IULILColloq2012: Designing with Learners in Mind

The final session of the day was Christina Wray's (Center for Disability Information and Referral, Indiana University Bloomington) session" Designing with Learners in Mind: Utilizing Universal Design for Learning Principles in Library Instruction." Wray began by having attendees determine their learning style based on the descriptions she had on her handout (they boiled down to: imaginative, analytical thinker, hands-on learner, and spontaneous/free thinker).  This reinforced the idea that we all learn differently, but, if we design instruction to each all learners and intentionally plan beforehand, you're really avoiding creating "more work" later (rather than backtracking and reteaching, you're setting all types of learners up for success from the start).

• "Universal design is not a trend, but an enduring design approach that assumes that the range of human ability is ordinary, not 'special.'" ~Elaine Ostroff
• I love this quote Wray used because, in my "previous life" as a music teacher, I saw this all of the time--There is no "normal" way to learn.  No one approach to teaching will reach all learners, which is why it is crucial to approach each concept and skill from a variety of angles & present it to students in a way that engages them in multiple ways (see the three pillars below).

The Three Pillars of Universal Design for Learning (directly from Wray's handout)

• Provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation
• Provide options for perception
• Provide options for language, mathematical expression and symbols
• Provide options for comprehension
• Provide multiple, flexible methods of action and expression
• Provide options for physical action
• Provide options for expression and communication
• Provide options for executive functions
• Provide multiple, flexible methods of engagement
• Provide options for recruiting interest
• Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence
• Provide options for self-regulation

Many of the librarians who attended the session, including Wray, are at institutions that primarily deliver one-shot instruction sessions, which can sometimes make using Universal Design seem unrealistic given their time constraints.  Wray emphasized that Universal Design makes your instruction more efficient because you're actually doing a better job of reaching students & making the important concepts & skills "stick." I am very lucky to be at an institution that has a large and growing Embedded Librarian program, so I get to see many of the same students multiple times throughout the semester, and can take more time teaching (and therefore include a wider variety of approaches with) concepts and skills. 

Wray has compiled a delicious.com list of resources and links (and continues to add to this as new resources become available): http://delicious.com/ccwrayiub/iuilc

Here are a few that I put big ol' stars by in my notes:

• Rose & Meyer's Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning
• National Center On Universal Design for Learning  http://www.udlcenter.org/
• Practical application and tools (examples, resources, evidence & scholarly research for each point)
• CAST: Center for Applied Special Technology  http://www.cast.org/index.html
• Learning tools & professional development information, library of resources, questions to ask instructors
• UDL Tech Tool Kit  http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/
• Multimedia and digital storytelling (would be great for some of our ENGL 101 classes)
• American Printing House for the Blind  http://www.aph.org/
• Matt Bergman's blog Learn - Lead -Grow  http://bergman-udl.blogspot.com/
• Readability (app), strips down the website design to make it easier to read  http://readability.com/

I loved that this session and my teaching philosophy overlapped in many ways and I loved that we walked away with a ton of great resources to tap into when we got home! 

The IULILColloq2012 ended with some closing remarks and prizes... Some of the prize giveaways consisted of drawing names from hats, while the last one was a bit more...participatory.  Sometimes it can be hard to get librarians (even the crazy instruction librarians) to volunteer for activities... So I stepped up to the plate and raised my hand when Carrie Donovan asked for volunteers.  Little did I know I would be asked to read Standard 3 of the ACRL IL Standards aloud...in a (horribly executed) British accent (though I did do it with...errr...gusto?).  All in all, I had a blast at this year's IULILColloq and hope it is a tradition that continue! I know the date is already set for next year's: August 2, in the same place, New Albany, IN.