Today on CLC’s campus I saw middle school students choosing their History Fair topics, first graders making connections between different fairy tales, and kids in our after school program jumping rope to age-old rhymes. In teacher-speak I saw students making choices and demonstrating their learning in multiple ways.
In the past we talked about “individualizing” learning to the unique profile of each learner. However, from the teacher side of things we are not simply adapting a set curriculum to each student’s strengths and needs. We are working to provide equal access to learning for all students from the outset by eliminating barriers at multiple levels. We have moved beyond including students from diverse backgrounds and learning styles – an “inclusion mindset” – to one based on a Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
The principles of UDL posit that planning for the broadest range of learners creates the most accessible learning environment for every student. What does it look like?
- Instruction is multi-modal. It engages more than one sensory system (e.g., auditory and kinesthetic; visual and auditory).
- Students are grouped flexibly for learning activities which require cooperation.
- Students have choices in the way they engage with the curriculum and how they demonstrate their learning.
- Teachers collaborate to balance their response to individual needs and group demands.
At CLC you won’t see a “one size fits all” approach. We all learn in complex ways. Our teachers have to embrace the learners in front of them, in all their variability and difference. If your family is new to Cornerstone, we hope you were drawn to our school because it is a place where your child can thrive. If you’ve been here longer, we hope you can list the ways CLC teachers have welcomed and encouraged your child (and children) across the years. Know that CLC teachers had your child in mind from the start.
Kary Kublin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, works as Cornerstone’s reading specialist and child language therapist. She has served as the CLC Support Services Director for the past ten years.