#329 – Universal Design for Learning: Representation

#329 – Universal Design for Learning: Representation

Time: 10:16

The following transcript was automatically generated from the podcast audio by generative artificial intelligence.  Because of the automated nature of the process, this transcript may include unintended transcription and mechanical errors.

Paul Beckermann 0:01 Welcome to Tech Talk for teachers. I’m your host, Paul Beckermann.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 0:05 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What’s in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:16 The topic of today’s podcast is Universal Design for Learning representation. There are three overarching design considerations in CAST’s Universal Design for Learning guidelines. Those are engagement, representation, and action and expression. Last week, I took a look at the first of those, engagement. Today I’m going to explore the second consideration, designing multiple means of representation.

This part of the UDL framework is about making sure that all of our learners can access the content and learning materials that we offer in class. Because each person perceives and makes meaning of information in their own unique way, we need to represent or present that information in multiple ways so all of our learners can access it in a way that makes sense for them. This can range from offering different formats in which to share the content, and it can also mean making sure that all of our learners feel represented in the learning materials that we use.

If students never see themselves in a learning, it can feel very disconnected for them. To break down this even further, I’m going to dig into the three sub-components of designing multiple means of representation: design options for access, support, and executive function for each section.

Like I did last week, I’ll share the key concepts and then offer some suggestions for leveraging technology to achieve the highlighted outcomes. Here is your list of tips.

Let’s begin with design options for perception. This is a portion of the UDL guidelines that addresses access, and this concept always rises to the top for me. How can I offer the same information in a variety of modalities? Some students may want to read the information. Some may want to hear it. Others may prefer a video format.

Then, within each of those options, do learners have ways to adjust the formatting to meet their own needs? This might mean the ability to adjust font sizes or perhaps adding closed captions to a video.

Finally, designing options for perception means that the content we’re using represents a diversity of perspectives and identities in authentic ways, so that all of our learners can see themselves in the content.

All right, let’s look at some digital options here. I feel this is one of the parts of the UDL framework that lends itself best to the integration of digital tools. Take the idea of multiple modalities, for instance. If I’m using a learning management system to share resources with my students, I could include a PDF, a video, and an interactive web page as three different options for student access.

Because the text-based resources are digital, that also means that my students can take advantage of accessibility tools text-to-speech screen readers. Speechify is a good example of that, or translation tools Google Translate to convert content to their language of choice.

If you’re a Microsoft district, I highly suggest that you have your students leverage Immersive Reader, which supports text-to-speech and adjustable text size. On top of that, almost any AI tool can now assist with translation as well.

For students who are dyslexic, resources opendislexic.org or Chrome extensions Readable can make text much more accessible for them. As for video, most offer the ability to turn on closed captions or even change the speed at which the video plays. For both audio and video, it can be really helpful to provide access to transcripts. Otter.ai is one of the leading tools for generating transcripts from audio files, and that’s the one that we use at AVID Open Access.

No matter which tools you choose to offer your students, they won’t do any good unless you help them understand how to use them.

So take a little time up front to show your class how these digital tools can work, and then allow students to use them as they need to increase their accessibility to the content.

So the second part of addressing representation is to look at how we can support our students during the learning process. This aspect of representation is a little bit of a continuation of the previous section, and addresses the idea that inequities arise when information is presented to all learners in a single form of representation.

In that light, we have to remember that multiple means of representation is not only to help accessibility, but also clarity, comprehension, and creating a shared understanding for all learners. This section calls on us to explore ways to clarify vocabulary and symbols, to break down language, culture, and experience barriers. If students don’t have the context to understand a new concept, they’ll often be confused.

So we should ask ourselves how we can provide multiple ways to clarify the information we’re presenting. It’s also a good reminder to pre-teach, enable, and link skills, which can help students access the new content that we’re introducing.

So what are some digital options? In addition to the digital tools I talked about in the first section, you can add some additional ones here as well. Built-in dictionaries with text-to-speech functions can be really helpful if a student doesn’t understand a word that’s presented in a digital text. Usually, a click of a mouse can offer not only a definition but also an audio recording of how to say the word. That can be really powerful.

Many platforms have this built into them, and if they don’t, you can easily find a dictionary extension to add to your browser. Google Dictionary is one such example.

To help students who struggle with text-based information, you could leverage The Noun Project, a free website that offers thousands of icons and symbols that can be used to visually represent complex ideas and make abstract concepts more understandable.

Similarly, Visual Words (V-I-S-U-W-O-R-D-S) is a website that offers a visual dictionary and thesaurus that can also be really helpful for students who prefer that visual representation of the words.

Another option that can be really helpful is to include hyperlinks to support resources in your learning management system or LMS. Not all of your students may be confident enough to ask for help. So if you have a library posted in your LMS with support tools, then students can access them when they need them, even if they don’t have the courage to ask for help.

All right, finally, let’s look at design options for building knowledge. In this section, we’re looking at how to support executive function skills, and when doing so, it’s important to design options for building knowledge.

This section is really about putting new knowledge into actionable use. Can our students apply their learning to new situations and contexts? In other words, is their learning transferable? Can they apply it meaningfully in the future, when new problems and situations arise? This is what we really want for our students.

Part of the skill-building process is to help students connect their prior knowledge to the new learning. We can help them see how that prior knowledge applies to the new situations, and then help them develop the transferable ability to use existing knowledge in new future contexts.

And we should call it out. Not all students will make these connections on their own. By calling it out, or maybe by having students help you call it out, you can identify the application of these skills in real time. That immediate feedback can be powerful.

The building of these skills can be supported through collaborative problem-solving scenarios.

By having students work together collaboratively, they’ll be exposed to multiple perspectives and skill sets that can broaden their own toolbox of skills and contextual information. One of my favorite ways to do this is to have students create or solve problems together. This stretches them to the highest levels of thinking and gives them an authentic collaborative environment in which to work.

So let’s look at some digital options. There are multiple ways to integrate technology into this section. One would be to provide digital scaffolds to help students keep track and recall relevant information. You might have them set up a digital checklist, or use a graphic organizer, or set up digital reminders when they’re working on longer projects.

Scaffolding tools Quizlet can help students practice recalling key ideas, and because the platform offers multiple ways to engage the content, most students can find at least one of the applications that appeals to them.

Some students might use the gamified format. Some might prefer the quiz, and others might prefer traditional flashcard formats. Students can choose for themselves.

To help students draw on their prior knowledge, you could use strategies concept maps or KWL charts. You could create your own using digital tools Canva or a digital slide program Slides or PowerPoint, or you can go to AVID Open Access on our website. We have a library of digital graphic organizers and KWL charts that you can use for free.

There are also many mind mapping programs out there that can help students make connections among concepts. Some include MindMeister, Lucidchart, MindMup, and Miro. Those are just a few of them. There are many of them out there, and you can just Google to find more. Find one that works for your students. Most of these also allow for virtual collaboration, which is a big plus when students are working together.

So in this short podcast, I’ve only been able to scratch the surface of the many ways that you can design multiple means of representation in your classroom learning experiences. I really suggest you head over to udlguidelines.cast.org, and do a deeper dive for yourself.

To learn more about today’s topic and explore other free resources, I also encourage you to visit avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, use the search tool on the site and search for UDL. You’ll find multiple articles there, as well as podcast episodes from UDL experts Dr. Sam Johnston from CAST and renowned author and consultant Dr. Katie Novak.

And of course, be sure to join Rena, Winston, and me every Wednesday for our full-length podcast, Unpacking Education, where we’re joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care, and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.