A Reflection, But Not The End Of My Journey.

 So sadly, our sessions with Katie Novak have come to end. This does not mean the end of my UDL journey, it just means that a part of it ended. I have learned and changed a lot along the way. This post is about reflecting on how I have changed as an educator and about what I have learned that changed me and my practice. 

One of the first things that jumped at me when we (me and my fellow Trailblazers) started this learning is that we actually already included many of the practices and principles of UDL in our teaching. For example, we were already using tools that allowed us to present content/information in different ways and allowed students to express themselves in varied ways. Another example was our school's commitment to inclusion for our language learners within the mainstream classroom with adequate support, training, and tools to help remove as many barriers as possible. 

The second thing I realized is that I could be doing more and I could be taking down more barriers for my students if I proactively planned for them instead of reacting to them. I learned that there were many ways to this

For a refresher about UDL, Check Katie Novak's infographic. More of my reflection after the infographic 

Using the tools that CAST, Katie, and my own research provided, I learned how to recognize potential barriers in my planning and I learned ways to mitigate them. I had to unlearn a few things and break some old habits and perceptions. It was work, it took time; I spent a lot of time retooling 'tried and true" activities that had some flaws. Indeed I noticed flaws in my planning I had not seen or solved before I looked at things with a UDL lens. I myself became an expert learner; I paid attention to feedback from peers but most importantly from students and reflected on it. 

I learned that feedback from students comes in many ways and I learned to recognize it. More than half the feedback I got from students is the feedback they did not realize they were giving me. I paid more attention to their body language, their reactions to task, their struggles, and what clicked with them and what did not click with them. So I reflected on it, evaluated the choices I had made in my planning and delivery, and made changes accordingly. 

I also learned that when Katie said it was work and that when she said that some of the example lessons she shared with us took time to tweak and 'get right, she was not joking. But I learned that the work and time spent paid dividends for my students. 

I learned to recognize missed opportunities. There were quite a few occasions when I said to myself "I could have done this or that instead of..." or "I forgot to..." and the oh so familiar " I could have added this option for the kids". I am actually proud that I can do that now. It allows me to make positive changes in my kid's learning. 

So my journey continues, but this time my learning is even more self-directed and independent.  Right now I am still working with fellow trailblazers in getting our CAST certification levels 1 and 2. I believe it is a good way for me to test my knowledge and to show what I have learned. When I apply to future schools, I want to be able to show them that I would be an asset to them and their students and that I possess the skills and knowledge to make all learners succeed. 

I plan to continue sharing everything I learn with my team. When we plan collaboratively, I will continue to engage them in thinking proactively about possible barriers and providing a variety of pathways for our students to reach the lesson/task goals whenever possible. I will encourage and support my team to take risks and try new ways to make lessons and learning engaging for students.

 Something I would like to engage my team to do at some point is doing something similar to these CAST videos:

                                   

Ideally, we would do it with our own lessons by inviting each other to observe or by filming ourselves, but that might a have to wait until some barrier like being uncomfortable with being observed and critiqued by peers are overcome. 

I am excited about starting a new phase of my UDL Journey. I am thankful for what I have learned from Kaite, my colleagues, and my research. as I know that it benefited my practice a lot and most importantly, my students. 

Reader, I wish you well on your own personal UDL journey.

Patrick