In today’s lecture, we discussed the growing number of (identified and not) students with diverse learning needs in our classrooms, including learning disabilities, behavioural needs, giftedness, and intellectual disabilities. The message that stuck with me is “enrichment for all students,” meaning that when we design lessons for students who need accommodations and modifications, everyone can benefit. We must get to know our students early in the school year. Observe them, talk with them, and ask how they learn best. We can work alongside their families/guardians, siblings, previous teachers, veteran teachers, and special education resource teachers to gain a better picture of how best to support each student. It really does take a village to raise a child, regardless of their learning needs.
Offer many doors into the same learning.
This is where multimodal instruction comes in. Frameworks like VARK (Visual, Auditory/Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) provide a helpful vocabulary for the different ways students learn. Of course, this does not imply that a student is only one type of learner or that we should treat learning styles as fixed labels. Learning shifts as the subjects and their prior knowledge shift. Using such frameworks allows students to reflect on what works best for them. So the goal is to give every student multiple ways to engage and let them choose.
That connects to Universal Design for Learning and the need to plan for variety from the start, rather than retrofitting accommodations later. In practice, this could be lessons that blend two curriculum expectations from different subjects. In practice, this could be a single lesson that blends two curriculum expectations from different subjects. For example, students might listen to a read-aloud in literacy (aural), sketch or map the story’s setting and how they imagine the characters to look (visual), perhaps act out a key scene (kinesthetic), and write (read/write) or orally (verbal) give a reflection. Each student enters through a different door, but everyone reaches the same learning goal.
I saw this firsthand as a volunteer in a Grade 5 classroom with several Multilingual Learners (MLLs). While reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio aloud, the teacher found a Mandarin audiobook so students who were newer to English could follow along in their first language while the class listened in English. After a few chapters, she asked each table to identify the main characters, settings, and conflict and how it was resolved. Every table received a large graphic organizer with English and Mandarin labels for each category, along with photos as prompts.
She then used this as a bridge into a story-writing lesson, offering several versions of the same task. Students could draw on photos to spark ideas about characters and settings, use a visual graph to map the beginning, middle, peak, and end of a story, and match Mandarin words to English ones. Everyone worked toward the same goal through different doors.
What struck me was how natural it felt. Nothing singled out the MLL students because the support was part of the lesson for everyone. Asking the teacher why she made these choices and how she knew what would work was invaluable.
What does this look like in practice?
Recognize that preferences vary, and avoid labelling students.
Build on strengths while developing areas of growth.
Give students real choices in how they learn and show what they know.
Remember, there is rarely one “right” way to do something.
Above all, flexibility is central. A plan is a starting point, and the best teachers adjust it as they learn more about the students standing before them.
Must-read articles about multimodal learning
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2019/04/26/5-classroom-strategies-to-support-multimodal-learning/
https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/the-power-of-multimodal-learning-in-5-charts/
https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/multimodal-learning
Resources for P/J Interactive Strategies & Lesson Plans
https://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/
https://musicplayonline.com/learning-modules/
Online (Visual/Auditory) Reading Resources
AbbyL@OTU
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