Monte Carlo Quizzes - EDSE 380
What is UDL?
I would define UDL as creating a curriculum that is accessible for ALL learners, instead of needing to make individual accommodations/lessons for individual learners. Like how a physical building being more accessible benefits all, UDL benefits all. It sees a deficit in the curriculum instead of in a student.
I think that a lot of UDL is already embedded of my teaching philosophy, even though I am just now delving into it. After learning more about it, I am definitely going to spend time incorporating and structuring my lessons using this framework. Something I am really passionate about, and am currently working on a certificate in is ESL/EFL. I am excited for these two things to pair together and support each other. I think exploring UDL, even for just two days, has changed my perspective in how I will approach lesson planning. I don't think there's any area in which I won't want to implement UDL in my own teaching practice.
Perennial Girl
One excerpt of this book that stood out to me after reading it is from chapter 3 when she said "I feel so lost and alone at school, but there's absolutely nothing for me here. And I mean nothing". Prior to that, she talked about how she thought about skipping school to get away from bullies, but how she couldn't because she was so hungry. I am very privileged to say that I have never worried about not having food on the table or in my lunchbox. To some kids, breakfast and lunch at school may just be part of their daily social routine, but for others, it is their means of survival. This book reinforced the truth that free school lunches keep children alive. It elicited anger in me that there are politicians who want to get rid of this program. It also elicited a series of thinking about the different reasons why students want to or don't want to come to school- many of which have nothing to do with their learning. Many of these reasons are social- they want to come to school to see their friends or they don't want to come to school because of bullies. These can deal with their personal life- they don't want to come to school because they are worried about someone's health at home, or they want to get away from a bad home life. Other reasons for coming to school are simply for survival. For some kids, it may be their only space for them to express their identity- maybe in a club or art class. These things keep kids alive. For others like Randi, school is meeting one of the most basic needs of hunger and sustenance. As a teacher, it is imperative to keep these things in mind when we are dealing with students who don't want to be there, or who are struggling on assignments or assessments for reasons outside of their control.
Planning Effective Instruction for ELLs
I was not here for the first part of class yesterday when I believe it was discussed that this quiz was changed to today, so I did not complete the reading necessary.
To attempt number four, I think that it would be difficult to implement reading comprehension strategies into my classroom on a daily basis because reading will not be happening in my classroom daily. In theatre, there are some days where we are on our feet the whole time doing movement. If I were to implement reading comprehension daily, I would have to develop some sort of routine attention grabber that involves reading for theatre. This could maybe be a new vocabulary word for theatre each day.
Understanding Differentiated Instruction
One element of a lesson I would teach is analyzing a theatre set for the elements of design. Each student would have a picture of a set to observe which elements are present (things like line, shape, color, texture, etc).
To differentiate by readiness, students would first be prompted to OBSERVE which elements they see. Individually they would have the option to write directly on the picture of the set/circle things, to write them in a graphic organizer, or to write their own list. This supports students who are more confident in observing, who can write them down, or who are less confident, who may need to visually circle elements.
For interest, students could choose which show's set they want to observe for elements of design.
For learning profile, students would meet in groups with the other students who chose the same set as them and hear other students (and therefore, other types of learners) thoughts. This would be the point where students move from observation to analysis, supporting each other through a mix of profiles.
Getting Started with PBL
KEEPING AN OPEN MIND WITH PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
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Lessons I Reviewed: People in Motion https://my.pblworks.org/project/give-and-take and Face Your Face https://my.pblworks.org/project/face-your-face
Video I Watched: Mirrors- how other countries view the US project
THINGS I LIKED/MAY STEAL
I really liked the idea of the People in Motion lesson. My background is primarily in dance, so I am already very excited to teach dance in the classroom, but this project idea made me really excited to do interdisciplinary learning with dance. This project specifically asks students to choreograph and find music for a dance that tells a story of human interactions in different geographies and culture. I think that this could be a really cool pairing with a geography or social studies class, and am interesting in “stealing” this lesson. The other lesson I looked at was Face Your Face, which explores the use of masks in various cultures and the uses for them. Using what they learned, they make their own mask based on how they wear masks in their lives. I really like that this project doesn’t just ask them to make a mask, but asks them to think deeper and be more vulnerable by asking what masks they wear. I would want to steal this lesson and use it for a theatre history project to talk about the way masks are important to different theatre practices historically around the world. The video I watched did a similar project where they researched how different countries view the United States and turned it into a collaborative art piece using masks and mirrors. I thought this was really interesting because in history and social studies, we often only view things from a US perspective, and this gets students into the shoes of alternative perspectives. I could not teach this lesson as it was, but I could do something similar with students when doing character study. Perhaps they can make an art project that shows how the character sees themselves, and alternatively, how others view their character.
CONCERNS/CHALLENGES I WOULD HAVE TO ADDRESS
The biggest thing that comes up as a potential concern in all of the material I reviewed is the topic of cultural awareness. As the teacher, it is important to me that I must come in very informed when I am talking about cultures other than my own. With the choreography project, there is a possibility that students may fall into stereotypes of how other cultures move and interact, so it is important that they are taking a deeper step into the project, moving beyond surface level, and most importantly that they are taking it seriously. There is a big debate in performing arts about whether or not you should be allowed to perform as if you are in a culture that is not your own. In the case of the dance project, especially for younger students, I would be extremely careful with what I assign them. The same goes for the perspectives of the US. The mask project has less concern because they are creating it about themselves. Other concerns I would have to address would be that some of these projects take a long time, and keeping students engaged throughout the whole process can be overwhelming. In class, someone mentioned how students will put off work for these projects until the very end. One thing I would do to combat this is to break down the project into several, smaller check-points. These could include planning the outline, writing down ideas, making a rough draft, etc. This will help students stay on track and not push everything off.