It seems as if incorporating Universal Design in your classroom may be too daunting a task with all of the material you already need to introduce to your students. However, it can be small, simple changes to your classroom environment that can make all the difference to keep your students engaged and learning.
Consider the problem of distractions...I for one am a bit ADD when I am trying to learn something. I am easily distracted by random noises. Even the sound of someone typing on a keyboard is often just enough to derail my train of thought. How about adding a few rugs to your room (if you have linoleum floors) or sound dampening panels around your room to soak up extraneous noises? That is typically enough to deaden the distracting noises in a room. This will help students become more comfortable within the classroom and help them to concentrate on what they are learning.
Students also have anxiety when they do not know what is expected of them. Provide your students with a syllabus for each consecutive week. It does not necessarily need to be a full semester syllabus, just 1 or 2 weeks in advance so they are aware of what is coming up. If there is a film or project that they will be engaged in, they may become excited for that event taking place if they know it is coming. It is a great hook for their interest through anticipation.
The UDL guidelines website is a great tool to gain ideas for your classroom environment and to help you build effective lessons to keep your students engaged.
Consider the problem of distractions...I for one am a bit ADD when I am trying to learn something. I am easily distracted by random noises. Even the sound of someone typing on a keyboard is often just enough to derail my train of thought. How about adding a few rugs to your room (if you have linoleum floors) or sound dampening panels around your room to soak up extraneous noises? That is typically enough to deaden the distracting noises in a room. This will help students become more comfortable within the classroom and help them to concentrate on what they are learning.
Students also have anxiety when they do not know what is expected of them. Provide your students with a syllabus for each consecutive week. It does not necessarily need to be a full semester syllabus, just 1 or 2 weeks in advance so they are aware of what is coming up. If there is a film or project that they will be engaged in, they may become excited for that event taking place if they know it is coming. It is a great hook for their interest through anticipation.
The UDL guidelines website is a great tool to gain ideas for your classroom environment and to help you build effective lessons to keep your students engaged.
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