Research, & Rebuilding a UDL Classroom Environment

I recently reviewed everything that I’ve posted to my blog since the start of the grad school program at OSU. There’s been some things that definitely stand out as patterns that are more easily noticed when looked at as a whole. Several of the patterns that I’ve noticed involve a focus around environment and how individuals relate to it. I’ve personally changed environments; the old high school building is now our new middle school, and I’ve moved to a newly built high school. Much of the earlier posts dealt with the move and how I am learning the new space and how people navigate it. Several positive comments from my vice principal listed in a prior post involve a positive and safe learning environment. The UDL course had many things that I found very useful; much of which centered around creating a learning environment. The lesson plans I had written out and posted involved ecology and art, and asked students to create something with their environment in mind. Much of the artwork that I do also involves recycled materials from my surroundings. I’ve recently guided students through class projects that involved a stronger focus on community and environment. Painting is currently working on a positive message graffiti mural with painted vinyl decal stickers, Drawing is working on a contour line drawing coloring book to be distributed during our arts festival, and 2D/3D Studio has recently installed a hanging soft sculpture installation in the main atrium. Many later posts discuss how I am working through the problems with new full-force resurgence of my lifelong ADHD. Many of those struggles are due to the changes in my environment (environment here including all possible nouns: people, places, and things). I have found myself wondering if my subconscious foresaw the new struggles of the change in environment that prompted a focus on it, or if the focus on environment has always been there? The environment in the new school building has been a war on many fronts. I’m doing the best I can. I feel very strongly about the use of UDL as a means to solve issues in this tumultuous environment for both myself and my students.

As I look back on some of the statements from past posts I found some surprises and some challenges to my current and past thinking. Some surprises involved the statements from my vice principal in his observation of me. He wrote “great class environment, smooth class process, and high expectations.” This year has been a struggle and I currently feel like the environment has fallen apart, the procedures no longer function as intended, and I have considerably lowered my expectations of what success looks like. I am saddened to know that things have fallen so far in so short a time. I knew some of the problems were coming, but did not fully comprehend how difficult they would be and what forms they would take. I also couldn’t tell just how much a toll they would exact from me. That is a discussion for another time, however. I was also surprised to find how far back I had been thinking about including student collaboration for furthering their learning. In the current classroom the students are seated in tables groups that tend to create an atmosphere of a lunchroom table, as compared to the rigid structures of a military precise set of rows and columns often found in a typical core subject classroom. I’ve used both configurations in past buildings and can safely say that students (especially “post”-covid) are more apt to socialize when facing their peers as compared to not. The socialization is here to stay so I might as well use it to my advantage. I have had a lot of struggles this school year with the “covid lag” in SEL skills as well as prior content knowledge in students. As I’ve started enacting some of the UDL practices into my classroom I was acting under the assumption that students were going to continue to act like the students I’ve had in the past. I was mistaken. As I worked with my prior processes as well as the slowly introduced new UDL practices I found that I was overestimating what students understood and were capable of. The vice principal had noted that I had “high expectations” for students during his observation, and I think it’s biting me in the rear this semester. To be clear, I’m not saying that the students are not capable. These young minds are very malleable and can achieve great things. The problem is that my initial assumption of how I should prepare for the year was incorrect and now I’m paying the price in long 80–100-hour weeks to catch up with the daily problems that are added ad infinitum to my to-do list. I spend most of my contract hours “putting out fires” and end up working until 1 AM to prepare things for the next day and later in the week. I’ve been focusing on remaking the entire organizational structure of my classroom and procedures to better suit the needs of students and teacher.

