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1. Implementing captions—I already do this for videos, but I also want to implement this within Powerpoint presentations.

2. Using a microphone—I have a very soft voice, and this past year had two students with major hearing loss.

3. Using large fonts—This and checking visibility from student vantage points.

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1. Text-to-Speech is an accessible classroom change that I will be making this upcoming year! As well as other digital accessible features such as captions, and using my interactive screen board for display content. As a kindergarten teacher this is extremely helpful for many students. We use iPads for benchmark testing, lessons, and readings.

2. I also will implement more labeled large font posters, easily accessible charts and word walls for students. I want them to be able to have a reference, and provide multiple hand held or at desk charts and guides, and images in order to remove any possible barriers. I have some, but things like a word of high frequency or having more "labeled" around the classroom for ELL students.

3. Lastly, I saw plenty of teacher utilize a microphone to enhance their voices. I'm sure this supported their hearing impaired students, as well as students that may need it. I really liked how the allowed for clear delivery of the lesson without having to elevating voice all day.

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Below will be three things that I do or will try to do more of to help my students learn.

1. I am fortunate enough to come from a county that provides all students with a Chromebook. We use these often in class. I like to play Kahoot with my students to change things up and make things more fun. It is very simple to use, and the students love it.

2. I also use my smart board every day, depending on the subject. For example, the curriculum has its online lessons that I can access and use in many ways. I like to have kids come up and answer questions, and they enjoy using the board. During my social groups, I use it often for social stories, and I always have the captions on.

3. Another thing I like to do with my math students is that they all have a whiteboard on their desk, so if we need to save some time instead of them coming to the board to answer the problems, I will just have them pull those out and use them. Just another easy way for students to enjoy learning.

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1. In IEPs, I am a big advocate for text-to-speech or electronic readers when it benefits students

2. I use my smart board to display math problems and interactive lessons for my co-taught and inclusion classes to complete together. The lessons are either read through iReady or I read them. They are also displayed large enough for everyone to see.

3. I would like to become more proficient at putting my classes on Canvas. My math team has considered linking a warm-up question to a daily calendar in Canvas for students to do as part of their daily routine.

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1. I use a microphone that's able to be worn like a necklace. It helps everyone in the room whether they're hard of hearing or not, because it keeps me from trying to yell or talk over people and the class can hear me much better compared to if I didn't use it!

2. We also use ipads to play on educational apps where they can work on reading and math skills. It gives the students a break from hearing me talk all day, as well as gives them a "game" to play while still working on growing their skills!

3. I'm a big fan of closed captioning/subtitles on videos. I always have the subtitles on while I'm watching tv and figured it could benefit some if not all of my students if some prefer to read those and listen, or just watch and listen.

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These are three things I used in my classroom last year to make learning more accessible with UDL strategies:

1. Text to speech tools such as Co-writer to support comprehension, decoding, and fluency. This technology includes features like text to speech, word prediction, and spelling recognition.  It allows students in the classroom to work more confidently and independently. By removing barriers related to written expression, this strategy benefits the whole class and helps ensure that all learners can access the curriculum.

2. Allowing students to respond orally or with drawings instead of just written words.  For example, I had a student who was more successful in communicating her knowledge through spoken responses rather than writing. This allowed her to express her understanding clearly, build confidence, and feel successful. When all students are the given the option to show what they know in different ways, they're able to demonstrate their learning in a way that best matches their strengths.

3. Celebrating small successes to build confidence and resilience in all students.  When we recognize and praise progress, not just perfection, it reduces the fear of failure. Celebrating these moments keeps students motivated and engaged. For example, offering verbal praise for using a decoding strategy to read an unfamiliar word reinforces effort.

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I had the privilege last year of teaching an inclusion class and needed to learn more about how I could make certain accommodations for my students. I'm excited to take even more of what I've been learning in my classes and applying it into my classroom this year.

1. I am getting more accessible desks. I have had traditional desks where the chair is connected to the desk and the only arrangement was to have them in traditional rows. I should be getting triangle desks so I can put my students in groups and the chairs will not be connected to the desk, making it easier for all students to sit in.

2. I want to apply more assistive technology in my class as well. I teach math and it's been a little hard to know what technology can actually be used, since I need to see their work to check for understanding. I do want to create and use more lessons using online tools that will help students gain a deeper understanding of the concept. For example, I've created a lesson on Desmos that will help students explore how to make polygons into smaller, more well known, shapes in order to find the area of the overall polygon. I can see the work each student does on this lesson to help evaluate them.

3. Visuals. I'm using visuals everywhere! Visual timers, so I don't need to do a verbal countdown every two seconds. Visual agenda's, objectives, procedures, expectations, all of it. I learned this last year that just because it's written down doesn't mean students read it. Visuals aren't the fail safe answer, but they help! Plus, I'm left handed and my handwriting isn't the neatest on whiteboards some times, so this helps with that as well.

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My ideal classroom would have three things:

1. I would establish a consistent, respectful and positive classroom environment. Before students can learn, they must trust the teacher and trust their environment. Each day I will greet them with a smile and a "Good morning, I am happy you're here!" Our morning routine would begin with a brief class meeting to go over expectations, ask questions and discuss the day. I will use positive reinforcement with every student and avoid restrictions, if possible.

2. I will use Explicit Instruction. In my humble opinion, it is the common sense of teaching. First, I will model it, then we can practice it and now you do it! Also, Explicit Instruction involves using clear, concise words and a curriculum that builds from year to year. Students with disabilities, ELL and neurotypical students benefit from Explicit Instruction.

3. I will utilize online resources with students using Chromebooks or tablets. I will use Voki next year to create avatars and interactive lessons. Voki is a good option for those who learn visually, students with ASD, ADHD students and neurotypical students. Voki can be translated into a variety of languages which makes Voki a good option for ELL students also.

I will use IXL to differentiate skills practice based on each students' areas of development. The sky is the limit. These are just two examples of online resources I have not used or want to use more of.

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I am fortunate enough to have inherited a classroom last year that had new art tables and a screen with Apple TV installed before I was hired. After 1 year in the room, I have noticed a few small tweaks that we could implement to make them more effective though.

1. Our tables are quite tall and require sitting in a bar height chair to work at them. This causes difficulty for some students on crutches, and I could foresee them being nearly impossible to work at for a student in a wheel chair. To remedy this, I’ve set aside 2 more standard height science tables that could easily be used as a secondary option for other students.

2. The table height also competes with the screen height which is about half way up the wall and causes some students in the back of the room from being able to see their daily bell work assignment. As you can imagine, it’s pretty important to be able to actually see the artwork being studied on the screen. My solution is to eventually have the screen simply moved higher on the wall, and in the meantime, provide bell work on worksheets that are right in front of the student in their sketchbook. These can also be translated and printed ahead of time, which streamlines the process of ELL and English speaking students receiving information as well.

3. A goal I have for this year that could help all students is to consistently upload my presentation slides onto google classroom for student access. Even though much of the class is dependent upon working in the room with available supplies, I think students who would prefer to read at a slower pace or quietly on their own outside of class would enjoy the opportunity to have access to the slides outside of the classroom. This could potentially open up a forum for students to comment on the Clyde’s in a discussion type format if they didn’t feel comfortable speaking in class or needed more time to think.

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I would integrate tools like text-to-speech software, screen readers, speech-to-text tools, and closed captioning on all media content to support students with visual impairments, reading challenges (like dyslexia), or physical disabilities that limit writing. My students are in social intervention and behavioral modification. Unfortunately, most if not all of my students lack access to various tools at home. It is important to ensure my lessons are accessible to everyone and ensure I am be proactive for their diagnosis.

I would offer flexible seating options—such as wobble stools, standing desks, cushions, and quiet workstations—to support students with ADHD, autism, or sensory processing needs. This helps all students regulate their energy and stay engaged in ways that work best for them.

