Comments
Richard Styner
UDL is the idea that learning is best served when information is presented in several ways.
In this lesson, there are several approaches to motivating the why of learning, presenting the what of learning, and expressing what students know as the how of learning. By varying these, students are not limited by having to deal with the material in only one way, which may not be their strength. Presenting the information by textbook, reflection, a film, and a class discussion provides many modalities for learning about cell organelles, an abstract and hard-to-visualize subject. Allowing students in groups to choose their own group roles and method of presentation also allows them to play to their strengths in demonstrating what they know.
By meeting with peers outside of class in a Google Hangout, it puts subtle peer pressure on learning the material, yet having chosen their own group role previously gives them the security of knowing what they need to do. As the CAST website suggests, when you create a structure for people with different ability levels, everyone benefits, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Student learning should not be limited by whether the students' learning style matches the instructor, but by whether they learn. Allowing them to construct knowledge from several sources, rather than just a lecture, makes learning more enjoyable, authentic, and meaningful. It takes more work up front on the instructor's part, but the payoff is worth it.