At our last meeting, our learning pod was discussing the contexts that we will be including in our Interactive Learning Resource. With most of us being in the BEd program, we chose to focus on scenarios that we would likely see often in elementary classrooms. A variety of learning and cognitive disabilities were discussed, all of which we have seen in our observation classrooms or schools we’ve spent time in. We also explored scenarios that can arise when a student is ill or not present for an extended period of time.
Reading this week’s content, I was struck how much I could identify from our discussion in the Universal Design for Learning material. Like the example of the curb cuts benefiting more than the wheelchair users they were designed for, our brainstorming turned out the same results.
For example, we discussed the potential of having a learner with dyslexia in the class. Through an interactive online platform we selected to be a part of our resource, we explored options to help a learner with dyslexia be able to utilize our resource to the fullest. This involved ideas like embedding audio recordings of the written materials on the slides for learners to use if they wish. Using videos with audio was another version of this same idea to remove the barriers they may experience. As we continued to explore offering audio in a variety of ways, a group member brought up that this may also be beneficial to an English language learner (ELL) who might be more confident working with spoken English rather than written. And, of course, audio would be hugely beneficial to a student with a visual impairment. By the end of our discussion, it was apparent that a single learning support could benefit more than just the student(s) it was put in place for.
In this case above, we focused heavily on providing multiple means of representation.
By providing learners content through an alternate venue due to necessity for some, all students are able to benefit from these tools.
…there is not one means of representation that will be optimal for all learners; providing options for representation is essential.
CAST, 2018
References
CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at OU. (2017, July 25). Universal design for learning (part 4): Representation strategies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TVKGvnGPoA