I think the coursework I’ve covered so far at OSU has been helpful and will continue to be helpful. As I progressed through the first several courses I began keeping a notebook full of detailed notes on things that I would like to come back to as my memory fades and I need to refresh. The notes lean heavier on the coursework from UDL, assessment, & artmaking and nonsense strategies for meaning-making in art. I’m glad to have the collected resources. I think knowing what I know now is one of the only things saving me this school year. The UDL course was almost perfectly timed around when I began having more severe daily struggles with my ADHD. I now have words for the struggles I face, strategies for facing them, and resources for preparing for them. This school year I have had anxiety levels comparable to when I managed a corporate run family portrait studio during Christmas (Note: if you are considering that as a possible profession, I would strongly caution against it). Some days I feel like I’m in shock from a severe wound, except I can’t find where to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. It’s clear that some of my students are running into struggles of their own this year. If I’m feeling the way I do with the knowledge I have, how are those students who don’t have that knowledge coping? I can see from just my classes that they are not. I know that I have quite a few students with ADHD, and I recognize some of their struggles from when I was younger. Since the start of the pandemic there have been news articles stating that post-covid and long-covid symptoms like “brain fog” mimic some symptoms of ADHD in non-neurodivergent people. I think that I can apply the UDL practices I’ve learned along with coping strategies from the ADHD community to create a more effective classroom environment for both teacher and student. At least that’s my current ADHD hyper-fixation plan, anyway.

I have collected a series of images documenting the processes and structures I’ve been creating in my classroom this semester to accommodate for the different environmental and social factors in the classroom. Each photo has been annotated with the contents and additional information needed to understand it’s context. The first few photos are taken at my home where I’ve been planning things out. The remaining photos are from the classroom, and depict the resources and structures I’ve created to bring order to the room. The last two images are a before and after of my digital “daily directions” slide that I place on the Clevertouch board to cover what students do during the period.

Looking at everything together, I am surprised by how many new resources and procedures have been put in place in such a short time. I am also noting how much I am striving for consistency in visual presentation. I am also seeing how much information there is to track. These images don’t even show the procedures that administration has put in place, like the sign-in Chromebook and other digital procedures for tracking students. I wonder how much is too much. At what point does the visual information become just a blur, and student eyes just glaze over? I’ve noted less student attention and engagement this year to begin with, and I’m not the only one to state this in the building. When I look at the images of things like my whiteboard I wonder if it’s just too much thin text on a board to bring attention. When I remind students to check the criteria on the whiteboard, I often note that they just glance in its direction for less time than it would take to read and go about their business as usual. I’m not sure of the solution at this time. They need to have their resources available to combat forgetfulness and lack of attention. However, I can’t add everything in bright blinding colors because the entire room will look like the Las Vegas strip and nothing will stand out from the visual noise. There has to be a line where the visual stimulus reaches its peak. I might look into some additional research in advertising and interior design to find something I can use. I know from my own personal experience that overstimulation from tiny bits of text and data is overwhelming and I can’t find anything I’m looking for. There’s just too much information to track. I’ve tried putting it in Google Classroom with emoji’s of cameras (for photo assignments), and papers (for writing assignments), and emojis specific to units of study to help organize it. However, I’m finding that placing things in a digital location is an added barrier for students. This adds the steps of collecting their Chromebook, logging in, finding the proper Google Classroom page, finding the correct post, reading the text, and possibly scrolling down to find the document or video they should use. And then, they would have to read the text if it’s written directions or criteria. With the multiple courses being taught simultaneously this year it is imperative that the content be available to students somehow because no teacher can cover that many things at the same time. I think the emojis are helping, but if the students lack the literacy skills needed to accomplish many of those steps effectively the resources might as well not exist.

When reviewing our state scores at a prior staff meeting, we noted that our school has a generally low score in reading and literacy, while the science and math are high. The amount of text present on the whiteboard and around the room hopefully are encouraging reading. I find that it is going both ways. Students will either completely ignore all written text, or take a longer amount of time to read it. When students get comfortable with the visual cues for their color coded supplies they are more likely to follow procedures and understand what is needed. I’m stuck on the decision to forego the text and replace it with symbols. However, I believe that the literacy is important. I just finished grading some reading assignments, artist statements, and some drawings that required students to follow written directions, and it’s abundantly clear that literacy needs to be a focus in the room. Again, I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ll discuss with some of the other teachers in the building to see what they have found to work.

