Student Guide Corner

It continues to confound me how few educators have heard of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) principles which promote student success and competence . Even earlier today, Lisa Parisi and I were discussing the lack of UDL awareness in education circles and how surprised we both are by this fact. Sometimes I wonder if it's because the term is typically (and erroneously) connected to special education and assistive technology. If it is connected to special education, do general educators believe it's an educational concept they do not need to understand? If that is the case, we need to correct the misconception. And then I read this.... " A Monumental Step Towards Promoting UDL for All " (via the Assistive Technology Blog) The post described what feels like a watershed moment, a recent event at the National Education Association's main headquarters . The NEA sponsored a symposium entitled Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Practices with over 200 parti...

Writing prompts are ubiquitous in this age of high-stakes testing. The belief is if we allow students to respond to (daily) prompts, their writing will improve. But this doesn't always happen. This morning, via a tweet from Ira Socol , I came across a post entitled The Over-Prompting of Young Writers . The excellent points made in this article may cause you to rethink your use of writing prompts. What are the unintended consequences? Do writing prompts, in fact, stifle quality writing? What do we do when students are unable to make connections to the prompt because it does not relate to their life? The author, Heather Rader states: Some teachers tell me their students respond to a writing prompt every day. Here are a few prompts I've read student responses to: Write about your favorite TV program. Write about a time you wished you could fly. You discover a magic egg. Tell the story of what happens next. While many kids will compliantly write to these starters, their resp...

As the new school year begins, it's time to b last certain long-held beliefs: That one size fits all works when it comes to teaching our students. Isn't this just uninspired teaching? What are the long term effects on student's attitudes toward learning and school? The consequences are too great. Triple blast this one. TTWWADI. Demolish the "That's the way we've always done it" pervasive and unwritten rules that permeate our schools, unless they are based upon sound, effective educational principles that work . That paper provides the only way for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Multimedia tools (and I'm not just talking Powerpoint) provide new opportunities for students to demonstrate synthesis, application and understanding. Relying on paper-based methods (essays, quizzes, tests) present obstacles to success for too many students. it is imperative we offer choices. That it's Ok to be a technologically illiterate teacher. Stil...