Prompts: How will your interactive learning resource specifically ensure that the needs of all learners can be met? Choose one (or more) of your planned learning activities from your Blueprint and identify any barriers for student success. How can you alter or adjust your current plan to reduce those barriers?
Our topic is play-based learning (land-based). We designed our learning resource with the 3 principles of UDL in mind in order to meet each unique student where they are at in their learning.
How we planned for multiple means of representation.
This UDL principle requires learners to access materials through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experiences. In our resource, during the science activity, students learn visually in their investigations of local plant life. They are drawing and taking pictures of the plants that are native to their communities. In our phys-ed activity, students learn kinesthetically as they dance to a song. In our language arts, visual arts and Indigenous ed activity, students are listening (auditory learning) to a read-aloud of an Indigenous story about the land and completing a craft based on the story. They are colouring a frog, cutting it out, and creating a puppet out of it.
How we planned for multiple means of action or expression.
This UDL principle requires students to demonstrate newly acquired skills and knowledge in a variety of ways. In our math activity, students are encouraged to forage for their own manipulatives (sticks, leaves, rocks, pinecones) so that they can practice counting and making patterns. Students are free to be as creative as they want with the patterns they create. In our phys-ed activity, students will choreograph parts of the song. It is assumed that all students will move their bodies in different ways.
How we planned for multiple means of engagement.
Play-based learning supports multiple means of engagement because it honours student voice and choice. The core of play-based learning lies in student autonomy because they get to decide how they play and who they play with. Additionally, in our assessment students will be “interviewed”. In these interviews, students will discuss what they liked, did not like, what they did well and what they are still working on. These interviews encourage self-regulation as students are self-assessing and reflecting on their learning.
Barriers and adaptations:
Listening to a read-aloud may be a challenge for E.L.L students. Students will be given an iPad and headphones to listen to an audiobook of the story so they can stop and start the story wherever. Any text-to-speech software will help (Google Read&Write)
The read-aloud will be a challenge for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing. Because our activities are designed for kindergarten students who have not yet learned to read, providing a physical copy of the story will not be helpful. In this case, an interpreter will be required.
The art component of this activity may be a challenge to students with fine motor difficulties. It may benefit them to receive an iPad with an image to colour on a painting app. This can be printed. Also, they will need help cutting and gluing.
Here is an article about UDL in early childhood classrooms with rich play-based learning.
References
Khoramrooz, B. (2022). Universal Design [EDCI 335 Course Notes]. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/universal-design/
UDL: The UDL Guidelines. (2017, November 28). Cast.org. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/
Recent Comments