Project-Based Learning & UDL

Designing for Every Learner

I believe in setting students on the proper path to a meaningful life by ensuring learning is accessible, engaging, and relevant. To prevent the apathy that can creep in as students get older, I move away from rote, single-format assessments. Instead, I rely on Universal Design for Learning and Project-Based Learning. By giving students an authentic audience beyond just their teacher, we maximize human-to-human connections and motivate them to reach their highest potential.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Every child has unique strengths, and I do whatever it takes to differentiate my instruction so they can each find their own success.

Flexible Assessments

During a novel study on the historical fiction book The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn, I bypassed the traditional multiple-choice test. Instead, I assessed comprehension by having students create a "marketing campaign". They chose from a variety of formats—advertisement posters, video trailers, character trading cards, short graphic novels, producing a play, or making a webpage, which empowered diverse students to leverage their individual strengths to show mastery.

Digital Accessibility

For the California Mission Project, I allowed students to use multimedia tools like Google Slides. Many traditional mission projects require physical models that heavily rely on parent assistance, which takes ownership away from the student. Leveraging digital skills bridges the gap between high- and low-performing students and makes learning manageable and fun.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) & Collaboration

Learning has to be meaningful, which is why I structure assignments to be project-based and collaborative whenever possible so diverse students can tap into each other’s strengths.

The Wax Museum

Students mastered biographical research and writing by becoming historical figures who overcame challenges. They took notes, created visual timelines, drafted two-minute speeches, and performed live in outfits for an authentic audience of 6th-graders during the day and families at Open House. To prepare collaboratively, students practiced their speeches with a partner who provided feedback using a "Glows and Grows" rubric with sentence stems. This ensured English Learners had a safe, low-stakes opportunity to practice speaking constructively.

Publishing Poetry

In 4th grade, we stepped outside to find inspiration like Robert Frost, drafted original poems, illustrated them in a Shel Silverstein fashion, and compiled a complete class poetry book. Students also wrote "poems of possibilities" to their older selves, visualized them on Google Slides, and recited them to the class and their families, gaining confidence through public speaking.

Bringing History to Life

To make abstract historical concepts tangible, my 7th-graders created medieval-style stained-glass art and descriptive plaques using construction and tracing paper. My 6th-graders built Roman columns to illustrate historical events, crafted clay terracotta soldiers, and deciphered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. These cross-disciplinary projects were hung as a gallery walk so students could learn from each other's work.

Clinical Justification for Differentiation

Effective UDL requires differentiating instruction based on cognitive profiles rather than cultural preconceptions. Applying Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences ensures I provide a wide variety of instructional options. For those who benefit from auditory elements, I provide headphones during independent assignments to allow engagement with complementary audio. For students navigating attention or sensory challenges, I create designated, distraction-free environments with visual cues to avoid overwhelming them with dense text. During distance or asynchronous learning models, I curate digital hubs integrating interactive formative assessments via Pear Deck, digital manipulatives, and asynchronous video response tools to maintain rigorous instructional continuity.

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