{"id":767,"date":"2021-02-22T15:17:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T22:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.wordpress.kpu.ca\/drcobb\/?page_id=767"},"modified":"2021-03-02T14:00:14","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T21:00:14","slug":"udl-and-media-why-action-and-expression","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.wordpress.kpu.ca\/drcobb\/udl-and-media-why-action-and-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"UDL and Media: Why Action and Expression?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Universal Design for Learning framework came out of a synthesis of thousands of findings on the varied ways that people learn. It continues to help us understand learning beyond stimulus-response, reward and punishment, and a delivery model of education that has expert instructors filling student minds with content. It emphasizes the importance of developing expert learners over delivering content, teaching to the margins rather than aiming toward the norm, and helping us reverse our thinking about teaching; looking at the design of curriculum rather than looking at the student.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The framework is divided into three pieces: Engagement (the why of learning), Representation (the what of learning), and Action and Expression (the how of learning). We look at engagement because we know that learning pivots on experience and attention and persistence. Representation is there because the way concepts exist and are conveyed in their spectrum of visual, auditory, hierarchical, and connected ways matters.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why action and expression? Why does it matter the way students demonstrate what they have learned?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon and Seanna have some thoughts first and then we\u2019re going to show you what we mean.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seanna \"\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Action and expression to me, are why UDL has been everything to students with disabilities. Action and expression are sweet freedom. They are the casting off of cruel writing shackles and the vice grip of class presentations. My background is in research and intervention for students with language-based learning disabilities. I have spent many years teaching children, teens, and young adults with language-based learning disabilities and the inevitable overlaps with mental health. Action and expression for these folks has meant acceptable alternatives of assessment: video-making, portfolios, drawing, painting, vivid storytelling and photography. Action and expression in UDL means, finally, colour to great experiences that only got dismal scratches and 400 eraser marks on paper. Finally, a me that can be proud of what I know my mind can do. The research behind UDL found that multiple paths to demonstrating knowledge and choice around that demonstration meant that many students could show what they know and I have seen that vividly, first hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gordon\"\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

UDL is a lifeline for learners like me.\u00a0\u00a0I am a\u00a0composer who thinks visually;\u00a0my synesthesia allows me to see shapes and\u00a0colours\u00a0when I hear sound.\u00a0\u00a0This makes me a great collaborator\u00a0for choreographers and filmmakers,\u00a0but it\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0necessarily make me a good music student.\u00a0\u00a0I was continually standing on the edge of\u00a0the\u00a0curricular boundaries set by my instructors.\u00a0\u00a0The number of times I\u00a0was granted\u00a0special permission to complete an assignment in my own way was second only\u00a0the\u00a0amount\u00a0of times I was denied and forced to do what everyone else\u00a0was doing.\u00a0\u00a0But creativity and innovation trump\u00a0the status quo,\u00a0and I was able to enhance my own post-secondary experience by\u00a0producing and delivering\u00a0unique assignment\u00a0interpretations\u00a0to my professors.\u00a0\u00a0I often had to create my own\u00a0learning\u00a0path because the obvious answer didn’t make sense, and when granted permission to interpret assignments using my authentic voice, my professors were\u00a0almost always\u00a0delighted by my\u00a0‘translation’ of their assignments.\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0onus, however, \u00a0was\u00a0often\u00a0on me to approach my professors with a strong proposal that presented a clear justification for my deviation from the norm.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a graduate student attempting to create a thesis exploring the transformative potential of music video production for at-risk inner-city youth,\u00a0I struggled in my attempts to represent this powerfully multimodal work on an\u00a08 and a half by\u00a011 inch\u00a0page covered with text and still imagery.\u00a0 UDL would have been a\u00a0welcomed addition to my process but\u00a0the academy\u00a0still rewards those who thrive in a world\u00a0governed by white paper, black text, font size 12, and APA citation.\u00a0That\u00a0indeed,\u00a0for some of us, is a one-way ticket to expressional suffocation. A UDL approach to learning makes room for all voices and sees deviation from traditional modes of expression as an asset.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are going to show you, up close and personal, what a product of a UDL collaboration looks like. When we mash up educational\u00a0media production and UDL, we can offer you an opportunity to experience\u00a0the action and expression component of the UDL framework\u00a0first hand.\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re going to see what happens to your own cognition, engagement, and feelings about content as we illustrate how one can shift from print to photos to video to animation\u00a0to interactive content. Think about the different modes of media; their richness and their persuasiveness. Experience what feels right to you. Seanna loves print and music. Gordon loves\u00a0video, soundscape and collage. Where do you fit?\u00a0 Where does your critical thinking happen? What surprises and delights you?\u00a0 What ignites you?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let’s Talk About Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to illustrate how traditional written text can activated (Action) and expressed (Expression) through the lens of UDL.  For example, here is an excerpt from Dr. Takacs\u2019 blog post \u201cLessons from Singapore\u201d<\/a> that  we will express in UDL fashion by representing the text in multiple ways.  Which one of the artifacts resonates with you and why?  Which would you rather create\/submit, and which would you rather receive\/assess \u2026 and why?  This is the answer to the question that UDL asks every educator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example sequence:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lost in the MRT (subway) system? Turn anywhere and you\u2019ll find not one but three large colour maps. Still lost and confused? There are always people to ask (\u201cAuntie, please where is Chinese Garden?\u201d).  Dengue fever outbreak? Giant neighbourhood signs let you know.  There was even a notice that trees are being trimmed along the motorway so you can plan accordingly.  I found that having so much information and notification relieved me of the worry of navigating and allowed me to focus on relishing my surroundings and plan for my steadily intensifying Tiger Sugar cravings.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Action and Expression Realized<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are a number of different interpretations of this text. Again, ask yourself the following questions as you view each example: Which one of the artifacts resonates with you and why?  Which would you rather create\/submit, and which would you rather receive\/assess \u2026 and why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 1: Seanna’s original blog post<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example 2: Infographic<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Example 3: Graphic Novel Style<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Example 4: Narrated Video (PowerPoint Style)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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