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21st Century Workforce Readiness TPACK ISTE Common Core UDL
UDL at a Glance
Universal Design For Learning
One way to use the UDL principles to support the learning needs of ALL students is through cooperative group work. Cooperative group work is one method that supports all students in giving them equal access to opportunities to share what they know, communicate with others and, become part of an emotionally safe team. Research has shown that cooperative learning has had a positive impact on impact all learners.
From my literature review, in Bornero’s (2000) study on motivation and achievement, the author wanted to see if moving away from direct instruction and using cooperative learning in a second grade math classroom would reduce math anxiety, generate more interest in math, and improve social skills.
Teachers established cooperative learning goals/rules and role played different scenarios modeling positive ways of working together. Teachers began implementing cooperative learning one to two times a week at the beginning of the five month study. At the end of the study, teachers reported team interactions and social acceptance gradually improved. The social environment of the class became more positive and mainstreamed students were accepted and felt part of the group. Teachers noted improved self-confidence in slower learners. There were fewer discipline problems and students improved academically. 80% of final test scores were average or above, compared to 40% the previous year. Student views toward math changed from 45% responding with a neutral or negative response to over 90% responding with a positive response by the end of the project. Students went from two thirds of the class preferring to work alone to three-fourths of the class preferring to work cooperatively.
Engagement has been shown to have a positive effect on the student learning. Cooperative learning is just one small part of the lesson design process. Teachers who look at all aspects of UDL, the goals, methods, materials and assessment, to create meaningful learning experiences for students will have the highest gains.
One way to use the UDL principles to support the learning needs of ALL students is through cooperative group work. Cooperative group work is one method that supports all students in giving them equal access to opportunities to share what they know, communicate with others and, become part of an emotionally safe team. Research has shown that cooperative learning has had a positive impact on impact all learners.
From my literature review, in Bornero’s (2000) study on motivation and achievement, the author wanted to see if moving away from direct instruction and using cooperative learning in a second grade math classroom would reduce math anxiety, generate more interest in math, and improve social skills.
Teachers established cooperative learning goals/rules and role played different scenarios modeling positive ways of working together. Teachers began implementing cooperative learning one to two times a week at the beginning of the five month study. At the end of the study, teachers reported team interactions and social acceptance gradually improved. The social environment of the class became more positive and mainstreamed students were accepted and felt part of the group. Teachers noted improved self-confidence in slower learners. There were fewer discipline problems and students improved academically. 80% of final test scores were average or above, compared to 40% the previous year. Student views toward math changed from 45% responding with a neutral or negative response to over 90% responding with a positive response by the end of the project. Students went from two thirds of the class preferring to work alone to three-fourths of the class preferring to work cooperatively.
Engagement has been shown to have a positive effect on the student learning. Cooperative learning is just one small part of the lesson design process. Teachers who look at all aspects of UDL, the goals, methods, materials and assessment, to create meaningful learning experiences for students will have the highest gains.
