“With a textbook, you just get a sheet of paper and copy stuff from the textbook on to the paper. In the computer lab, well, you think about what you want to do on day one.” -One student, speaking with researchers about learning beyond printed text.
Schools should provide all students with as wide a range as possible of means to express what they know. Students who struggle with the printed word are struggling with a medium, not necessarily with thought and ideas. When students have the opportunity to engage in tasks that require a real audience, that involves the use of multiple routes towards their understanding, they’re building knowledge in ways consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning.
The UDL principles - which call for multiple means of representation, expression and engagement in learning – deal with all levels of accessibility for learners. Grounded in emerging insights about brain development, learning and digital media, UDL was initially introduced as a strategy to provide students with disabilities access to the school curriculum. However, it was soon discovered that when using these principles as a foundation to learning, the so-called one size fits all educational mold could be broken. The result is an expansion of learning opportunities for all students, and those with learning disabilities are no longer sitting in the margins.
Recognizing and responding to diversity is a core motivation for engaging in UDL practices. This study has proved in an accessible classroom, all students need multiple means of representation, expression and engagement to succeed.
