According
to Rose and Meyer (2002) “The materials and methods teachers use can either
present students with barriers to understanding or enhance their opportunities
to learn.” Most teachers would never
want to present students with a barrier to their understanding, but they might
be doing just that due to ignorance of brain research and Universal Design Learning. The video The
Brain Research talked about the three networks in the brain and their
function. The first one was the recognition
network that is used for gathering facts and word recognition. The strategic network was the second network
in the brain that organizes and expresses ideas. We are using this part of our brain when we
write an essay or solve a math word problem.
The last network of the brain is the affective network. This is the “why” network that deals with
engagement in learning, challenge, and motivation. A teacher who is aware of these networks in
the brain will make sure that their lessons cross each network in order to
enhance a child’s opportunity to learn.
The
video and article on Universal Design Learning gave us ideas to customize lessons
for all learners in our classroom. According to the video Universal Design and
Universal Design for Learning, a UDL lesson has “multiple means of
representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and
knowledge”. It will also have multiple
ways for students to gain knowledge on a subject and different ways for a
student to show what they have learned. I
am excited to start building my lessons around UDL and see the differences it
will make in student achievement and motivation.
Lessonbuilder.cast.org
(nd). The Brain Research. Retrieved from http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/window.php?src=videos
Lessonbuilder.cast.org.
(nd). Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved from
http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/window.php?src=videos
Rose,
D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age:
Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special
Technology Web site. Chapter 1. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/
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