Ann+Marie

Although I have attended many UDL workshops in preparation for our INCLUDE grant, I still need further clarification of its principles., The presentation and discussion yesterday gave a concise overview of the basic concepts of a UDL classroom. I still want to understand how I can utilize this knowledge in my classroom. How can I make my lessons adhere more to the UDL principles? I need to reach more of my students so they can succeed. My word that I chose yesterday was curiosity. I hope this workshop will answer my questions.

In my class, I aspire to be more aware of my students' abilities and disabilities. One way that I can show this is to devise Formative and especially Summative assessments for their various levels. Although I have projects due for the different units of work, I still expect all students to perform well on written assessments. I need to create different assessments which will evaluate a student's understanding of the content taught. I also need to be willing to accept this assessment without the need for a formal test.

My UDL journey started three years ago with my very first workshop. I had no idea what it meant, and could not imagine how this new adventure would affect my teaching. Now I find that, little by little, I have changed my ideas towards education, and therefore, my teaching style. I had taught for many years before learning about UDL, so change was difficult to embrace at first. Now I can actually say that I am pleased with the changes that I have made in my teaching stlyes. Students have more fun and are more engaged in their work. I still want to revisit the Learning Guidelines to encompass more of them in my lessons.