equality vs equity

Unpacking UDL, differentiation and adaptation

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In this blog I offer you my thoughts about what UDL (universal design for learning) is (and is not) and how it is differs from differentiation and adaptation.

The concept of UDL is really well articulated in this Enabling Elearning video when the student (Felix) says: “Last year I had dyslexia and I felt different. This year I don’t feel different; it’s much easier”.

Felix had been in a class where he was the only student using a laptop to support his learning (as he has dyslexia).  His individual learning needs may have been met, but he felt ‘different’ and ‘special’. He then went to a class where everyone was using technology. Felix was able to independently access the tools he needed when he needed them, just as everyone else in the class did – it felt easier and he felt more included.

Hence UDL aims to remove barriers from the start to make learning work for each and every learner, rather than designing learning for the (mythical) average and then providing supports for a few who don’t match that mythical average.

The idea is that support and flexibility are embedded in the learning environment as much as possible, so busy teachers do not have to address them on a daily basis. When a range of learning supports and flexible options are embedded into the everyday learning environment they become normalised and every student can use them (or not) as is appropriate.

In contrast, differentiation and adaptation provide individual supports and are one component of UDL – they are something that you would do for an individual when you have already looked at more universal supports that help every learner.

The difference between an individual support approach and a more universal approach is shown clearly in the image below. UDL is represented in the right hand picture where the barrier is removed and no-one needs individual supports to see the game. Differentiation and adaptation is represented in the middle box where each individual has different supports to see the game. Of course both options are better than no supports but the universal design option aims to create a learning environment that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design.

equality vs equity
Image Credit (with permission): Via Advancing Equity and Inclusion — A Guide for Municipalities ©CAWI

Differentiation and adaptation are very important options for removing barriers to learning, but because they often focus on individuals, they can sometimes do more to set students apart from their peers than to include them. That is why it is so important to try to design learning that works for everyone before looking at individual approaches to address learner needs.

UDL thinking — creating an inclusive education

I believe that the real power of UDL is in transforming our thinking.

UDL is about asking … ‘Will that work for everyone?’ And it involves smart, purposeful design for everyone from the outset so that, as much as possible, individual adaptations are not necessary.

It is an approach we apply to everyday decisions and lesson or curriculum design. I believe the important thing is that we are constantly trying to make learning work for everyone. We may not always succeed, but trying is important.

For me, that UDL attitude is one of the essential keys to an inclusive education.

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student sensitivity to devices

Personalising student devices

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Developers are working hard to make devices easier to use and more accessible, but most people don’t even scratch the surface when it comes to using all the features their device offers.

The inbuilt options are not just for those with specific disabilities. Just as we would adjust a car seat to suit our individual needs, our devices can be personalised for a best fit with an individual profile as unique as a fingerprint. A device can be personalised by the user themselves and/or set up for them by someone who knows them well and is aware of the options available.

Personalisation can help to make the experience of using technology more enjoyable and efficient. It can affect a student’s emotional state by reducing stress and addressing access and learning barriers. These, in turn, can make a big difference to productivity and behaviour.

Standard devices now include options that mean that they work well for many more users than they did in the past. People who would have traditionally needed quite specialised devices can now use the inbuilt features in standard devices to work alongside their peers.

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Innovative learning environment

Will innovative learning environments work for everyone?

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Innovative learning environment

Schools that have introduced Modern or Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) are striving to provide learning environments that are flexible. ILEs usually have flexible learning spaces that may include larger, open plan areas, along with smaller breakout and meeting style rooms. But, they are characterised by a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning that is much broader than just a change to physical spaces.

Innovative Learning Environments are places that are ‘open, flexible learning environments where inquiries are shared, interventions devised collaboratively, and reflections based on both self and peer observations’. (For more information see CORE’s white paper on Modern Learning Environments by Mark Osborne).

For those looking in from the outside, ILEs can sometimes look chaotic — they may not look like some more traditional classrooms with all the students working quietly at their desks.

Recently, I've had a number of conversations with parents who have said that ILEs won't work for their children. Some told me that their children need more structure and strong teacher-led learning. Others said that their child, given some choice about their own learning, would choose not to work hard. A few noted that their children would be lost, forgotten, or overwhelmed in larger open-plan-style learning spaces.

