Warning: Choose games carefully!

One of the other concerns I have with computer-based games for learning is that we need to ensure that the objective of the game is a worthy objective, that it fits with what we value as teachers. One example: I don’t use worksheets in my classroom to teach phonics. I don’t believe that teaching phonemic awareness in isolation through worksheets has any positive impact on their reading skills – and can be detrimental because they are generally so mindless (I sure don’t like filling out forms – why would my students???). While computer games designed to improve phonics or phonemic awareness skills may be far more engaging than worksheets, they are just dressed up worksheets. While the kids may learn the isolated skills few kids actually apply these skills to reading.

But they love it…

I find it surprising to see teachers who would never give their Kindergarten students a phonics worksheet, but will sit them down in front of a computer screen doing a glitzy version of the same. They justify this by explaining how much the kids LOVE the activities which always makes me laugh. My two kids LOVE chocolate, potato chips, candy etc. and would be thrilled if I offered these things for dinner each night. I don’t because I know it is not the best thing for them. They also LOVE TV… need I go on?

Playing to Learn Math

This post was inspired by the following fantastic presentation Playing to Learn Math created by Maria Andersen about the use of games to teach math skills. It makes many fantastic points about how and why games can be great learning activities when selected carefully. I need to take some time to play some of the games she recommends to brush up on my Algebra skills!

I really enjoyed my time on the Sunshine Coast. What a beautiful place – wishing I had stayed longer… perhaps forever… Hoping to hear more from Sweet Cascadia soon!! 

Please add a comment, question, story … below and join the conversation. It is all about collaboration!!

To download the slides as a PDF file go to: http://drop.io/astrang

If you have any comments or questions, please add a them as a comment to this post.

If you click on the “full screen icon at the bottom of this slide show it will be more readable. The links within the presentation are live – click on them to view the site refered to in the slide. Please post any comments or questions as responses to this blog post.

If you would like to download the hand-out for this presentation please go to: http://drop.io/astrang

We had five “learning intentions” for participants in this presentation.

1. To gain an understanding of UDL
2. To understand why it is important that we understand and embrace UDL in our classrooms now as we are eager to meet the needs of increasingly diverse student populations, and as we need to make decisions about the types of technology we purchase and the pedagogy that drives it’s use.
3. That UDL is not about the technology.
4. That UDL is a subtle shift in paradigm that is having a profound impact on learners
5. That creating Universally Designed schools and classrooms is a journey into which we have taken our first steps with a long way to go…

In classrooms of incredible diversity it may seem practical to create one-size-fits-all learning environments. Classrooms where children are expected to work in similar ways and towards similar outcomes. These types of classrooms, however, don’t work well for the outliers in our society. They tend to become marginalized. Many of the outliers go on to do well in life but can tell stories about how school failed to meet their needs…

What is UDL?

The UDL movement began in architecture with legislation created to make it law that buildings were to be built according to accessibility standards. What was discovered was that when buildings are designed to be accessible for people with disabilities, many other people in the population benefit.

Curb cuts were designed for wheelchair accessibility but are also great for kids on their bikes, and parents pushing strollers.

Closed captioning was designed for the hearing impaired but it is now used more in sports bars, and by couples when one wants to sleep and the other wants to watch TV.

We installed freeware on our computers for our students with disabilities  such as:

Natural Reader which will read most documents including microsoft word, email, powerpoint.

Word Talk which is an add-in for Microsoft word which imbeds a text reader, a spell checker with options that will read for the user, and a thesaurus

CLiCk Speak which is an add-in for FireFox which will read the web.

Programs such as Word talk quickly became useful for other students as they proofread their work and for teachers proofreading their report cards.

We use Kurzweil with many of our students with reading disabilities. It’s highlight and extract functions have also been helpful when used on the Smartboard to teach the entire class about finding the main idea and note-taking.

Write Online is a great online program from Crick Soft that provides word prediction and a word bank for students who need them. Most of it’s other functions are a simplified version Microsoft Word. It is a great program for all kids with accessibility options built in.

Our Smartboards have increased the engagement level for all students in our classrooms. They have especially been good for students who benefit from visual information (isn’t that most of everyone?).

To learn more about the theory and research behind UDL go to the CAST Website.

UDL is important now due to the ever-increasing diversity we face in our classrooms. In the past many children have ‘slipped through the cracks’ due to inflexible and inaccessible curriculum and classroom practices.

For many years schools have been questioning if we should be using digital technologies with our students. It is now no longer a question of ‘if’ but one of ‘which’ and ‘how’ digital technology should be used with our students. It is more important than ever that we have a clear pedagogy such as UDL in order to select appropriate technologies to meet the needs of all students. It is important that this pedagogy drives our use of technology rather than the technology driving what we do.

UDL is important now because it has:

Versatility ~ etext can easily be read out loud digitally, video can be paired with reading material

Transformability~ etext can be altered according to user needs or preference in terms of size, colour, and form such as braille.

Ability to be Marked ~ etext can be marked by adding highlighting and annotations by the teacher or the student.

