Review: Cast- Teaching Every Student

"One size fits all definitely doesn't work in the classroom anymore. Everyone has different learning styles and there needs to me alternative methods for teaching." A quote from a video on this site.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/

I really liked this site. It finally made using UDL click in my head. I started by watching the four videos under the basics section. After that, I looked at the UDL Guidelines. I liked that it broke it down to show different examples to help with lesson planning. Within each example is a link to better explain it. It helped so much when I wanted to alter an old lesson plan (soon to follow).

Three primary principles guide UDL—and provide structure for the Guidelines:

To learn more, click on one of the Guidelines below.

I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation

PerceptionLanguage, expressions, and symbolsComprehension

II. Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Physical actionExpression and communication
 Executive function

III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Recruiting interestSustaining effort and persistence
 Self-regulation

CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.

Another area in this site allows you to complete an activity. It gives you a scenario and places you in the scenario.  I chose to cook Indian food. It takes the three guests (including you) and shows you the strengths and challenges each person has with cooking the food. You have to include yourself in that list and include your strengths and weaknesses.

The last section, Case Studies, I liked the most. I chose Reading Challenges in  Social Studies. Let me warn you, it is very long but detailed. It shows you how you should look at the overall picture when dealing with your challenges. Throughout the slides it describes her social studies lesson and gives you the traditional approach and the UDL approach (as sampled below). At the end, there is a link to a model geography lesson in more detail in the UDL toolkit section.

 Lesson Goals

Traditional Approach Student groups create a map containing political, topographical, and resources in the selected state of study. Students will orally present and describe the state and map results to the class.

UDL ApproachStudents map the political, topographical and natural resources of a selected state, compare patterns across the maps, and present results to demonstrate understandings of the state and resources.