My first year as a teacher, I immediately realized the disheartening disparity between my students in terms of their academic skill levels. Although all my students were 4th graders, their reading and writing levels ranged from kindergarten to 8th grade. One of my greatest struggles all year was trying to figure out how to reach all of these learners at the same time. With close to 30 students in each class, and no teachers aid or special education teacher there, I largely failed. Offering tutoring once a week and trying to check in with certain students more often simply did not cut it. I finished the year feeling as if I had failed too many of my students.
This year I am teaching 4th grade reading, and the disparities are no less than the previous year. I cannot afford to fail the “increasing numbers of students ‘in the margins’—those for whom the mastery of printed text is difficult” (Meyer & Rose, 2005, p. 3). So, I am committed to finding a way to reach all of my learners, meet them where they are, and push them to their full potential. In order to do this well, I am planning to utilize the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This approach to teaching “recognizes the fact that diversity in learning abilities and styles can be a tremendous asset if we are willing to reconsider the way curricula are designed and the way schooling is practiced from the ‘margins’ perspective” (Meyer & Rose, 2005, p. 14).
One way I plan to do this is to offer multiple methods of learning, and allow the students to choose the way that they learn best. While the ability to read print is critical, there are also other ways that can allow emerging students to access difficult material and reach high standards of thought and achievement that goes beyond printed text.
For individual assignments, certain students can listen to recordings of books and read along in their text, so that the level of the text isn’t lowered, but it is also possible for them to feel successful. In addition, they might have lower level texts that they read on their own. Using heterogeneous group work is also something I’m planning to use this year. This would not simply be high skill level paired with emerging students, but rather students who have strong reading skills paired with strong speaking skills, strong technology skills, strong writing skills, etc. Allowing each child to play an important role in the group work empowers them to do their best work and for the entire group to reach new heights. Another way I plan to implement UDL is to give students choice in terms of their projects. Rather than simply having them write an essay, I will offer them the opportunity to make a video, give a speech, write a poem, or any form of expression they are excited about that will also demonstrate their level of mastery on the material. The opportunities are truly endless when we think of the technology that we have access to, but we have to make it a priority to capitalize on each student’s strengths while also growing their weaknesses, rather than simply forcing all students to mold themselves to one way of learning.
If you have any websites or techniques that you have used in order to reach all your learners, I would love to hear about it! Put it in the comments section.Here are some helpful resources I’ve found:
http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/examples/examples7_1
Myer, A., & Rose, D. (2005). The Future is in the Margins. Retrieved from UDL Center: http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files/Meyer-Rose_FutureisintheMargins.pdf
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National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2016). Welcome to UDL Connect. Retrieved from UDL Center: http://community.udlcenter.org/
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