My last interview was with another elementary school teacher who has implemented Sarah Ward’s methods into his practice. He originally found the UDLs intriguing and extremely valid, as he hadn’t taught his students how to better recognize or utilize spatial temporal thinking before.
He believes that this form of thinking, the ability to manage time to complete tasks, “runs’ in our society, and is needed to be recognized in every classroom. He believes that educators need to prepare students for a society that requires us to manage every minute of our day due to the comparisons we make online, and the correlation between societies increasing anxiety and need to manage every minute of time.
Since putting 360 Degree Thinking in action, he has seen an enormous difference in his student’s ability to plan a complete task within a specific time frame. From beginning to end, they now have the ability to prepare for any task, no matter the subject, appropriately. Using Sarah Ward’s methods, students (individually and collectively) have an awareness of time, and the tools they need to achieve success.
He believes that his most complex learners are drawn specifically to the working clock method, and now find it difficult to start a task without utilizing that method. Regardless of the classroom, 360 Degree Learning methods allow students and teachers alike to start a task collectively, with an understanding of how time passes and the tools needed to achieve the task at hand. These methods help cease the ‘spoon feeding’ epidemic found in intermediate classrooms, as 360 Degree Learning methods promote the gradual release of responsibility.