Networkability ~ etext can include hyperlinks to more information, background knowledge, definitions, or video clips to increase student engagement and understanding.

Subtle Shift in Paradigm, Large Impact on Learners

We have been thrilled with our increased ability to meet the needs of the learners within our classrooms. The acceptance has been echoed in the way the students treat and support each other.

In his presentation about UDL at the LATA conference in October of 2008, David Rose said:

“Increasingly we need to be seeing our curriculum as disabling children”

and

“Increasingly our curriculum will be seen as unethical”

It is in legislation that buildings must be accessible to people with physical disabilities. Legislation is beginning to make similar moves towards accessibility in education. Students with special needs are now physically able to access our classrooms. We need to ensure that when they get there the learning is also accessible.

To see David Rose’s entire presentation go to SET BC’s BC UDL project pages

To read Kate’s entire story “I am different not disabled”  go to the Traverse City Record

To read Kate Olson’s blog about this story and the excellent conversation that follows it go to: “Kate Says”

To read more about Ira Socol’s Toolbelt Theory go to his blog: SpeEd Change. Educators should all be reading his entire blog. Also for a telling a look into life in the Special Education classroom read his book: The Drool Room. Warning – it is not for the faint of heart. I would argue, however, that the faint of heart should not be teachers…

This slide illustrates one of the basic differences between traditional planning and planning for a UDL classroom. In the first flow chart programming for students with special learning needs is added on – the lesson is retrofitted to meet the needs of diversity. in the second flow chart the needs of the students are considered during the planning phase through consultation between the classroom and resource teacher.

The division between the support program roles and the classroom teacher role blurs in a UDL classroom.

UDL is about ‘intelligent inclusion‘ When possible activities are designed to meet the needs of all students within the classroom setting. When a student or a group of students’ needs differ greatly from the needs of the group they may be pulled out to be provided with the special programming they need.

Technology makes differentiation easier teachers because we can enlarge it, turn it into etext, play video etc. etc. etc. UDL, however is not about technology. It is about designing accessible and meaningful  learning experiences for our students.

If we could always have our students working with real materials in real settings this would be superior to the use of technology. With the use of technology, however, we are able to provide learning activities that are much more similar to the real thing than we can if we teach from a textbook.

For more about this read my comments about the importance of hands-on learning experinces on by blog “Anita’s Tips, Tricks, and Weblinks“.

We have been working to create UDL classrooms at our school for two years now. We believe we are doing a good job with providing Multiple Means of Representation and Multiple Means of Engagement. This year our goal is to increase our ability to provide more opportunities for our students to have Multiple Means of Representation. It is a journey… we are moving along but there is a long path still ahead.

To read more about the great progress we saw our students make this year visit my blog post: UDL Success!!!

You can watch me talk about it on a video posted on the SET BC website: Anita Strang on Implementing UDL.

Resources:

SET BC’s BCUDL resource page

Paul Hamilton’s blog: Free Resources from the Net for (Special) Education

Paul Hamilton’s Wiki: UDL4all

UDL Toolkit

UDL4All Ning

Last January I blogged about my reflections following reading: New Directions in Education: Eliminating Ableism in Policy and Practice by Thomas Hehir. The following thoughts stuck with me and guided my practice over the past year.

• Hehir defines ableism as ” deeply held negative attitudes toward disability that are analogous to racism”.

Then I looked up “racism” according to Merriam-Webster racism is:

• “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”.
  
  YIKES!! if we superimpose ableism onto racism that is frightening!!!!
  

• In his book Hehir encourages educators to carefully consider each student individually rather than as a group of people with similar traits and capacities.

• Hehir recommends that educators to consider all planning for students with disabilities through the lens of: minimizing the impact of the disability while maximizing the child’s ability to participate.

I have moved forward since with Hehir’s thoughts and Universal Design for Learning as a lens. So much has happened over the past year some of which you can read about in the other posts on my blog but one thing that has stuck out for me…

Someone told me that all the things I am currently researching and advocating (Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, inclusion……..) are just another swing of the educational pendulum (you know the one).

This comment always makes me stop to think…

I have come to the conclusion, however, that Universal Design for Learning cannot be a swing of the pendulum … a flash in the pan … Universal Design for learning is to education what Universal Design has been to architecture — the impetus behind constructing buildings that are physically accessible to all. Are we going to suddenly go back on that?

It may be a pendulum swing but it is not one that can swing back. Will we stop constructing sidewalks with curb cuts? Will we no longer provide closed captioning? Once we begin to redesign learning activities to accommodate the need of all students it will not be possible to reverse because it is about human rights.

At the Learning Assistance Teachers Association (LATA) conference in October of 2008 David Rose talked about the “moral imperative” to provide accessibility. Because we have the technology to provide accessibility it is incumbent on us as educators to provide it.

Ableism is about expecting all people to look, act, and be the same. Our strengths are in our diversity. My favorite video illustration of this is Animal School. Here is the you tube version:

(A clearer version of this video can be found at: http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/)

We all have our strengths – let’s celebrate them!!!

Thanks Diary of a Goldfish for the focus on combating Disablism – I am eager to read all the other bloggers’ posts!!