Reading Chardin and Novak’s essay on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)espoused by ESSA since 2015, the first thought that came to mind was – really? This is a thing? In particular, the three tenets of UDL were that instruction should provide “1. Multiple means of engagement 2. Multiple means of representation 3. Multiple means of action and expression.” In reflecting on these tenets, I was drawing on my own children’s learning experiences and my own involvement in public education. I had not noticed any such shift from No Child Left Behind to ESSA, other than a mandate to get rid of time restrictions on standardized tests. My children did not come home excitedly talking about the unique and varying ways in which they were engaged in their lessons.
The second thought that came to mind related to UDL was this idea of creating variation in educational modalities to accommodate the variety of learners we engage as teachers. In this respect, I am fully on board. I have been approaching teaching this way for years in the community college where I teach, where students come from a diversity of backgrounds with continuing challenges and potentially lessened exposure to the privileged learning experiences we can often take for granted and often erroneously maintain as some sort of ‘gold standard’. The authors write, “Many of the “tried and true” techniques and curricula perpetuate privilege and compliance rather than focusing on the power of learning, productive struggle, and empowerment” (2). To me, learning begins with engagement, and if we expose students to curricula material, particularly complex material which they are not fully prepared, or willing, to embrace, we run the risk of turning them off to the process of learning anything meaningful before we even get started.
This is why I structure my Modules with a variety of media on our particular topic to engage students at an individual interest level. Readings are scaffolded in complexity, beginning with the most accessible (usually something visual). And then we progress and expand. Once student interest has been established, I will invite them to consider more complex material related to their sub-topic of choice. Then students are invited to expand on their curiosity in a scaffolded essay assignment. In this way, learning becomes, as Chardin and Novak suggest, a learner centered subjective literacy event.
