Guided Response: Respond to at least two peers. As always, consider asking questions of peers about their responses to encourage further conversation. In your replies, you can discuss common themes you shared with your peer about differentiated instruction prior to and after watching the video. Additionally, discuss how the benefits your peer provides help guide learning away from isolation for students who are identified as needing modifications. Finally, consider in your replies what your peers shared regarding their week three lesson and post suggestions to help your peers further identify connections in ways that the lesson supports differentiated instruction. Though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given to you to further the conversation. Remember, this continued interaction gives you further opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with the topic of UDL and differentiated instruction. 

In the video, Rachel Campbell is a middle school language arts teacher that shifts the mindsets of a traditional classroom instructional model. She believes by implementing UDL and teaching to all learners all the time, you can minimize the amount of modifications needed for individual student. The video strengthened by views on differentiated instruction. I am a reading specialist and spend a good amount of my time figuring out what modifications students need and then showing teachers how to apply them. The mindset of UDL would play of huge role in lessening the accommodation needed and could possibly prevent more students from needing to be evaluated for possible modifications as they would be successful in the general education classroom.

The benefits of utilizing the UDL framework will impact both students and teachers. Students will benefit by gaining multiple mediums to learn. Campbell states in the video that all students need to learn every skill even if that is not their preference. The teacher will benefit greatly as well, as they will not be overwhelmed at trying to provide all the different modifications to individual students.

Modification isolate students. Even when implementing in a kind manner with the best intentions, students always notice when one student gets to do something in a different way. They question why one student gets additional time or why they only have to do half the test. Using UDL can make is so your classroom is all one, but all individual at the same time. When you teach to all students in a way that they all can be successful then you are doing more than to teach to one group or none at all by using the UDL model of instruction.

References:

UDL minimizes modifications for individual students. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2018, from http://udltheorypractice.cast.org/reading?3&loc=chapter3.xml_l5

Evaluate how the video has strengthened or otherwise changed your views about differentiated instruction? Do you have a deeper understanding and appreciation for differentiated instruction now? Why/ Why not?

The video has helped me see differentiated instructions better. The use of the UDL model plays a very important role in the classroom because it helps with all the students. It tailors to all their needs and makes learning engaging for them. With UDL you could work with their modification to help them in different ways.

Analyze the benefits for both students and the teacher when instruction follows the UDL framework when compared to the practice of isolating learners and planning for specific modifications for individual students.

UDL is a method that does not only helps the student but helps the teacher as well. It creates instructions easier and more engaging for the students because all the students have a unique learning style. One of the struggles is lesson planning because is not one size fits all and with our new technology that is a thing of the past. Now is easier with the UDL method.

Discuss what you learned in the video about setting up a non-threatening learning environment that does not isolate students. For example, what connections can you make between this and what you observed when analyzing the lesson during Week Three and when evaluating the example or resource in the Week Four Discussion 1.

UDL method helps the students to feel part of the class by making instructions easier and more engaging. With UDL teachers can incorporate deferent aids to help the student understand the given lesson. This is very helpful to them because it fits their needs and their unique learning style, and the students don’t feel isolate in the classroom.

References
http://udltheorypractice.cast.org/reading?3&loc=chapter3.xml_l5
Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu