Phil's+Page

My name is Phil Brophy and I am a special education English teacher at Hackensack High School.

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4 ideas to share with others (either that you've learned here or you've learned elsewhere) ===== =1. Social bookmarking= =2. Creating wikis= =3. Networking students in the classroom= =4. Moving from mastery of content to mastery of learning=

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3 principles of Universal Design for Learning ===== =1. representation = =2. expression = =3. engagement =

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2 changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the Digital Age ===== =1. using the smart board more optimally = =2. using newly discovered iPad applications =

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1 BIG idea to implement on Monday ===== =1. polleverywhere.com =

Reflection #1 At the core of UDL is the premise that often the curriculum is disabled (and disabling!). It is not flexible; it often poses barriers, and consequently prevents rather than supports optimal learning experiences. Do you agree or disagree with this view? Why or why not?

I think the curriculum is not necessarily inflexible, certainly not in the subject area I teach. Perhaps this is because I already try to adopt as multisensory an approach as possible. I think there can be certain limitations depending on financial and other resources available. In my classroom I use music, visual aids, movies, comic books, and a multitude of other resources to present the information to students in as many engaging and varied ways possible. I think one of the ways educators can enhance their professional practice is by collaborating and sharing ideas. Often there are teachers operating in a vacuum, not communicating what works and what doesn't with others. I think this type of collaboration is essential to making the curriculum more accessible and engaging for all learners.

Reflection #2 What are the benefits of analyzing the curriculum for strengths and weaknesses rather than focusing on the student’s strengths and weaknesses? What are the challenges of this approach?

It is important to analyze the curriculum for its strengths and weakness for numerous reasons. Because the needs of students change with every passing year, decade, generation and so on, the curriculum must be necessarily changeable. Student abilities will certainly vary, and it is important for all students to have access to the curriculum as this changes. The challenges of this approach can be likened to predicting where a baseball will fly before it is hit. The trajectory of our future seems to shift constantly as new replaces old at an increasingly rapid pace. Knowing what to incorporate into the curriculum is daunting, and determining what will be universal for the next generation is exceedingly difficult. That said, by focusing on mastering the process of learning rather than any particular content, and ensuring that students are able to access the curriculum regardless of their abilities, is essential.

Reflection #3 How can using a variety of materials and methods reach more of the learners within your classroom? What are the benefits of doing so? What are the challenges?

It cannot be briefly expressed how important a variety of materials and resources is to engaging all learners. In my classroom, English, we approach stories from so many perspectives, in text, visually with the help of movies, cartoons, graphic novels, not to mention interactive formats. When reading a book about war, it is important for everyone to feel, touch, and see some of the aspects of war that are lost when only read about on the printed page. The challenges often have to do with finding these resources. I have spent years finding materials to supplement and enhance my lessons, and have found that through collaboration and of course, the internet, this is not as difficult as it may have been in times past.

Reflection #4 What barriers are inherent in traditional assessments? What are the challenges in offering varied options for assessment? There are numerous barriers in traditional forms of assessment of students. Students learn differently, and they enter into the classroom with varying levels of aptitude and ability. A students growth should be assesses, not how closely they conform to pre set standards. The challenges of offering varied options for assessment are also numerous. Certain tasks must completed by individuals with specific, set abilities, so there should always be traditional time tested forms of assessment. It's important that all assessments are fair, which is difficult because of a persons individual bias. Determining fair and equal practices and assessments should be an ongoing process of professional improvement W Reflection #5 Given the realities of our modern age and the demands of our children’s future, is it really okay to allow teachers to choose whether or not they incorporate modern technologies into their instruction?

Being that technology use is one of the defining characteristics of our species, it seems unreasonable to allow teachers the choice of whether or not to use modern forms of technology. Especially given the current rate of growth, expansion, and widespread use of technology globally, it seems imperative that students be primed on the latest tools available to them to encourage learning, networking, growth, and success. This is not to say students should not learn time tested forms of technology, things like pen and paper, handwriting, and the like. But they must also have increased access to modern forms that can enable them to grow their skill sets further.

Reflection #6

I really enjoyed the concepts and ideas presented in this class. It was an overwhelming amount of novel information, in a good way. I will be looking over my class notes and the materials the teacher provided. I also like the format for learning, having individual time as well as group projects.

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4 ideas to share with others (either that you've learned here or you've learned elsewhere) ===== =1. Barrier/access activity = =2. Challenges and opportunities activity = =3. Agree, argue, aspire, assumptions activity = =4. Commonsensemedia.org =

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3 principles of Universal Design for Learning ===== =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">1. Representation = =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">2. expression = =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">3. engagement =

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<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">2 changes in your teaching to reach all learners in the Digital Age ===== =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">1. Create more of a web presence = =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">2. Classroom blogs =

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<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">1 BIG idea to implement on Monday ===== =<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">1. Commonsensemedia.org =

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">culminating activity 3

Net genners are the new, overwhelmingly large influential group of people under the age of about 25 or 30 who have lived their entire lives with significant access and contact with other people via technology. They are digital minded, and think in terms of blogs, tweets, and posts more than books, papers, and printouts. I ill share the information with numerous people in my professional circles, both of the special education teachers I work with, my principal, and a history teacher I collaborate with closely on lesson planning. I will most likely share the class information with my girlfriend, who is not a teacher, but will appreciate the technology.