Strongest UDL Checkpoints

UDL represents Universal Design for Learning.

When it comes to UDL Checkpoints, I feel I'm strongest when it comes to helping students by visuals.  I use videos, schedules, examples, and anchor charts.  I am a visual learner so it is easy for me to have many things around the room that the students can find the information themselves because it is posted.  I do feel that I used a lot of the UDL Checkpoints throughout my day and year in the classroom.  They become routine if you start them right in the beginning of the year and practice them every day.

There are 3 points to the UDL Checkpoints.  In section 1(Multiple Means of Representation), I would say that I am comfortable with activating background knowledge and allowing for auditorial and visual ways of showing and explaining the lessons.  Section 2 (Multiple Means for Action and Expression) I demonstrate strength with scaffolding and setting goals.  Section 3 (Multiple Means of Engagement) is the section that I felt I was successful in using when I was in a general education setting but now that I am working mostly in small group or one-on-one, I'm struggling with this section.

I feel like I have come a long way with UDL because of another class that I took at Cabrini University.  The class made me more aware of the things I could be doing to make sure I reach all students when I am teaching.

Due to the fast paced curriculum that I encountered while teaching in Philadelphia, I needed to work on pacing for the type of students that I was teaching but I had to keep up with the curriculum instead.  This did not allow for the timing that the student's needed in order to grasp the concepts that were being taught.  Another factor that relates to the pacing is finding time to allow for different ways to allow the students to respond.  My default is to use call and respond but that is not always helpful for the students.