Rage Against The UDL Framework Blog 5

 Integrating the UDL framework into intellectual curriculum would have many benefits to students by adapting to their optimal path to comprehension and retention. They can be very adaptive tools for teaching students Common Core subjects. In the example in Figure 2, the standards being addressed are the skills to “write narratives” and “develop experiences or events.” The ELA writing standard is used in grades 3 to 5. Going through Table 2 however it seems like a free for fall. I’m not seeing how to fairly assess the assignments. If one student turns the assignment in written form would I be grading their grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure? A student turns in a video essay they would be graded differently than the written student. If a student were to turn in a graphic novelization of their story with picture panels depicting the action and dialogue or thought bubbles conveying the dialogue or inner monologue of the characters that would have to be graded a different way would it not? If the rubric we are grading for is creativity then language mechanics would be irrelevant. 

The main gist of applying UDL seems to be adaptability but I fail to see a real structure. It reads more like a choose your adventure novel. I would like to ask other educators if this method is efficient and do your students retain the information from the lessons. My confusion is only from the example provided in the paper. So many options for one assignment how can I insure that one student is not being graded unfairly because of their media choice where they might have gotten a better grade if they just turned in a video. How do you level the rubric so no matter what the media is all students are being evaluated sufficiently as well as equally. Is the example for creativity only or is this an English assignment. If I were directed to teach using UDL would I be provided with the development needed to competently apply the method to my pedagogy while making sure the necessary information my students will need so they are prepared for what they will face in the grade after mine. Perhaps I am too rigid in my own learning processes and would need to engage with UDL to better understand how it works.

Artistic instruction, specifically teaching students the proper techniques to create physical art is a different process than what is described in this paper. I’m sure those who are not artistically motivated academically assume that art would be the real free for all. As a student I just wanted to break the rules and do things, however without developing the proper technique the end result would not be correct. The work can become abstracted to where it is only a representation of the subject but not the subject. A student can do a self portrait and without learning the correct way to draw, and measure, and apply value. The end result can have the essence of the subject but the nose is in the wrong place, or limbs are elongated, and the student fails to achieve something that is more photorealistic and it can look wrong. Artistic learning structure, believe it or not, is very structured. Until you advance through the basics, it is about following artistic rules and techniques, and once you have mastered them, then it is time to break the rules. Picasso is known for his abstracted works but he learned the classical rules and techniques before he began breaking them. When talking about graphic design which is a technology heavy art form, the students have to learn the rules and limitations of whichever technology they are working with or the end result will also be a big mess or a simplistic cut and paste job. 

As far as the UDL Guidelines 3.0 go, again depending on the intellectual subject being taught (literature, English, history, etc.) I can see some benefits. But I would have to implement strict guardrails to ensure that the necessary information is being learned in each assignment. Artistic instruction always includes diversity of identities, perspectives, narratives, cultural identity. Even when an artist is learning the classical techniques they still create from within themselves and those elements are present in their work. Considering that a lot of this focus in this course is about the integration of technology into our classrooms, I tend to be conservative in that respect. I know I keep going back to artistic instruction, technology being added where it enhances instruction is good. But adding technology where it is not needed is a waste of budgetary resources. Adding VR equipment in an art history course would have great value, because then students are experiencing pieces of art in different countries to scale rather than a tiny 3x2 photo in a textbook. Most students would be surprised at how small the Mona Lisa actually is. But expecting all art classes to go full digital would rob the students of what is being taught. Rubbing ones fingers across a smooth tablet screen is not the same as rubbing graphite into a heavily toothed sheet of paper and seeing how that action affects the image the student has created. 

Sources:

Rao, K., & Meo, G. (2016). Using Universal Design for Learning to Design Standards-Based Lessons. SAGE Open, 6(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016680688

CAST. (2018). The UDL Guidelines. The UDL Guidelines. https://udlguidelines.cast.org

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NETP. (n.d.). Leadership, Technology, Innovation, Learning | SETDA. https://www.setda.org/netp/

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