Tuesday Morning Assignment
Page 70 of the Teaching Every Student text notes that “the ‘universal’ in universal design (for learning) does not imply one optimal solution for everyone. Rather it reflects an awareness of the unique nature of each learner and the need to accommodate differences, creating learning experiences that suit the learner and maximize his or her ability to progress.” I believe this is very true and a critical to note because as mentioned during one of our discussions yesterday, there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” for everyone. Except maybe in a perfect world, but that doesn’t exist 
. Instead, the perception of “universal” is an alternative way of thinking that can be designed for everyone in different ways. So, for this case, the more strategies and approaches teachers have and can incorporate in their curriculum, the more universal in terms of accessibility to information and learning is provided for their students. Several case studies were exemplified in Chapter 2 of Teaching Every Student, that showed teachers developing different teaching strategies that not only makes it accessible for their students to retrieve information, but also how they make the learning environment accessible in different ways that accommodates each students’ needs.
As a learner, I have seen much progress in the learning environment becoming more accessible to information and learning than before. The increase in new developments of teachers developing different teaching and learning strategies indicates the awareness that the more diverse students they will be working with will require them to deliver their information ”universally”. Teachers nowadays are getting students from immigration families where their first language isn’t English, students with different learning disabilities, and non-disabled people in the same classroom, yet providing the necessary information in one format is not going to work and benefit for everyone. While this trend is going to continually increase over the years, new practices will be on the rise, and there will bound to be new developments and definitions on how to give and make learning accessible than what it is now.
Of course, with new developments to be made in the future on making the accessibility of learning universal, new questions will be coming up as well. Noting that with technology immersed in our everyday lives, it questions how much dependency will we need to make the learning environment accessible for everyone.
on June 24, 2008 at 9:37 am
Your comment about the teachers having more and more diverse populations within their classrooms is very true. I have witnessed this first hand and have seen the difficulty that general education teachers have with accommodating ALL students. It is also to likely, as you said, that this trend is likely to continue to many reasons (NCLB, funding etc.) and it is imperative that we continue to find new practices that will help with Universal Design for Learning!
on June 24, 2008 at 10:46 am
Some educators simply dislike technology and computers which is so unfortunate. (As though face-to-face instruction will day become obsolete?) But as you point out, technology is an integral part of our lives. Incorporating it within the curriculum kills two birds with one stone. (No fish, just birds). That’s for Susanne’s benefit!
on June 24, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I read the fish comment and refuse to respond to it
Like karenmorg, I have noted that general ed teachers continue to struggle with teaching the diverse student body we now serve in our public (and private) schools. I wonder how many undergrad teacher ed programs are adhering to Leyla’s well-written interpretation of “‘universal” as “an alternative way of thinking that can be designed for everyone in different ways.”
Slightly off-topic, when reading peggychap’s lament about some teachers’ squeamishness about high-tech, I suddenly thought of Legos…a flexible low-tech media that can as easily be a house as form the letters in your name. Is there anyone bothered by Legos? Maybe we should start there and work our way to digital text!