“To promote understanding of information, concepts, relationships, and ideas, it is critical to provide multiple ways for learners to approach them”. David Rose.
An unexpected learning experience

A couple of weeks ago, Scott Turner, a Wellington Endodentist described how he was going to clean around and possibly retrieve the broken drill piece lost deep in my root canal by my dentist.
At the end of the consultation, he asked if I had any questions.
“Actually I do”, I said. “Do you think I could take a photo? The way you have explained what is going to happen when you work on my tooth perfectly modelled something called Universal Design for Learning (UDL). You have just modelled the principle of offering multiple representations to support understanding. I’d like to write about it.
A regular part of any trip to the dentist, is the inevitable post procedure chat, the bit where they talk about what they did and what is going to happen next. As fear is my trusty companion in a dental surgery, my ability to listen is significantly inhibited. In fact all my energy and attention is generally consumed by trying to hold myself together until I am out the door.
The chat with Scott, looked like it was going to go the same way. He pulled up a photo of my tooth on his computer screen. I in turn moved into auto-pilot and began singing, “la, la, la” inside my head to block out the expected medicalese and to distract myself from the enlarged image of my filling-filled mouth.
To my surprise, Scott didn’t launch into the technicalities of the procedure. Instead he gave me a walk through of each tooth on the screen, its integrity and said things were in great shape. No-one has ever said anything positive about my teeth and hooked my attention. He also usefully connected his storytelling directly to the examination he had made of my mouth. He linked specifically to the way he had tapped here and prodded there and I could feel myself actually connecting to some kind of shared experience rather than disassociating myself.
The practical and effective use of digital tools
Scott then introduced some x-rays and opened them in a programme that looked like Microsoft Paint. Again rather than launching into details of the medical procedure, he orientated me to my own mouth. It was a bit like being introduced to a new landscape. As Scott introduced each feature, he highlighted it with different coloured lines and marks, as in the photo. He made no assumptions that I knew what anything was. He consistently linked his storytelling back to the photo and my shared experience of the examination. His use of the technology was absolutely fluid and functional. It was actually a joy to watch.
By the time Scott introduced the nitty gritty of the actual procedure, I felt almost confident. He described each stage of the intervention with words and by drawing and where applicable made analogies to ordinary things. At the end of section of the “chat” he would pause and check if I understood and for once I actually felt like I did.
So why the strong UDL connection?
The principle “Multiple means of representation”, one of the three principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is about the need to offer students a range of options and supports to increase their understanding.
In the text, UDL Theory and Practice, David Rose reflects:
"Learners' ability to perceive, interpret, and understand information is dependent upon the media and methods through which it is presented. For learning environments to support varied learners in all of these recognition processes, three broad kinds of options for representation are needed: options for perception; options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols; and options for comprehension. A learning context with these options presents few barriers, regardless of the variations in biology and background of the students."
As the student, in this context, Scott offered me options in each of the three recognition processes. Interestingly, he probably does that for every client. He takes a universal approach, building into his way of working options to support understanding. He plans for the diverse needs of clients at the outset.
As an unknown client and one who brings a swag of negative expectations to the environment, the learning experience was quite honestly inspiring. I couldn’t help but make connections to teaching and learning and to the potential UDL has as framework for the inclusive flexible design of environments and the innovative use of technologies.
Useful links:
- UDL guidelines: National Center for Universal Design for Learning
- UDL Theory and Practice: Interactive e-book on UDL
- Maximising the use of digital tools in the UDL classroom: blog post by Chrissie

Chrissie Butler

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[…] UDL at the dentist by Chrissie Butler from The CORE Education Blog. This is a great blog post about Universal Design for Learning from an unexpected experience at the dentist. If you want to see a practical example of UDL check it out. […]
What an awesome experience (not the having the broken bit of drill removed, but the meeting a professional who cared that you understood and were engaged!). As a fellow dentist-phobe my heart went out to you…I'm sure I could feel the dreaded injection and hear the high pitch whine of a drill bit…can you sense the fear ;-)
OK – stepping away from the not so positive – thanks for sharing a great illustrative experience from an unexpected source. Not only did it, for me, illustrate UDL principles, it illustrated the effects of UDL. The fact that you felt empowered by the fact he wasn't talking over your head, experiencing more positive emotions, which meant you were in a better space to engage and learn, and that, by the time you finished, you were in a space to share a positive experience. I call that a great outcome!!
Thanks for sharing. You rock!! :-)
Cheers Hazel. It was quite an extraordinary experience. Since the blog post I have had 2x hour and a half sessions of the treatment. On both occasions, I walked into the surgery calmly, I didn't cry as soon as I put my head back and I could just talk myself down when the butterflies flapped now and then.
Fear is a massive inhibtor of learning. It stops you thinking. I can remember it from being a kid in the classroom. The torture of a teacher asking me randomly to answer something in front of the class or even worse "speeches" in front of peers. Generally I froze. And the thing is, the experience of freezing created a built-in expectation of dreading being in certain classes, which resulted in me opting out of subjects I may have grown to love.
[…] where the list of tips together articulate a vision for strong teaching to all students. This blogpost of UDL at the dentist is a good application. It’s about fixing our teaching, not fixing the kids. We are the […]