“What is essential for some is likely good for all” (Meyer et al., 2014)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the material regarding creating an inclusive design. Specifically the article, I love the perspective of not looking at barriers as something that some individuals will need additional support to overcome, but rather eliminating possible barriers within a learning design so that all students can be of benefit. This approach is referred to as the Universal Design for Learning or UDL. The three pillars of this framework are multiple means of representation, multiple means of action or expression, and multiple means of engagement (Meyer et al., 2014).
Below I will discuss the impact UDL will have on designing my learning resource.
What is one of my planned learning activities and what are the barriers to student success?
Activity: Students will work in pairs in the breakout room to generate 1 question each about the characteristics of a growth mindset and participate in a game of Kahoot, involving the created questions. The teacher will pop into the breakout room to confirm their question.
Above is a current planned activity within my learning resource. After learning about UDL, I notice that there are potential barriers to the student’s success through this current model. Some including:
- Difficulty using multiple forms of technology. While different forms of technology can provide engaging benefits, asking fourth graders to navigate from Zoom to the Kahoot website could likely create additional time barriers or technological difficulties.
- Assistance may not be readily accessible. When students are placed into breakout rooms they may not have the opportunity to ask the teacher for further assistance or to repeat the instruction. This may mean that unless the students are able to peer support, they will be sitting in the breakout room until the teacher enters to check for their question, in which case it may not be completed.
- Lack of appropriate examples. Without any examples or explanation for the type or quality of question that is being asked of them, students may struggle to come up with a question that will work in a Kahoot form. This may result in questions that will not work in a “quiz” style format.
- Limited choice of expression. Students are asked to create a question regarding characteristics of a growth mindset, but they may be interested in creating a question that is still on the topic but sparks their creativity and independent thought. Narrowing how they can express their ideas, may not allow them the full opportunity to demonstrate their learning.
How can I adjust my plan to reduce barriers?
Using the framework of the UDL, I will modify my plan as follows…
Engagement:
- The activity will remain on Zoom and not require students to move to multiple platforms. This will reduce the potential difficulty of website navigation for the students.
- Even though each student will be asked to make a creation, they are encouraged to remain engaged by brainstorming or clarifying ideas with their classmates during this process.
- Students will be reminded that accepting and valuing feedback is very characteristic of a growth mindset because it provides us with an opportunity to learn and improve our abilities. This is expected to motivate students to look forward to their peer’s feedback as it provides an opportunity to make an even stronger creation.
Representation:
- Students will be provided with verbal instructions as well as visual examples of the possible types of creations they may choose to demonstrate their learning.
- To assist with providing feedback, students will be given some possible sentence structures such as “I really like_____ have you thought about_____”, “When you said_____ I was wondering if_____”, and “I love_____ don’t forget to_____”.
- Students will be given the opportunity to receive feedback from a peer on their creation and to refine it.
Action and expression:
- The teacher will be readily available during creation time for all students. They will have the option to ask their teacher a question in the main session or send a message via the chat option to clarify a question or to ask to communicate in a private breakout room.
- Students will have open freedom for how they will choose to demonstrate the characteristics of a growth mindset through their creation (ex. picture, a multiple choice question, a comic, etc.).
- The student will be provided with immediate feedback on their creation by both their peer and the teacher.
- The teacher will provide feedback to the whole group and correct any discrepancies within the topic so all students can benefit from the answers.
My modified planned activity
Before: Students will work in pairs in the breakout room to generate 1 question each about the characteristics of a growth mindset and participate in a game of Kahoot, involving the created questions. The teacher will pop into the breakout room to confirm their question.
After: In a zoom session, students will be asked to independently create something that demonstrates the characteristics of a growth mindset (ex. picture, a multiple choice question, a comic, etc.). The teacher will be available for questions or support during this creation time. Afterwards, students will be placed in pairs in breakout rooms where they will share what they have created and accept/give feedback from their peers. Once feedback has been given, while still in breakout rooms, students will be given additional time to refine their creations using their peer’s feedback. The teacher will be popping into the breakout room for support during this time. After the breakout rooms, back in the main zoom session, each student will share their creation and how they incorporated their partner’s feedback. They will receive immediate feedback from the teacher and all students will have an opportunity to learn from each other.
Final thoughts
After comparing my original plan to my modified plan, I am quite impressed at the improvement adding UDL can provide. Not only is my new plan arguably more engaging and interactive, but it also removes barriers for all learners in the process. Further, through the added use of peer feedback and later refinement, students are actively engaging in a growth mindset while they are working through their creations rather than just assessing what one is. As my group and I work through our interactive resource, I am excited about the possibility of how we can add engagement, representation, and action and expressions to all of our learning activities.
References
Meyer, A., Rose, D.H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice. CAST Professional Publishing udltheorypractice.cast.org/
I really like your critical reflection on the activity (before/after)! Great job analyzing the task through the UDL lens and suggesting strategies for improvement! I am glad that you took the Kahoot game off! It is a fun tool. However, it can also facilitate anxiety in some students – especially when they have to answer the question timely. Often, some students may click any answer to be the first to respond before the time gets off. It becomes not about learning but “winning.” We should use this tool mindfully to make it work.
Wow! You truly went above and beyond in describing UDL, and I admired the way you changed your activity after learning more about the obstacles to students’ academic performance. UDL is extremely crucial, and changing your activities will help to engage kids of different learning styles. Do you recognize any of the examples given when you reflect on your own educational experience, or is everything presented here brand-new to you?
Great job!