This is still a work in process. I have a few questions still on my mind in regards to the classroom environment:

1. How much is too much? Where is the line between available information and visual noise?

2. What is more effective in an art room; symbols, or text? Which is more important? Is it a disservice to students to exclusively use one or the other?

3. Can social media engagement strategies work for content in the classroom?

I’ve researched some more and found the following resources that should prove useful in additionally managing the classroom to remove barriers for all present. They are listed below, along with some past resources I have found during my coursework at OSU.

#ReflectivePractice #Research #Environment #UDL #VisualStimuli

Bibliography:

O'Regan, F. (2019). Chapter 2: How Can We Manage ADHD Behavior? Pp. 20-29. Successfully Teaching and Managing Children with ADHD: A Resource for SENCOs and Teachers (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.4324/9780429024290

This book covers the gamut from explaining what ADHD is, to providing strategies and insight into behavior management strategies and methods of building an effective learning environment. Some of Chapter 2 covers key features of effective praise and positive feedback, including consistency, honest, specificity, and delivery. I have noted in myself the ways in which I will accept accolades and when I will reject them, and these features track with my experience. I know that my students will often ask for approval of their artwork when they are unsure, and sometimes when they seem very sure that it is well done and need that encouragement. They are also not shy when it comes to reminding me if I haven’t given out some sort of prize, praise, or privilege that they valued in a while. The chapter goes into detail about “sanctions” for poor behavior, but I found more interest in the behavior intervention strategies. Something I found noteworthy is the “removal of nuisance items.” Often times the nuisance items in my classroom are the tools of the trade, when students are eager to work and less interested in the sound of my voice. I find that both myself and many of my students need to have their resources at their fingertips to engage with them or the likelihood that they completely disengage increases dramatically. The current challenge is finding the line between the removal of the nuisance items and providing materials to remove barriers to actively engaging with the work autonomously. I find as my department works its way towards more TAB practices we have a greater need for autonomy of the students while simultaneously needing to reduce material clutter in the smaller spaces we were provided in the new school. This chapter also covers how to utilize student interest in participation or having an “escape valve” task as a means of reinforcement of positive behaviors. I am looking into more ways I can capitalize on some of my students’ interests to remove things from my to-do list by adding them to the students’ as a method of providing positive reinforcement.

Patrick, A. (2020). The memory and processing guide for neurodiverse learners : Strategies for success. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

This book goes into details specifically on methods and procedures to follow for processing memory for a varied group of neuro-diverse individuals. Many of the mnemonics and visual memory strategies I have employed myself, like storyboarding, graphic organizers, visual acronyms, and mind’s eye photos. These have proven effective when working with the myriad of things I need to remember as a teacher. While I can employ some of these methods, the more useful strategies listed include the use of color coding for organization and planning with whiteboards. Typically people understand a visual image faster than text, and the simpler the better. Lately I’ve been employing color coding with my notes and my planning for my assignments both at school and at home, and it has been effective. This has prompted me to color code the labeling around my classroom and to create branding for each course. The attempts are currently having a slow time at catching on, but part of this could be due to the alteration of the procedures partly through the semester. Those who are catching on, get it. In future semesters I will be continuing to improve upon the visual memory strategies of branding and color coding to get students more on pace with classroom procedures as well as myself.

Collins, B. (2020, March 3). The Pomodoro Technique Explained. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryancollinseurope/2020/03/03/the-pomodoro-technique/?sh=31702e213985.

