Universal Design for Learning

January, 2010

I) NIMAS (2006)

The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard

First, is UDL important?

..NIMAS is a standard for digital source files that can be used to accurately and reliably produce instructional materials in a variety of alternate formats using the same source file.

in public policy

…addresses the national need to increase the availability and timely delivery of print instructional materials in accessible formats to blind or other students with print disabilities in elementary and secondary schools.

What do we mean by Disability?

What do we mean by Diversity?

Diversity in Recognition Networks

Students with Williams syndrome

Students with Down syndrome

Students with Williams Syndrome

Students with Down Syndrome

Students who vary in visual acuity

Students who vary in decoding ability

Students who vary in cognitive strategies

Universal, But not uniform:

The power of individual differences

Universal

What do we mean by Design?

Profoundly different in the Digital Age.

Circa 1450 – 1990

The Advantages of Print were most prominent:

standardization,

permanence, uniformity

Compared to New Media

The Disadvantages of Print became more prominent

standardization, fixedness, uniformity

In a standardized curriculum, this is the problem

New Media

A foundation for flexibility

The virtue of NIMAS or XML

NFF

Flexible display

Flexible Display: Multiple Representation

Tale of Two Cities…It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of

Multiple representations

Multiple representations

Designing for individuals

Adjustable Challenge and Support

The idea of universal design

Ron Mace introduces concept of "universal design" in architecture.

The design of all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.

1941-1998 Ron Mace, founderand program director of The Center for Universal Design

Examples:

NSF’s Science Writer

Carnegie’s Strategy Tutor

Scholastic’s Expert Space

Multiple Means of Expression and Action

What do we mean by Learning?

Also profoundly different in the digital age

Posner and Raichle, Images of the Brain

What learning looks like*

What learning looks like*

Vygotsky in the Brain

What does this ability to visualize the functioning

brain teach us about learning?

1) Learning is highly diverse by individual

What do we learn from modern neurosciences?

FMRI -Dyslexia

From Shaywitz et al.

When reading emotion, teens (left) rely more on the amygdala, while adults (right) rely more on the frontal cortex.

Deborah Yurgelon-Todd, 2000

2) Learning is highly diverse in its distribution

What do we learn from modern neurosciences?

PET scans by Lawrence Parsons, Peter Fox, and Donald Hodges Universty of Texas, San Antonio

Left panel: the harmony condition activated the left side of the brain more than the right. It also activated inferior (or lower) regions of the temporal cortex as compared to the melody condition

Center panel: the melody condition activated both sides of the area called the temporal cortex (which is known to represent sound) to a much greater extent than did the rhythm and harmony conditions.

Right panel: much of the brain activation observed during the rhythm condition was in the cerebellum.

First, some structural anatomy to help us consider what parts of the brain might or might not be involved in “neurodiversity.”

How to make sense of all of the possible distributed learning in the brain?

How to make sense of all of the possible distributed learning in the brain?

Recognition networks

Strategic networks

Affective networks

Understanding what the distribution of learning is

Recognition networks

Perceive information in the environment and transform it into useable knowledge

Understanding the science of what learning is

Recognition Networks - Distributed

Face Blind! Bill's Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia) Pages - Introduction

Recognition Networks - Parallel

Recognition Networks - Heterarchical

Illusions as top-down constraints on understanding images.

Shadow

Presidential Illusion

Illusions Reveal the Brain's Assumptions

Ball and Shadow

The Problem of Ruth:Individual Differences 1

FMRI Summary -Dyslexia

From Shaywitz et al

What kinds of patterns do you need to recognize for successful reading?

Strategic networks

Understanding the science of what learning is

Plan, organize, and initiate purposeful actions on the environment

Strategic network

Networks are Heterachical

Strategic networks:

What are the primary components of successful action and expression?

Moving toward guidelines

Physical Actions or Movement

What goes into strategic action and expression?

Skills and Fluency

Executive Functions

What kinds of frontal systems are part of the diversity in learning?

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Affective networks

Individual Differences

Recognition networks

Strategic networks

Affective networks

Individual Differences in Distributed Learning