Dear Colleagues,
I have been doing some reading on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. One of the three design principles of UDL is to provide multiple means of engagement. The two articles I reference below illustrate this principle.
Participation Points by Stephanie Almagno
One professor's efforts to engage student with the course materials: Stephanie Almagno starts out by rebranding her expectations as engagement, rather than participation points with the goal "to move students from grade seekers (passive regurgitation of information—written or verbal) to knowledge seekers (independent, engaged learners who see, reflect on, and share their thoughts on the complexity of problems/situations)." She defines engagement as preparation plus participation. An engagement rubric is included in the article along with suggestions on how to acknowledge quiet learners.
The Distracted Classroom by James Lang
This thoughtful take on dealing with digital distractions in the classroom leads links the ongoing struggle between "our ability to create and plan high-level goals versus our ability to control our minds." Lang references a new book on distraction and attention, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World by neuroscientist Gazzaley and psychologist Rosen. Lang states, "The Distracted Mind provides a broader context: Distraction occurs, the authors argue, when we are pursuing a goal that really matters and something blocks our efforts to achieve it."
The article is a thoughtful read on how our brains work and why distractions are so powerful. I will be reading this book.
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