I would design lessons using multiple modes—visual aids (charts, infographics), verbal explanations, hands-on activities, and written instructions. I’d also use visual schedules, picture-based cues, and color-coded materials to support students with cognitive disabilities or language processing delays.

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I’m a huge fan of explicit instructions, I personally tend to overthink and over complicate instructions. I believe explicit instructions are an easy way to implement UDL. Here are examples of ways I would implement explicit instructions:

Begin lessons with a clear statement of lesson goals and expectations

Provide step-by-step instructions

Use clear and concise language

I would also encourage my students to self reflect after tests. Allow them to tell me what concepts they need more time on, ask questions about questions on the test, or explain why they chose an answer. I would also give regular feedback and be open to them attempting the test again!

Since I'll be an art teacher I would give the option to 4th and 5th graders on how they might want to present their projects. Whether that be digitally, orally, or just written down for me to explain. Sometimes public speaking can be debilitating for students with or without disabilities so, I’d be flexible in the way they'd want to present their projects.

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One thing that stuck out to me that I can do to better the accessibility of my classes is making my class Canvas pages better. (1) Adding recap videos or topic overview videos for each topic we cover could be a big benefit to students who need more time and examples to process the topics we cover. This would also be a great way to help students who miss a lot of school days, as they can use these videos to help cover what they have missed. (2) Another way I could increase accessibility for students would be to add physical models for many of the geometric topics we cover. Giving students physical shapes to move and turn would definitely allow more students to fully grasps concepts. (3) The last way I could increase accessibility in my classroom would be to incorporate something like a class dictionary or vocabulary book. This is an idea I tried to incorporate in different ways last year, but just didn't execute super well. Mathematics has a lot of vocabulary students need to learn, so having a reference of some kind would be helpful to all students, in that it would provide them with a way to record the knowledge they need, a way to find the words they need, and an easy way to study words or concepts that are important.

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The first thing that I would do to make my classroom more accessible is choice when it comes to independent reading time specifically. I want to have many different options as far as genres because if a student is enjoying what they are reading they are going to read better. Also the biggest part would be offering audiobooks as an option. I have found some really great websites like EPIC that have audio and tandem reading books available. Also, there will be magazines and graphic novels for them to chose from. This will allow any student an outlet of reading.Going along with choice, having different assignment choices available could be great for accessibility because you are still assessing what the student knows, but just in a way that feels more comfortable to them. It can also help with different formats like via text to speech vs on paper. Another way would be using visual timers often times kids can get distracted or off topic when they do not realize how much longer they have to complete certain tasks, so having a visual timer on my smart board tends to help and hold kids accountable.

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My son is autistic, so I have learned a bit about UD from his own schooling. My three things would be:

1. In terms of lecturing I would have Alternative text for images and high contrast. Both of these could help students who need better visual clarification, and the high contrast would help everyone. I once saw a Powerpoint that was yellow on a white background, impossible to read.

2. Using clear language. It is easy to get bogged down in idioms but some students are too young to understand or some students may come from a different culture which would confuse them. Using plain language or just the facts, only the facts work.

3. IEP/504 accommodations. Things like leaving front seats available to reduce distractions and this also can be helpful for students that are distracted. Giving students extra time on assignments. This is very helpful. I often have kids come in before and after school, or during another class if they have permission. This takes the pressure off and makes that student feel much more comfortable in class. I would also limit distractions. I see lots of classrooms that are, over decorated. This is highly distracting for anyone, but too much stuff or too many bright things is a distraction for anyone.

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I think when it comes to an agriculture classroom, there are many ways to make my classroom more accessible for all students. The first way that I think I can use would be hands-on learning with adapted tools. This way, we can use tools and equipment that are modified for different abilities. An example of tools could be hand tools, raised garden beds, and VR headsets. The second way would be by using visual resources. I can incorporate diagrams, Videos, models, and audio to support different learning styles, and students with visual, auditory, or cognitive needs. The third way would be flexible seating and workspace. I can provide students with adjustable tables, maybe a standing desk, and wheelchair accessible workstation for more comfort for all my kids.

