As a general education dual language teacher in an inclusion classroom it is always a challenge to meet the individual needs of each student. There never seems to be enough time to do everything that I want to do as a teacher of a diverse group of learners especially in two languages (English and Spanish). However, I have realized that it is only when I cater to the individual needs of each student that learning actually happens. In Nancy Firehow’s article, she states “this built in flexibility provided into a wider range of options for students to choose from-meaning the curriculum adapts to the student, rather than the other way around.” Although the NYC public school system is rigid with its mandated curriculums, I find that it is possible to find ways to adapt to the needs of each student.
In my current 4th grade classroom, we have recently launched a Colonial America Research Project where the students need to find and analyze various sources to help support their topic. It is actually the first time this year that my students are able to use my two classroom computers. At the beginning of the year, our computers were in need of repair and it was about a month ago that they were finally replaced. As I gave my students a brief explanation on how to use the computers last week, they all began asking questions. They had never used the computer to complete an assignment within the school and so they couldn’t contain their excitement. Along with the use of computers, the students are watching documentaries about the historical time period. Some students will write an essay while others will design a visual presentation. One student will write a play about the life of a colonial girl. This is my fourth year teaching and it is the first time I implement technology in UDL. I hope to continue to have access to other forms of technology so that I can slowly include this into the curriculum.
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