TES Mentor

Model Three: Reflections

Print based materials and media, traditional teaching methods, and post-hoc assessments do not offer enough flexibility to reach diverse learners. After thinking about the varied needs, skills and interests found in a typical early twenty-first century classroom, we can begin to envision the barriers many students might encounter and the teaching and learning opportunities missed when traditional approaches alone are available. Below are some examples of this way of thinking.

Notice that the barriers and missed opportunities are not tied to particular students, but are understood in relation to the class as a whole, or even a potential or hypothetical class. UDL thinking moves you away from a diagnostic approach (a student with a problems) to an approach based on analyzing the curriculum’s flexibility or lack thereof.

Material / method	Barriers or missed opportunities
Text Book	Student with low vision, limited English proficiency will not get information from textbook. Those with high interest and proficiency with computers will not be able to take advantage of these skills and interests
Multiple Choice Test	Student with fine motor difficulties may perform poorly for reasons not relevant to content knowledge; students who thrive on other ways to express knowledge (e.g. drawing, oral presentations) may not perform as well on multiple choice test
Lecture	Student who has difficulty discerning main ideas when listening may not be able to organize what she is hearing; student with many personal concerns may miss key information; students with strong visual abilities miss the chance to grasp concepts quickly through concept map or diagram
10 page term paper	Students who have any difficulties with writing mechanics, organization, spelling, etc. likely to become bogged down in these problems, will get in the way of expressing what they know; students strong in drama, art, music, etc. miss opportunity to communicate through strength; ESL students have language barrier to overcome.
Small group project	Students who are shy, or have social difficulties are at a disadvantage; students who are strongly independent and work very well on their own may not show what they know and can do to best advantage.