This article covers some of the content that has popped up in several different books, articles, and videos related to organizational frameworks. The pomodoro technique is a method of working in small chunks of time to accomplish tasks more efficiently, while allowing for breaks to be taken for transition time between tasks. It breaks up the time to make the work look more easily accomplished. The breaking up of the time also allows the time to be tracked, and provide smaller successes or landmarks towards a goal. The Pomodoro technique could be utilized in a classroom setting to provide structure, while also allowing time for transitions between tasks and a brain “refresh.” Breaking up the work in this way would help students who feel like making art is not for them, and will also break up the time for the students who find themselves doing deep dives on a project without regard to anything else. I think this technique could be coupled with some others like the Eisenhower Matrix or a Gantt Chart for a teacher to better plan and sort the numerous tasks that arise during a day as well as to plan the overall structure of a semester.

Annotated Bibliographies (Already researched):

Beattie, D. K. (1997). Assessment in art education. Davis Publications.

Chapter 4 through 6 of Assessment in Art Education by Beattie is a very detailed analysis of processes and techniques for assessment in an art education classroom. This writing lists a variety of techniques from critiques to rubrics to checklists, and so on. Each method described includes a detailed explanation of how it can be used, what language could apply to the method, and how students may interact with it. Examples are provided for most of the processes as well. This chapter would prove very useful in an art education setting by providing varieties of methods to break up a monotony of process in the classroom, as well as providing options to choose to incorporate into a regular classroom process to build familiar classroom structures. Chapter 5 and 6 of Assessment in Art Education by Beattie covers both formative and summative assessment practices, and a long list of techniques associated with each type of assessment. This was especially helpful in finding methods that would be of use to varying types of lessons, timeframes, and criteria of assignments.

Darts, D. (2006). “Art education for a change: Contemporary issues and the visual arts” Art Education, 6-12.

This article begins with a demonstration of performance art created at an 8th grade convocation that calls attention to bullying and hate speech, and introduces a group of students and staff that will stand against it. This group continues through the school year to create artworks and experiences that deal with creating social change in their school. The rest of this article talks about Darts’s practice in his classroom to create a curriculum that is more meaningful to the student population by addressing contemporary issues through their work. Through the process of working with this type of curriculum Darts came to a point in which 2/3 of the work done was planned by the students themselves in the classroom. To avoid chaos, criteria are set and group/team building exercises are arranged in addition to the research and presentation materials that each student who writes a lesson must complete. While the outcome did not always land where intended, by allowing the students to take an active part in their education the course can become one of the most rewarding to both teach and learn in. Art is often relegated to the sidelines in a school setting, and the focus on specifically art for art’s sake curriculum pushes it further down it’s own oubliette that nobody will interact with in any meaningful way. Pushing for curriculum that has meaning to the students and community will keep arts education as a meaningful subject and topic in the lives of the community.

Nelson, L. L. (2021). Design and deliver: planning and teaching using universal design for learning. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

This reading covers the premise that UDL is not a list of steps on a checklist, but a framework that allows learners to take ownership through an understanding of their learning. UDL requires teachers to investigate how the learning environment & lessons is designed, and how to communicate and through what tools and resources will learners learn. When something is planned, it takes the form of understanding from visualization to solution, while design begins with the solution in mind and moves the visualization. All learners inherently learn differently from one another, and all learners learn based on the content. There are many factors like student interest and perceived skill that affect learning. UDL has a focus on removing barriers to allow students to complete the work they must do in an effective manner that acknowledges their learning differences without belittling them. This practice of changing the learning environment might also include alterations of how relationships interact in class, or when done online.

Novak, K. (2016). UDL Now! A Teacher’s Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Classroom. “2 Types of Learning Standards & UDL Implementation.”

This reading cover why it is necessary to design lessons with the standards in mind, and how to use ICS (Integrated Comprehensive Systems for Equity) in order to build UDL into a classroom setting. The ICS practice comes with 4 non-negotiables, including a focus on equity, aligning staff and students, transforming teaching and learning, and leveraging policies and funding. ICS provides a step-by-step model that ensures that school systems are capable of supporting and scaling up the best practices like UDL. The two types of standards included in this reading are a content standard and a method standard. A content standard is one that requires specific knowledge, and a method standard is one that focuses on a specific task or means. The verbs written in a standard in helping to determine what type of standard you would be working with. Content standards might include something like “describe,” “analyze,” “differentiate,” or “discuss.” On the other side of this, a method standard may include language like “perform,” “solve,” “or “create.” This reading also covers the use of scaffolding and how each student should be provided with it if the standard asks for them to demonstrate their learning. The most important thing is that the students are showing progression of skills and knowledge, but it isn’t necessarily important that they do the work exactly as stated to them. Implementing UDL practices would start with the standard to be analyzed, determining the audience for the standard, and to determine what aspect of the standards students are required to know, and which they must do.

