Course Reflection

This class opened my eyes up to the maximization of potential that teachers have to make

a difference in a child’s life. The biggest thing that sticks in my head after reading about,

researching and reflecting on UDL is that teaching and learning is not a one-size fit for everyone.

The culture of the world is slowly but surely becoming a more inclusive environment and that is

what our classrooms are striving at too. If teachers are able to be successful in reaching the

individual needs of all learners, the world will begin to see a big difference. It starts as small as

getting to know your students and how they learn best. Communication with everyone involved

in the educational journey is important too. Finally, the guidelines and checklists provided in

UDL must be learned, practiced and put into play in the classroom.

Learning the background of UDL really helped me in understanding where it came from,

who helped out and why it is so important. Understanding that UDL is ever-changing and keeps

up with the times keeps me on my toes as an educator. I have learned to keep the guidelines in

the forefront of my mind while planning and teaching. Focusing on specific disabilities and how

UDL can be integrated in the educational journey of struggling learners was a great way to be

successful in including students with disabilities in my classroom. I feel confident in my skills to

be able to make a student feel supported and included in my classroom. I understand so much

more about the differing abilities of students and I feel that it is very important to get to know

each student in order to help them be successful. As for my personal goals, I wanted to balance

my life between being a first year teacher and being in graduate school, be a contributing

member of my teaching team and encourage those around me to practice more self-care. I feel

successful in most of those items! It was difficult to balance the first of the goals, but I did get

my best work done for teaching and school although it was hard, but that is expected! I was a
contributing member of my team during planning. It has been nice getting to know new people

during this time. Lastly, I do feel successful in spreading the idea of self-care! Especially with

my final project focusing on being mindful, I feel more encouraged to keep influencing people to

focus on being in their present moment.