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I've been reading a lot about UDL in my classes, and I love all the ideas to incorporate different things into classrooms. My first go-to is graphic organizers (whether on physical paper or online). They're very versatile and can help all students organize their thoughts on a subject. The specific ones would depend on the subject being taught, but I really like the Frayer Model, since it provides definitions, examples and non-examples.

Another thing that could be helpful is closed captioning in videos, which could help students that have hearing impairments and students who have trouble with English. Lastly, visual timers can be very helpful for everyone (especially if you don't have a clock in your classroom, or only have an analog clock). You can even find fun ones on the internet! When I was a TA, my professor used a "duck race" timer for his undergrads during exams, and they loved it.

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Tianna Haas — Week 4 Design Thinking & Accessibility

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Tianna Haas — Week 4 Design Thinking & Accessibility

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I would implement the following strategies or tools in my classroom to increase accessibility:

1. Closed Captioning in Videos: Closed captioning is a simple and easy tool to include when displaying classroom videos. Beyond assisting students with hearing impairments, closed captioning would also aid my ELL students as they decipher audible English and written English. Plus I nearly always have CC on, so it is a comfort to have for me as well!

2. Choice-Based Assignments (Demonstrate Knowledge): Alternatives to express knowledge have countless applications. Allowing a variety of methods to show understanding can cater to diverse learning styles, personalities, and competency levels, and ultimately, give agency to students. For example, I would have students summarize a reading passage by choosing whether to create a poster, give a verbal presentation, or write the summary.

3. KWL Chart (Specific Graphic Organizer): The Know-Want to Know-Have Learned (KWL) Chart, a type of graphic organizer, is a valuable resource for students to self-examine throughout a lesson on what they are bringing to the table and walking away with. I would like to offer it in some contexts because it is a stepping stone from prior learning to new learning, and it clarifies connections from previous days to keep learning relevant.

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When it comes to incorporating UDL in the classroom, it doesn't have to be for only one student. If one student needs something, maybe everyone can benefit from it. The 3 things I enjoy using in the classroom are 1: "I can" statements, this may be required at most schools, but I agree with having it. Some students struggle with understanding the main idea, so by posting this statement, it explicitly tells them the main idea. You can post it on the smart board or white board with the lesson. 2: Background knowledge, never assume every student is aware of the ideas being taught, every student comes from a different background/home. I taught this book in 3rd grade about a circus; however, I discovered MOST of my students had never been to a circus, and SOME didn't know what it was. So I had to back up a few steps and teach "what is a circus" before continuing... because had I tried to continue, they would not have understood the vocabulary words. We can do this by showing a short video before we teach or showing pictures while introducing vocabulary. And 3: Graphic Organizers - this is such a great UDL tool, every student can benefit from having their thoughts sorted out, being able to complete work in small chunks, and getting it checked along the way. You can do this by creating one in google docs and then printing the paper for the student to write on. Or if they have access to chromebooks you can have them open the doc and share it with you. I loved doing it this way so I can highlight and discuss specific sentences or words with them, without invading their personal space.

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Firstly, visual timers are a great feature for increasing accessibility. Often, students with disabilities can see difficulties resulting from challenges with transitions. In cases such as this, I would like to further implement visual timers as an assistive technology tool for alerting students when an activity is going to end, when we will be transitioning, how much time students have to finish a task, and more.

Furthermore, I would like to incorporate instruction that includes accessible features, such as closed captioning. When creating instructional materials, it's important to integrate features such as this to eliminate barriers due to hearing challenges, and build connections between auditory input and written text.

Lastly, I would like to incorporate a universally-designed classroom. This can include flexible seating, tools for writing/reading, and engagement. Since I will be working in a special education setting, it's important that students have access to a wide variety of assistive tools to help them succeed, and have proper access to classroom material. An example of a component of a universally-designed setting would be allowing fidgets for students with ADHD and autism.

I feel as though I have a pretty good understanding of AT (see gif above).