Art21. (2016, March 4). Abraham Cruzvillegas Autoconstrucción | Art21 “Extended Play” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-3JWhmgkQ4&ab_channel=Art21 This video covers Abraham Cruzvillegas and his work Autoconstrucción, which is an act from his hometown and similar communities to continually add and build onto a home based on the needs of the people and the space. He explained that he does not want to illustrate Autoconstrucción. He did not want to represent exactly what he has experienced in his everyday life. His work is about the act of autoconstrucción and not it’s product, though it’s product is what informs us about the act. His work is created by an act of using what is on hand and the immediate needs of the process to create his structures that may reference aspects of the home he grew up in, which was built using the same methods. The process of self-construction in his home was meant to meet the needs of the family, while self-construction in the gallery space was meant to meet the needs of filling the space with structures that allow those who experience the work to create their own meaning.

Buda, S., Fedorenko, J., Sheridan, M. A. (2012). Business of Art Education: A fairytale adventure. Art Education: The Journal of the National Art Education Association. p6-14.

This article focuses on the similarities in practice of advocacy for a visual arts program and a successful business practice. One point includes the fact that curriculum in contemporary art programs is co-constructed with students, parents, and community members to serve the needs of the groups involved. The first tale of the 3 little pigs in this narrative of art education explains in 3 steps how as art educators we may first begin with specific and scripted content (which is predetermined and technical but lacking deeper content), then evolve into something like Discipline Based Art Education (which can lack personal significance, and hits just the surface of art history and content), and finally get into something like Community Based Arts Education (in which students and communities play an active role in exploring art and themselves). The second story of Alice covers the need for teachers to create a program of integrated learning with skills about collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity among others in order to get through the rabbit hole that is funding cuts and restructured programs. The third tale of Dorothy covers a plan to create an arts integrated school and the work it would take to overcome obstacles of those with difficulties in helping make it a reality. The end notes of this article were very poignant to me due to recent events in my own teaching career: that teachers in the arts cannot force their way in, but should gently partner with their communities and leaders to build a better tomorrow for education based on the needs of a 21st century school system.

Daniel, V. & Drew, D. (2011). Art Education and the community act: An inquiry into the interior of the process. In B. Young (Ed.). Art, Culture and Ethnicity, 2nd Edition. Reston, VA: NAEA Press, 37-43.

This article, written by Vesta Daniel of OSU and Deborah Drew of Southern Lee High School, is written for an audience of art educators from pre-service to those with a PhD. The focus is on community-based arts education and how it can create engaging spaces for the surrounding community, when proper research into the values and needs of the community itself. The quoted experience in this article is from Vesta Daniel’s 13 years of experience in various CBA projects. A point made throughout this paper is the importance of reflective practice. Educators should be looking at why a CBA project would be created and if this is based on community need or personal bias. Educators should rely on heuristic practice to learn a community through personal experience and practice, coming from an unbiased place. Prior knowledge of teachers should be vetted, otherwise it can interfere with learning. The act of learning a community should be an ongoing process of study. There is often a web of interactions and goals that lead towards a better understanding of a community and what a project needs to take hold. This article goes into detail about Dr. Daniel’s African ancestry and the related communities that she has done CBA work with. Individuals create their identities for themselves as opposed to having them assigned, which flies in the face of some academia and human tendencies to assign objects or people to categories. Understanding this is a key component of a community composed of self-actualized individuals.