Educator Checklist

As a professional it is always important for us to reflect on all areas of our practice.  Reflection is a crucial piece to help us improve our planning and instruction.  Listed below are the three principles of UDL, and the objectives that fall under each principle.  I looked and reflected on my own practice for each objective and identified my own areas of strength and need. I focused on my areas of need and reviewed the resources I have reviewed on my blog and identified Principle II as an area for me where I feel that I require the most challenges and that needs to be developed further.  Over the course of the semester I would be interested to find ways to help improve these areas of need.  My biggest challenge in developing these areas is I am not consistently in a classroom , because I am a substitute teacher for the district.  Since I am not teaching, I can only improve on these areas by reflecting on my own past practices, methods and lesson plans.  Some ways that I could incorporate technology are providing online data collection including online graphs, or charts that can be easily changed or accessibly by teachers, students and parents.  Varying ways for students to interact with materials specifically in the area of technology is important to all students t help them be successful in the classroom.  Some examples of this can be providing students non slip grips on keyboards for typing, providing speech to text programs for students who are unable to type, providing  Alphasmart's for students that have difficulty writing.  These technologies can help increase students success in the classroom.

3.4 Support memory and transfer (checklists, organizers, scaffolds, revisit) is an area that I have found as one of my strengths.  Scaffolding ideas is something that I use in instruction at a job site with students now.  Providing students with a basic idea then building on top on that idea and adding new knowledge to a students current knowledge of a topic.  This idea works well when something is revisited and then a connection of background knowledge is made to the new content being taught.  Some strategies that can support this are the use of graphic organizers, mnemonic devices to help remember key ideas, and checklists.

Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation:

1. Strengths
1. 1.1 Customize the display if information (images, font size)
2. 1.2 Provide alternatives for auditory information (audio clips, speech to text captions)
3. 2.1 Define vocabulary and symbols (pre-teach, complex terms, expressions etc.)
4. 2.2 Clarify syntax and structure (making connections, relationships between elements)
5. 2.5 Illustrate key concepts non-linguistically (symbols, alternative forms)
6. 3.1 Provide or activate background knowledge ( pre-teach, bridge concepts)
7. 3.2 Highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships (graphic organizers etc.)
8. 3.3 Guide information processing (sequential process, provide options for methods, chunk)
9. 3.4 Support memory and transfer (checklists, organizers, scaffolds, revisit)
2. Needs
1. 1.3 Provide alternatives for visual information(descriptions for images, use physical objects)
2. 2.3 Decode text and mathematical notation( notation clarification, text to speech)
3. 2.4 Promote cross-linguistic understanding (ASL, content specific vocabulary)

Principle II: Provide Multiple Means for Action and Expression

1. Strengths
1. 4.1 Provide varying ways to respond (hands, cards, etc)
2. 5.1 Allow choices of media for communication ( physical manipulative, strategies to solve vary)
3. 5.2 Provide appropriate tools for composition and problem solving (story webs, calculators)
4. 6.4 Enhance capacity for monitoring progress( rubrics, reflection, self-monitor)
2. Needs
1. 4.2 Provide varied ways to interact with materials 
2. 5.3 Provide ways to scaffold practice and performance
3. 6.1 Guide effective goal setting (post goals, provide guides and checklists)
4. 6.2 Support planning and strategy development (stop and think prompts, show your work)
5. 6.3 Facilitate managing information and resources(  data collection and note taking techniques)

Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

1. Strengths
1. 7.1 Increase individual choice and autonomy (reward, challenge, tools)
2. 7.2 Enhance relevance, value, and authenticity (age appropriate, socially relevant, personalized)
3. 7.3 Minimize threats and distraction (classroom management, background noise, work pace)
4. 8.2 Vary levels of challenge and support (differentiate challenges)
5. 8.3 Foster collaboration and communication (group work, positive behavior, cooperative learning groups)
6. 9.2 Facilitate coping skills and strategies (manage frustration, internal controls and coping)
2. Needs
1. 8.1 Heighten salience of goals and objectives (child restate goals, displaying goals)
2. 8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback 
3. 9.1 Guide personal goal-setting and expectations (support activities that require self-reflection, provide coaches or mentors)
4. 9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection (display data, activities where learners receive feedback)

Resources:
Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Graphic Organizer

UDL Guidelines Educator Checklist