Midterm Challenge - Question 2
"One of the most central challenges to understanding the evolving roles of students, teachers, and schools systems in general is recognizing how the gap between old, outdated schooling environments and those of the future impact teaching and learning. It is imperative that changes be made to these environments that will support and promote our ideas on what a modern student and teacher will need to be successful. This is the central task of Question Two.
Please provide a rich description of the learning environment of the future, and be sure to include your team ideas on multiple aspects of the environment, including physical space, resources and tools available to students and teachers, dominant teaching methods, and any other aspects that may influence your role as teacher and a leader of learning. Pay careful attention to the skills and dispositions that you seek to develop in your students, and the role that the principles and practices of Universal Design for Learning can play in this development."
Answered by: Rachel Freedman, Megan Collins, and Melissa Johnson
Please provide a rich description of the learning environment of the future, and be sure to include your team ideas on multiple aspects of the environment, including physical space, resources and tools available to students and teachers, dominant teaching methods, and any other aspects that may influence your role as teacher and a leader of learning. Pay careful attention to the skills and dispositions that you seek to develop in your students, and the role that the principles and practices of Universal Design for Learning can play in this development."
Answered by: Rachel Freedman, Megan Collins, and Melissa Johnson
In our classroom, the physical space is a very important aspect in education. We would want a large, spacious area so students can work in groups and can spread out while doing work. Having tables instead of desks allows all students to be a part of the classroom. Some students in our classroom may be in a wheelchair and should not have to feel left out simply because of that. All students should feel comfortable in their learning environment and be able to be a part of classroom activities or discussions. Various sizes of desks, tables, and chairs are needed within the classroom in order to accommodate the needs of all students whenever those items are required to be utilized. Steps stools are also an additional accommodation that is necessary within our classroom to accommodate the needs of students and even teachers. Having a large, open classroom is a beneficial aspect to not only students, but to teachers as well. If a teacher has a large classroom they can create various activities for students to do instead of having them glued to their seats listening to lectures. Therefore, it is significant that teachers differentiate their instruction to allow students to have mobility freedom during the classroom activities.
To accommodate students who are consistently absent due to medical needs or even students who are just absent infrequently, we will have bulletin boards of upcoming events and a monthly calendar with upcoming assignments to remind all students of upcoming due dates and classroom events. This can be a good reminder for students who have trouble remembering upcoming dates as well; the information will always be posted in the classroom.
A great resource to have in the classroom is technology. Having multiple aspects of technology in the classroom fits in perfectly with the idea of UDL. If a student learns math concepts better by playing math games on the computer, then having that in the classroom is crucial to their learning. Having computers and iPads in the classroom will be beneficial to all learners. They can choose to do class work with technology or the regular, paper and pencil way. This allows students a choice. Technology also allows students to do work independent from the teacher. Students can work alone or in groups creating presentations or other works allowing the teacher to act as a facilitator of learning. This promotes student independence by providing a goal and some helpful strategies and letting students work alone or together to come up with a solution or final product. Technology in the classroom prepares students for the future. Most careers currently utilize technology in some way, and having students become familiar with technology will help them ease into their future careers later in life. Technology is not just beneficial to have for student use; it also beneficial for teacher use. Teachers can use technology to aid in quick and efficient student assessments. Teachers can use Excel to aid in data collection to clearly monitor their students’ progress. Technology makes student assessment and data collection much more efficient and less time consuming.
Teachers who are seeking to aid their instruction in a special education classroom with technology should seek out various strategies to implement that adhere to the wide range of needs their students may have. Some technologies consist of Prezi, Glogster, iMovie, and Audacity. Prezi can help increase the quality instruction for students because with this technology, students and teachers are able to demonstrate multiple themes and/or ideas in an organized fashion and display connections between ideas. Glogster is a technology that can be utilized to highlight various means of media, such as videos and pictures. Students can use Glogster as a way to present information and their knowledge, especially when text is not an appealing form of response. iMovie is a creative way to show summation of learning that is not simple written work. This allows students to use their creativity to create a final product that is much more impactful than an essay. Audacity is a source where students can verbalize their responses and thoughts to demonstrate their learning process and current knowledge. Most technologies supply students with alternative forms of communication and displaying their knowledge.
This is a video which provides 10 ways to use technology in the classroom. All of these tips are great and easy ways to use technology and get students interested in learning.