Taking a Variability Perspective
by Susan George
1. If teachers plan lessons that teach to the middle or expect some learners to fail, these expectations UNCONSCIOUSLY become self-fulfilling prophecies.
1.1. Most schools plan for students as if they were all the same.
1.2. fundamental tension: needs are almost always understood as lacks
2. ALL learners benefit form UDL!
3. Goal setting requires synthesis skills, which are easy for some but a chore for others.
4. What is LEARNING?---the process of acquiring knowledge and skills as we interact with the world around us
4.1. ANYONE can become an expert learner!
5. Lessons should focus on broader concepts, building knowledge that can be transferred and generalized to other contexts
6. Get their attention!
6.1. ENGAGEMENT!
7. Offer Options that provide learners with multiple experiences
8. Provide options that support comprehension
9. Make it matter!
10. Provide scaffolding for transfer and generalizations
11. Executive function skills
12. Short term=novel content
