Chapter 4

I'll be honest, when I started reading Chapter 4, I initially went into it thinking it was going to be the same old thing, as it is needless to say to anyone in our program, that we've been assigned a lot of reading and heard a whole lot in a number of classes just recently about UDL, including it's background and implementation. But I was pleasantly surprised by Chapter 4 and what it had to offer. I think this is due, in no small way, to the fact that this textbook is in fact more UDL than any other version of similar information that I have been exposed to, making it both more motivating and more embedded with a variety of enhancements.
The first place that I found myself feeling a renewed sense of interest was in the description of the Origins of UDL in reference to the architectural movement of Universal Design. I don't claim to know tons about architecture in a technical sense, but I do appreciate and enjoy the impressive structure and aesthetics of many architectural works from Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell in Barcelona to the Coliseum in Rome and even the Brooklyn Bridge right here in New York. To be able to create something, such as the Louvre, that parallels so many incredible works in its striking structure and aesthetics, and to do it in a way that is also universally accessible is so impressive to me. It's definitely inspiring...if someone can accomplish that on such a wide scale, certainly it has to be possible to do the same, albeit in a different situation, on a smaller scale in a classroom.
So after finidng myself inspired, I read on and was interested enough to click on the link and go check out Wiggle Works. Although I've used Scholastic guided reading books in two different grade levels in classrooms, I have never heard of Wiggle Works or they're guided reading program, which particularly interested me because of my experiences. I noticed the program incorporated many of the same books as Scholastic's traditional guided reading program, as well as the cards for teacher's that direct your guided reading groups (they're a great resource for anyone interested). To also have a computer-assisted program though that further solidifies what students learned in guided reading group, particularly for those who really need more practice before using skills independently, would have been an amazing resource, especially in my first grade class where a lot of students are typically still developing readers and could definitely have hugely benefited from this assistance.
The final part of this article that struck me, and hopefully helped my upcoming UDL project for another class, was the section connecting UDL and the role of neuroscience. Until now, when I contemplated UDL approaches and particularly those connected with the first principle, I always thought simply of the sensory alternatives to vary the options available for access to information, and therefore as I began to plan this upcoming project I had considered e-books, print versions, and videos. However, when the ideas of enhancement, both in terms of background knowledge and highlighting, were discussed I realized how much differential presentation really can entail and realized how limited my view for my project had been. I could have built in hints, examples, and reiterations of the directions to be clicked on if students are struggling. I could teach students how to highlight important parts to mark for themselves to come back to, or I could have highlighting already completed for students that need that extra focus. Reading this made me realize that while I am starting to understand and recognize the usefulness and flexibility of UDL, I still need to keep my eyes and, more importantly, my mind open to how much more there really is.