Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Learners are also diverse in ways they demonstrate knowledge and skills. The learning process can be severely limiting if students are presented with only one way to demonstrate their understanding or comprehension of a specific topic.
The core of Principle 2:
Multiple Means of Action and Expression is giving learners multiple options to demonstrate what they know. To do this, instructors can infuse learning activities and assessments with both traditional and authentic methods of assessment. While some learners may be successful in demonstrating what they know through traditional assessments like multiple choice quizzes and fill-in-the-blank activities, some learners better apply their knowledge through authentic assessments like creating a project.
Providing constructive feedback and offering support to learners are also critical components of Principle 2. Communication between the teacher and student is vital to achievement. Using example models, detailing specific criteria for activities and assessments, and offering other ways for learners to track their progress can support students in demonstrating their knowledge and skills.
Guidelines for Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Guideline 4: Provide Options for Physical Action
The majority of classroom activities have involved activities like students completing printed handouts. Activities like printed worksheets can create barriers for students who may have visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities. They may also create barriers for learners who may need more physically active means to demonstrate their skills. Instructional materials should extend beyond printed materials to include both educational technologies and assistive technologies. Students should be able to actively interact with materials without facing too many obstacles.
| Checkpoint | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint 4.1: Provide Options for Response and Navigation | Learners are diverse in the way they respond physically to educational environments. For instance, there are students who may need more time to complete activities and assessments due to motor disabilities, cognitive disabilities, speech disabilities, or language barriers. Instructors should be flexible and provide multiple alternatives that maximize learners’ physical interaction in the classroom. |
| Checkpoint 4.2: Support Tools and Assistive Technologies | Since students differ in how they respond to learning environments, it is critical that they not only have tools and technologies that will assist them, but support in using those tools. Instruction should be designed in a manner that is compatible with the different tools and assistive technologies learners use. An example would be ensuring that electronic reading materials and activities presented to students are screen reader compatible and accessible by keyboard. |
Guideline 5: Provide Options for Expression and Communication
There is no one specifically effective way for learners to communicate nor one specific form of media learners use to effectively express themselves. Some students may express themselves best through oral presentation, while others may express themselves best through written composition. To enable learners to successfully express themselves and communicate knowledge they have acquired, it is critical for instructors to provide different vehicles for expression and communication.
| Checkpoint | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint 5.1: Utilize Various Media for Communication | Learners vary in the way they express themselves, so it is important that they are given opportunities for expression through different kinds of media. While some students are able to express themselves through written communication, other students may express themselves more effectively through speech or through art. Music, text, graphics, video and sculptures are just some of numerous examples students can use to express their learning experiences. Incorporate a mix of media for students when designing and developing learning activities. |
| Checkpoint 5.2: Provide Options for Construction and Composition | Curricula should be designed in a way that allows students to utilize a number of tools and media to compose and construct their responses to learning. It is vital that instructors go beyond traditional tools and incorporate more contemporary tools to make learner participation more accessible. Additionally, incorporating contemporary tools better prepares students to be active participants in a world that thrives on media. Teachers can use software that allows students to create math equations, graphic drawings, and storyboards. Text-to-speech software and grammar checkers also are tools students can use for assistance with their responses in the classroom. |
| Checkpoint 5.3: Support Fluency through Practice and Performance | Learners need to be fluent in a number of areas including, but not limited to, language, math, and technology. To build up these fluencies, students need support and guidance from their teachers. Instructors can assist learners with fluency by showing them different ways or approaches to completing a skill or task. Instructors can also use scaffolds, or temporary aids, to help students demonstrate what they know, then remove the scaffolds to challenge their students. Teachers should also give valuable feedback to students so that students know how well they perform and where they can improve. |
Guideline 6: Provide Options for Executive Functions
The term “executive functions” refers to students demonstrating skills at the highest level. Through these functions, learners can set long-term goals for themselves, plan how they will achieve goals, track their progress, and make the necessary changes in order to be successful. Executive functions are hindered when there is too much focus on learners demonstrating low-level skills. UDL focuses on supporting learners and allowing learners to exhibit higher skill levels.
| Checkpoint | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint 6.1: Encourage Student Goal-Setting | Instructors use learning objectives to establish specific goals for students to achieve. Students also need to set goals for themselves in order to meet the learning objectives. Instead of directly telling learners exactly what they need to do to achieve instructional objectives, teachers should guide learners in developing these goals for themselves. Some ways teachers can do this to model how to set goals for particular assignments. Instructors can set provide temporary aids such as benchmark activities, checklists, and guides that demonstrate goal-setting to students. |
| Checkpoint 6.2: Support Planning and Strategy Development | When learners successfully establish a goal, the next step for them is to determine what they will do to achieve that goal. However, students may not know the best way to map out a plan for obtaining that goal. Planning and thinking strategically are often not taught to learners. Instructional design can include methods that will prompt students to approach their work in a strategic manner. Require learners to show their work during activities and assessments and explain how they arrived at conclusions on given topics. Benchmarks and checklists may also aid students in learning how to plan. |
| Checkpoint 6.3: Support Information and Resources Management | Learners are expected to process, retain, and recall much information, which can be overwhelming sometimes. One of the keys to performing executive functions is for students to learn how to successfully store and manage all of the information presented to them. To do this, students will need to learn how to organize, categorize, and summarize information. Some students can learn this on their own, but other students, especially those with cognitive disabilities, need guidance on how to manage and store information. Providing students with guides, templates, and organizers in the classroom can assist them with managing information. |
| Checkpoint 6.4: Allow for Progress Monitoring | Providing useful feedback to students is crucial to the learning process. Feedback allows students to observe their progress, what they are doing well and areas where they need improvement. When learners are not given valuable feedback, they tend to not care much for their education. Feedback allows learners to see the worth in their education. Using rubrics, allowing students to submit multiple drafts (revisions), and utilizing self-assessments and reflections are some ways students can observe their progress in the classroom. |