{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"28395291","dateCreated":"1286980185","smartDate":"Oct 13, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"geiselk","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/geiselk","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1286977393\/geiselk-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/udlatfdlrs.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/28395291"},"dateDigested":1532144599,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Discussion Question 1","description":"How can using a variety of materials and methods reach more of the learners within your classroom? What are the benefits of doing so? What are the challenges?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34229618","body":"I apologize for being late on this assignment. I had some trouble pulling up the site from work.
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\nI strongly feel that by using different materials and teaching methods will reach more learners in the classroom because students learn and take in knowledge differently. One of the first things I read in this module is how each brain is as different as a person's fingerprints. Imagine, with a class of 20 students, how many different types of brain activity is going on at once.
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\nDifferent methods were listed that are typically used in classrooms, such as text, images, manipulatives, video, paper\/pencil, computer and audio. Even though a teacher may say they use the different methods, most likely it would be connected to what they are teaching. I can see a teacher giving manipulatives for a math assignment, but how often would they give manipulatives for a writing assignment? The same would go for a video. I often see teachers putting science videos on but not for other subjects. Using the different methods through all of the subjects would benefit the learners greatly.
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\nThe challenges may seem difficult at first but once a teacher gets in the idea of breaking the same ol' same ol' routine, they will find that students will be able to catch on easier and retain more information.
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\nThe important thing to remember is that if we learn to reach the different type of learners in the classroom, but then use the same assessments that we always have ie: pencil and paper, multiple choice questions, we will continue to fail our student's needs. Just like they learn differently, they also express themselves differently e need to accuracy assess their knowledge.","dateCreated":"1297734580","smartDate":"Feb 14, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"szavella","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/szavella","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"28395193","dateCreated":"1286980134","smartDate":"Oct 13, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"geiselk","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/geiselk","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1286977393\/geiselk-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/udlatfdlrs.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/28395193"},"dateDigested":1532144600,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Discussion Question 2","description":"What barriers are inherent in traditional assessments? What are the challenges in offering varied options for assessment?","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"34564484","body":"Traditional assessment methods of measuring a student's intake and retention of curricula content contain many barriers that affect the learner's ability to accurately express his\/her understanding of the material that was presented to him or her. As teachers, we have been trained to present course content in a lecture based format, along with independent reading from the textbook to add to the students' level of comprehension. To assess whether the students were successful in understanding,remembering, and applying the content; we present them with a series of questions that they must answer with a certain level of accuracy. Whether the answers be written out or bubbled in, the expression of knowledge involves putting information on a sheet of paper in a written format.
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\nWhat is created using this method is a limitation of and,possibly, a disabling of
\na student's self expression. The student is trapped into a single form of assessment and not allowed to work within the manner of expressing knowledge that is instinctively inherent to him or her.
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\nTo combat this, UDL suggests allowing varied measures of student understanding to be offered. Giving students options allows them to tap into their personal strengths and show learning in a way that is most comfortable for them. Therefore, providing the teacher with a more valid measurement of understanding from his\/her learners.
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\nAlthough it is very easy to understand and agree that this would be a better way of handleing assessments, there are many chal- lenges that go along with this method. Having the time to create the different assessments options; comparing the measurements across the classroom of students; and creating a standard for measurements that take into consideration each students individuality are just a few of the challenges that I see happening from the beginning. In spite of these, however, I feel that it is very important to vary the assessment methods offered to the students. By doing so,we will gain more insight as to the learning capacities of our students and have students who are more eager to learn and more engaged during the learning process.","dateCreated":"1298261091","smartDate":"Feb 20, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"ddmac180","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ddmac180","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}