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Providing Multiple Forms for Communication

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Providing Multiple Forms for Communication

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Support all your students by providing information in multiple ways, using auditory, visual, and tactile formats.  When you provide directions or instruction for completing an activity or task, communicate the information by

Verbally stating the information

Always review steps/directions

Providing a picture or other visual model of the steps in the task

Presenting the actual tools/materials students will use to complete the task

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Observe young learners at work. Build on your knowledge of the types of activities and materials that intrigue young learners by observing and listening to same-age children in natural play environments.

Think about learners as individuals. Consider the variety of factors that influence child interests, including gender, temperament, life experiences, and family culture as well as the current popular themes, characters, and toys.

Respect differences. Choose materials and activities that reflect responsiveness to children’s differences while communicating that the classroom is a place to freely explore.

Give children choices. Something as simple as allowing the children to choose where they will sit as a small group can entice the children to join the storybook reading group.

Make meaningful connections to children’s prior experiences and current environments. For example, as children explore the characteristics of rocks, connect the discussion to the children’s prior experiences by asking questions: Who likes to collect rocks? What kinds of rocks are your favorite?

Provide a balance between the novel and the familiar. In the rock-exploring activity, for example, you might include an ice cube to add some novelty, which could spark a discussion on changes in size, weight, and solidness as the ice melts.

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Keep an eye on difficulty levels–ensure that that children are challenged by activities and tasks but not bored or frustrated (keep notes)

Set them up for success. Provide some experiences in which you know your learners will be successful. This will encourage them to continue.

Support children’s persistence with other experiences that are just beyond their mastery. Give them appropriate levels of feedback, encouragement, and scaffolding so they can complete these tasks and learn new things.

Vary groupings. Use large groups, small groups, and independent time strategically, to complement the content you’re teaching. Small-group instruction may be better for introducing new skills and concepts.

Implement proven strategies that are known to be effective in preventing wandering attention and supporting children’s persistence.

Don’t make activities too long. Pay close attention to the length of your activities and alternate between active participation and more quiet observation.

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For children who need extra support in sharing their understanding and expressing ideas:
-scaffolding
-what prompts will be appropriate?
-have images/symbols available

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

UDL Rising to Equity

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey. Do you use social media? Join the conversation happening now in the #UDLrising hashtag.
Meet the UDL Rising to Equity Advisory Board Meet the UDL Rising to Equity Stakeholder Council

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST.

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-language
-symbols
-signs
-images
-dance
-gestures
-hands on
-manipulatives
-thumbs up/thumbs down
-clapping
-repeat after me

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Post somewhere in classroom the lesson/theme/unit goal or learning target

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Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956): Cognitive Skills
A group of educators, led by Benjamin Bloom, identified a hierarchy of six categories of cognitive skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. As students learn, they start with the knowledge level and progress through the hierarchy. Thus, advanced courses should include skills at a higher level than introductory or basic skills courses. Below you will find a web-resource as well as a list of measurable verbs to assist you in writing course objectives and assess learning outcomes.

Objective-Builder Resource: http://teachonline.asu.edu/objectives-builder/

Knowledge Level: The successful student will recognize or recall learned information.

Comprehension Level: The successful student will restate or interpret information in their own words.

Application Level: The successful student will use or apply the learned information.

Analysis Level: The successful student will examine the learned information critically.
Synthesis Level: The successful student will create new models using the learned information.
Evaluation Level: The successful student will assess or judge the value of learned information.

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List of Measurable Verbs Used to Assess Learning Outcomes

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Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956): Cognitive Skills A group of educators, led by Benjamin Bloom, identified a hierarchy of six categories of cognitive skills: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. As students learn, they start with the knowledge level and progress through the hierarchy.

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Some years ago, I studied for my early childhood education degree in a program that offered an opportunity for students to earn credits in general early childhood and early childhood special education coursework at the same time. I was excited about this program design because I was finally able to combine my prior work experiences and schooling in a way that would give me some credibility about teaching and caring for young learners with and without disabilities. One of the most valuable takeaways from my program was what I learned about using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the early learning setting.

