked learners to read Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl and to deliver an oral report focusing on Frank’s experiences. There are various obstacles that may hamper the delivery of this assignment. One of these is that the assignment is rather broad. The learners may be unable to read the entire book. Another obstacle is that students who lack confidence may be unable to issue the oral presentation. Since the book is text-based, some students may find to find it engaging. This is another obstacle. To address these obstacles, the teachers need to integrate the principles of UDL into the assignment. The assignment should be as follows: “in groups of two, read the first three chapters of Anne Frank, the Diary of a Young Girl, and write two paragraphs in which you summarize your thoughts on Frank’s experiences.”

Section 5 

In this activity, the task is to help Mr. Cottrell to select teaching materials that will enhance learning.

Materials and possible obstacles

Traditional Materials	Potential Barriers
Lecture and chalkboard	Do not engage the tactile and visual faculties of learners.
Textbook	Since the context in the textbook is static, it is impossible for teachers to include new material.
Overhead projector	May be ineffective for learners requiring kinesthetic learning

UDL Materials and Rationale

UDL Materials	Rationale for Use
Digital textbooks	Enhances accessibility and can be manipulated to fit learner needs
Scaled models	Can be manipulated and allows for enhanced access
Tactile materials	Promotes engagement

Section 6 

The assignment in this section involves Mrs. Hunter’s efforts to promote learning through a well-designed lesson plan.

Addressing Needs 

The plan that Mrs. Hunter developed is comprehensive and aims to address the diverse needs of learners. To meet auditory needs, the plan involves a lecture while the PowerPoint presentation addresses the visual needs. Requiring learners to view cells under a microscope satisfies their kinesthetic needs. I find that her plan does not include any activity for the tactile needs of the learners.

Implementation of UDL Principles 

In designing her plan, Mrs. Hunter was clearly guided by the UDL principles. Her focus on engagement is what I liked most. Such aspects of the plan as teamwork and requiring students to participate in practical actvities will undoubtedly promote engagement.

Lesson Plan and Disabled Student 

While I think that Mrs. Hunter tried to accommodate the needs of as many learners as possible, I find that her plan does not account for the needs and situation of the student with muscular dystrophy. This student requires support and the use of techniques that enhance accessibility while limiting the need for physical exertion. This student will clearly be unable to participate in such activities as using the microscope to view the cells and to take the pen-and-paper exam owing to his condition.

Section 7 

The following is the rubric that should be used to grade the assignment that Ms. Alvarez’s students undertake.

Learning objective: The main objective of the assignment is to enable learners to understand the damaging impacts that the Holocaust had on survivors.

Concepts and skills: At the end of the assignment, learners should be able to demonstrate the following concepts and skills: critical thinking, reflective reading, presentation, persuasive writing and public speaking.

Levels of performance and point values:

Needs Improvement Satisfactory Excellent

Criteria for level of performance:

Needs Improvement: 5 Satisfactory: 10 Excellent: 15

Grading system:

	Needs improvement	Satisfactory	Excellent
Writing mechanics	Submission contains grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, poor language use, poor organization	Student demonstrates attempt to adhere to writing standards	Work free of any errors
Demonstration of comprehension	Student did not understand the essence and content of the text	While some struggle is evident, student attempted to understand the text	Student demonstrates full understanding of text
Detail	Detail lacking	There is some effort to provide detailed response	Level of detail is adequate

Supporting Learner Needs 

In an effort to ensure that her teaching is inclusive, Ms. Sung has developed a learning needs and preference chart. The main role that this chart plays in meeting the needs of the learners is that it allows Ms. Sung to select teaching materials and methods that meet these needs. For example, having recognized that Abigail has a hearing impairment, Ms. Sung has adopted visual teaching materials. Essentially, the chart allows her to create an inclusive classroom where all the needs of all her students are met. As she developed her chart and lesson plan, Ms. Sung considered four learning modalities: visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic learners. Thanks to these modalities, Ms. Sung was able to match the teaching method and materials with the learning style of each student. For example, for kinesthetic learners, her plan involved the use of an excavation kit.

Instructional Approaches and UDL Minimizing Need for Supports 

Grace Meo understands that for effective learning to occur, teachers need to adopt appropriate instructional approaches. These approaches are differential instruction, accommodations, modifications and assistive technology (“Implementation Issues”, n.d). Differential instruction is concerned with matching instruction methods to the needs of students whereas accommodation involves providing students with special resources that enhances their access. On the other hand, modifications relate to altering the content so as to meet certain goals. Using assistive technology, teachers are able to ensure that learners with disabilities are not left behind. While these instructional approaches are vital, they can be costly and inconvenient to adopt. This is why teachers should use the UDL principles. These principles provide teachers with the insights that they need to make simple adjustments instead of overhauling the teaching method and materials.

Wrap up 

Before interacting with the resources in the module, I had some initial thoughts concerning inclusive education. I thought that it is nearly impossible to meet all the needs of all students. I particularly felt that inclusive education can be costly and may hamper the effective delivery of education. However, now that I have taken the module, I understand that inclusive education can be realized. To meet the educational needs of all their students, I previously thought that Sycamore Middle School would need to conduct a complete overhaul of its systems and processes. As regards how teachers should plan their instruction, I was of the view that consulting learners held the key to creating effective plans. Now, I think that inclusive education at Sycamore Middle School can be achieved through the adoption of simple changes with significant impact. To create proper plans, I would advise that the teachers should use the three IDL principles. I extend this suggestion to other schools that are attempting to meet the needs of all their students.

References

About universal design for learning. (n.d). CAST. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from

http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.W7DK2nszbIU

Curricular components. (n.d). Iris Center. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/udl/cresource/q2/p03/#content

Implementation issues. (n.d). Iris Center. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/udl/cresource/q2/p09/#content