ILEs are not simply about giving learners choices; they aim to give learners agency. Agency involves choice, but also the power to act on choices, and accept the responsibility that comes with exercising that choice. (See CORE’s 2015 Trend – Learner Agency for more information).

So do ILEs work for everyone? It depends …

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Supporting students who have dyslexia

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With new technologies we can provide immediate and tangible support for students who have dyslexia. The support can be provided at the same time as we work with them to overcome their specific difficulties and build literacy skills. By providing options using standard technologies, students can learn and show what they know, rather than being continually defined by their specific difficulties.

“Dyslexia is not a disease to have and to be cured of, but a way of thinking and learning. Often it’s a gifted mind waiting to be found and taught.” –Girard Sagmiller, “Dyslexia My Life”

Clarify your learning Intention

To provide options and support for any curriculum activity, teachers must first be clear to their students about the specific learning intention.

For example, if we ask a student to read material that is above their current reading ability, what do we discover? We may confuse the ability to learn with the ability to read.

For example, what do we find out if we ask a student with writing difficulties to show what they know by writing about it? We find out that the student is not very good at writing rather than discovering what they know or have learnt.

As students move up the school, more of the curriculum content and assessment material is in written format. This means that the impact of a reading or writing difficulty can limit access to content and the ability of a student to show what they know.

This is why it is important to identify the learning intention, and be sure that the MEANS of learning is not confused with the learning intention. Is reading and writing a critical part of the learning intention, or is it just a way of doing the task?

Example of a learning intention with reading and writing as part of the task:
Students will read a book and write about the key techniques used to communicate ideas to readers.

Alternative example of learning intention without reading and writing as part of the task:
The students will:

  • identify the key ideas in the story
  • identify the techniques used to communicate key ideas to readers
  • use one of these formats (e.g., written/image/poster/video …) to demonstrate what they have learned.

Once the learning intention is clear, both teachers and students can understand what options are appropriate for a particular lesson. If the intention is not about reading and writing, then support using technology or other options is usually appropriate.

Technology support

Some key technologies to support students with dyslexia are outlined below:

1. Digitise content

Handouts, workbooks, and writing on whiteboards are some of the least accessible options for students who find reading a challenge. In contrast, when content is digitised, students can use their personal preferences to access material:

  • using dyslexia fonts
  • changing colours, size, style and spacing
  • having text read by the computer (text-to-speech).

If you are using Google Apps for Education or Microsoft it is very easy to digitise content. Simply take a photo or scan of the page (or PDF document) and upload it into your Google Drive or OneNote. Then right click and open it with Google Docs or Word. You can then make the page accessible (see the Blind foundation’s page here) and modernise your content for today’s lessons.

2. Text-to-Speech

I dream of a time when every device used by a student has text-to-speech enabled. This software reads text aloud, so gives students access to text above their current reading age, and supports comprehension. It is also a great option for editing, multitasking, or for when you just feel like listening rather than reading.

For more information about the free options available on all the main operating systems, see my VLN text-to-speech blog.

3. Voice typing (speech recognition)

Voice typing (also called speech recognition) allows you to speak aloud to your device and have words typed as you speak. The software has improved so significantly in the last few years that it is now a real option for text entry. For more information about the free options see my VLN Voice typing blog.

Voice typing gives students the opportunity to show what they know rather than repeatedly being defining by their writing difficulties.

4. Word Prediction

Word prediction provides more in-depth support for spelling, reading, and editing. The software predicts a required word as a student writes, producing a list of words beginning with the letter sequence typed.

Predicted words, and all writing, can be read aloud, and each programme has additional supports — e.g., example sentences, definitions, and custom dictionaries.

There are no free products in this range that predict as well (or even nearly as well) as the commercial products that I have tested. See VLN posts for iPad, computer and Google.

 

Let us support students to be successful learners regardless of their specific profile of talents and challenges.

For more information about using technology to provide whole-school support for students with dyslexia, contact the Connected Learning Advisory.

For more information see:
Inclusive Education — dyslexia guide
Literacy Online dyslexia page (& Ministry of Education teacher resource)
Ministry website — how to support a child with dyslexia
Resource for teachers by the British Dyslexia Association
Movincog Report — Auckland University analysis of interventions for dyslexia

 

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