Week 8 Reflection - Clearing the Path for Everyone

A friend and colleague shared this cartoon with me this week, which I think is so pertinent to what I've learned this semester in grad school. Throughout this semester, I've learned about various methods used by teachers to both engage students and enrich their experiences in the STEM classroom. However, I have also been made aware of the various limitations my students face. Those limitations could be related to a child's cognitive or physical abilities, or could be attributed to the child's level of interest in the material being taught. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a pedagogy that strives to reach all students by offering them multiple means of expression, representation, and engagement. Teachers can provide a variety of methods for students to gain knowledge, show what they know, and interact with the subject matter. Even though STEM tends to be a high-interest subject and technology tends to be a great equalizer in the classroom, I can still use the principles of UDL to create a learning environment that is accessible to all of my students. If I can level the playing field by adding more white space to an assessment so it is easier to read, or by giving student choice on a project to promote student interest, the reality is that all of my students can access the curriculum better and will be more successful as a result. Although the foundation of my grad program is in STEM, through this class I have been made aware of how I can reach all of my students through UDL.