From Myth Busting to Expert Learning: Implementing Universal Design
Universal Design for Learning, the core beliefs, operational principles, accessibility, tailoring learning, flexibility, myth busting around learning styles, and creating expert learners
Last week we discussed what Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is, its links with Ecological Psychology (something is learned by someone, somewhere) and how it can be used to make learning for all more accessible, effective and enjoyable. We covered the 3 core beliefs:
1. Variability - Humans benefit from learning in different ways, accessing different materials and using different cognitive or motor patterns to explore the learning space.
2. Firm goals - Everyone is able to work towards the same goals. It is not the goals that need adjusting but the learning environment.
3. Expert learners - We can all become expert learners if barriers are removed and a broad array of learning affordances are offered.
We also looked at how the digital/physical, temporal (timing), social and cultural elements of an environment can be used to introduce variability, adjust the environment and identify barriers to learning that are not focused on the individual learner as the barrier.
This week we will cover the three guiding principles of UDL to help put it into practice:
1. Provide multiple means of engagement
2. Provide multiple means of representation
3. Provide multiple means of action and expression
Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
This principle is about driving engagement through variability. Some learners are driven by novelty and learning new things in new ways. Others might like routine and familiar terminologies. Consider how the learning impacts their life or its relevance to them. This is not only limited to the form of accessing the information and reason for accessing it, but engagement might mean individual or social learning. Let's even add in the hybrid of social learning through an Ai platform like Bing chat.
What are different ways people can engage with the topic? If you are doing a lecture after a long work day, how might the lecturer engage you differently compared to if the lecture was first thing in the morning?
Provide Multiple Means of Representation
How learners perceive and comprehend information is dynamic and varies between learners and within the same learner at different times, physical/digital locations, around different people and within different cultures.
The key here is not catering to someone's "learning style", which as we discussed last week, is a myth about having one fixed optimal means of taking in information visually, auditorily or kinesthetically. There are times when we need to differentiate learning for those with sensory, language or cognitive differences. But this differentiation should still be universally accessible.
Often the cultural environment (academia, sports, office) dictates normalised means of representation. Academia predominantly utilises reading and writing, in English, drawing from westernised texts. With new media like YouTube, podcasts and Ai chat, there are more layered methods of representation that should not be reserved only for those who cannot access the default written version.
Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Can you create a meme demonstrating your understanding of social role theory? How might this invitation afford differentiated learning for different people versus a standard test? Maybe that test environment is not the best way to elicit full understanding for some. How can videos, discussions or other formats also allow for demonstration of learning while exploring alternative views?
This connects back to the second and third beliefs- firm goals and expert learners. Often, learning outcomes can be demonstrated in more universally accessible ways, while keeping the core goals and knowledge expectations consistent. The methods of demonstrating understanding are what vary.
Summary
Whether you are a professional teacher, a parent helping with homework, or anyone sharing your expertise - consider variability in engagement, representation and expression next time you take on a teaching role.
p.s. there will be no blog next week as it is Xmas, and we all need a break!