What Is Universal Design for Learning?

UDL is a framework developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) that provides guidelines for the design and implementation of curriculum that makes it more accessible by students with disabilities[i]. The three UDL guiding principles of providing multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement are well aligned to the nine principles of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)[ii]. For early learning programs that integrate UDL and DAP, the results are more inclusive learning environments for children. To understand the benefits of using UDL in an early learning setting, we should set a common understanding on the term inclusion.

To me, inclusion for young children is about creating environments in which all children feel invited to play and learn, try and fail, and love and be loved. Inclusion requires the use of a curriculum that is flexible enough to let the educator respond in ways that support the children as individual learners. Here are ways to use the three principles of UDL to make authentic inclusion a reality in your programs.

UDL Principle 1: Provide multiple means of engagement.

Give children choices that support their development of a sense of autonomy, empowerment, and accomplishment. An effective learning environment will invite children to conduct explorations, investigations, and experiments. It will also be reflective of the children's cultures, languages, and ways of knowing about the world. Learning materials should provoke creativity and confidence and prompt children to ask critical questions. Notice, these ways of engagement are not about the "stuff" of the environment; they are about the climate of the classroom and the feeling an ECE educator creates by the choices they make about the curriculum. This climate is one in which children with disabilities can feel like they belong and may be more motivated to participate.

UDL Principle 2: Provide multiple means of representation.

Means of representation is about the ways children make their learning visible. Some children may choose to tell the teacher about their play or their learning. Others may show the teacher a creation or a completed task. Each of these ways of representing what they know is valuable to children and should be welcome in the learning environment. It is also important for teachers to be open to discovering what the children know through these various means. Then, more importantly, to take action on what they know about the children's learning. This is where flexibility in the curriculum becomes critical. A teacher needs to be able to adapt to the children, offering more time to cover concepts or to learn more deeply about things children are interested in, or moving along sooner if children are not interested or demonstrate they've exhausted the learning on a topic. This practice of following the learning cadence created by the children can help children with disabilities not feel rushed through their learning or to feel like they are holding back the group.

UDL Principle 3: Provide multiple means of expression.

This principle is mostly associated with assessment practices. In an environment where children are allowed to express themselves in a variety of ways, teachers have multiple opportunities to observe the children, to see what they know, and to conduct authentic assessments of their learning. Pool and Hampshire (2020) say, "Authentic assessment provides a more complete picture of what the children know and how they apply knowledge to relevant, meaningful tasks."[iii] To successfully use this type of assessment, known as formative assessment, requires intentionality and planning. In this month's webinar, "Using the Formative Assessment Process to Include More Children," we will be discussing strategies that can be used to successfully use the formative assessment process to create more inclusive environments for young children with disabilities.

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All Means Each: A Look at Universal Design for Learning in Early Childhood Education - Teaching Strategies

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Some years ago, I studied for my early childhood education degree in a program that offered an opportunity for students to earn credits in general early childhood and early childhood special education coursework at the same time. I was excited about this program design because I was finally able to combine my prior work experiences [...]

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Always check in with 1:1 para's on student's current supports and or current token board

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Explore Model UDL Lesson Plans

This section of the UDL Lesson Builder shows you customized, UDL lessons aligned to standards and tailored to include principles and practical applications of Universal Design for Learning. As you review the lessons, be sure to click on to read or hear teacher think alouds that explain applications of UDL.

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CAST UDL Lesson Builder: Explore Model UDL Lesson Plans

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This section of the UDL Lesson Builder shows you customized, UDL lessons aligned to standards and tailored to include principles and practical applications of Universal Design for Learning. As you review the lessons, be sure to click on to read or hear teacher think alouds that explain…

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Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at OU

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Universal Design for Learning (Part 4): Representation Strategies

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Resources for people with a developmental disability and their support networks