Episode 5: Trees and UDL Multiple Means of Engagement

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SPEAKERS

Teresa Lee, Deb Matthews

Teresa Lee  00:04

Welcome to the UDL conversation cafe. Universal design for learning podcast where we hear from people who are designing and implementing strategies with the diverse needs of learners in mind. I'm your host Teresa Lee. This episode is the second of four mini episodes, where Centennial College faculty Deb Matthews takes us through the importance of UDL, and explores each of the three principles in this episode that focuses on the principle of multiple means of engagement, through an understanding of the uniqueness of trees and our relationships with our environment that highlights the benefits we gain by creating rich, diverse educational ecosystems. Much in the same way our world creates rich, diverse natural ecosystems. Deb Matthews is a professor in the child and youth care practitioner program at Centennial College.

Deb Matthews  01:02

Hi, everyone, and welcome to another podcast in the UDL conversation Cafe series. My name is Deb Matthews. And this podcast will explore engagement, which is one of the three primary principles in Universal Design for Learning. And of course, I don't really think that we could explore this topic without also looking at how this connects to trees. So to begin with, what I'd like to do is tell you a little bit about where I am. So I'm actually in my front yard today, and I'm under the shade of a really amazing big oak tree. And so as we begin this conversation, what I'd like to do is start off by just looking at what is engagement in UDL, and then we're going to explore this a little more deeply. So when I think about engagement, what I really think about is the why of learning.

Why are we in fact, getting this information? Why is it important? And how am I going to actually use it in my life. And that really, in sort of a nutshell, is the essence of engagement in UDL. And for me personally, I actually love this concept of really understanding why this information is useful. Because when I'm embracing a new idea, or trying to deepen my understanding, it really helps me to fit it into perspective to understand how this is going to be a part of my world. So I love this idea of engagement and really exploring that as part of, of universal design. I think before we can really talk about the ways that we can juice up the learning, I think we need to explore a little bit how this connects to trees. And so you're probably thinking, how possibly can trees be engaged? How can we motivate or juice up trees to be more connected to the why of learning. And the good news is, trees are already motivated to learn. And they're reminded all the time why they need to stay motivated.

So I think we'll start off by taking a little time to explore what that actually means. So right now, I'm actually standing I mentioned under a really gorgeous big oak tree. And at the bottom of this tree is this like green, scaly kind of I've always thought of it more as moss but it's actually lichen it's a type of fungi that's at the base of the tree. And for me, I've always thought this mossy kind of fungi is just there because the tree’s old and this stuff has crept up and grown onto it over time. But recently I listened to a fantastic TED Talk. It's actually a TED Ed Talk by Camille defriend and Susan Samart. And it's called the secret language of trees. And so if you're interested that's, that's, I think, a worthwhile listen. And what I learned in this TED Ed talk is that fungi, of which there are so many different kinds of fungi connecting to so many different trees, they have these tiny branch-like threads that connect trees together underground.

And so in addition to the root structure that trees have, fungi are also contributing to this idea of sharing knowledge and resources and trees don't really ask why do I need this information? Or why do I need these resources, because they already know why they need this. Trees know that they need this information because they're linked to other trees much farther away. And those trees in turn are linked to other trees who are also sharing information. And so right now, you know, we know that trees are talking, they're talking about, you know, heads up, get ready, there are gypsy moss headed your way. And this has been a conversation recently about the impact of this infestation on trees, the really cool thing, and the hopeful thing for me is that trees have been talking about this, they know what's coming, and we're going to, of course support them, but trees are preparing for what's happening. So when I'm standing beside this tall oak tree, thinking that it's all alone, what I now know is that this tree is connected, and it's ready to learn, and it knows its place, it's engaged. And it's going to use the ecosystem around it to stay engaged and connected to all the information that's going to help it to be successful. So just like our trees, students need to understand the why of learning and be given lots of different ways to get excited and connected to the learning. And so here's the true confession part, I'm going to be honest, I used to think that if I told students that the learning was important, then that was enough. And that might work for some students. But what I now realize is that's not going to work for all of my students. And we know much like trees, that when our students and us as teachers are engaged and motivated to dig deeper and connect with the learning that we all do better.

So when I think about all of these trees, and the ways they're connected, and so many things that I don't even see that connect them together, it makes me wonder, how do I create engagement for my students? How do I improve the ways that students can get juiced up about the content, the learning, the experience and the connections together. And so when I think about this, there are really three ways that we can engage our students, or really help them to be involved in the learning to be connected to have a place in the learning, the first way is content. The second way is in their connection to other students. And the third way is in their connection to their, to their teacher, to the instructor. And so what I realize is, we don't need to do it all. We can pick pieces that work well in the courses and the learning environments we're creating, and that what's important here is that we start to become mindful of the ways that we are engaging our students in the learning. So let's talk about a few ways that we can engage students, we can start to build tasks into our content that are linked together over time to really extend their experience. So they might start a learning task or activity in the first few weeks of a course, and then revisit that experience over the time in the course, to continue their interest and involvement in that topic. We can do things like vary the order of activities we include, make them easy to difficult and easy and back again. And so by varying the, the level of challenge within activities, we can create that interest and engagement, we can start to consider ways that we can give learners choice and autonomy and how they connect to the content in our classes.

 Do they listen to a podcast? For example? Do they watch a video? Do they read the text? Do they all do all of that? And are there multiple ways for them to connect and engage with that content? In addition, we can think about ways that we can involve our students experiences, their identities, their background and their cultures within the content of our courses, and do students feel comfortable and safe in being part of that experience, that shared community of learning? One of the things that I have started to do in a few of my courses, is to ask students to rework the course learning outcomes. So what I'm asking them to do is to take a look at the learning outcome and make it a personal learning outcome for them, and for them to explore, how will they meet this personal learning outcome and then building in times throughout the course for them to reflect on how they're doing in relation to those learning outcomes. And are they meeting those expectations they set for themselves.

And then finally, at the end of the course, reflecting on their expert experience during the course in relation to those learning outcomes, explore how did that those outcomes affect their learning. And so there are so many ways that we can engage students, and when we start to include their stories, their lives, their experiences, they feel more connected to the content. Another way that we can consider engagement is by exploring the relationships that students have with each other and fostering learning ecosystems that foster cooperation, collaboration, and community. And so the more we can promote these ideas of sharing together, much like our trees, and those, those fungi that are sharing information together, then again, we know that that experience not only becomes richer and more valuable, but becomes more meaningful to each student that's in that ecosystem. Another way that we can explore this idea of engagement is to provide feedback that really focuses on increasing their mastery, the idea that students are not completing a task, but rather mastering these concepts in their learning.

And so in one of my assignments, what I do is I actually meet with the stock, the students briefly after they submit the assignment. And then we discuss the ways in which they can really polish their work, make it shine, and bring their ideas into focus. And then the students, after they get that, that feedback, they can go away and resubmit that work. And so in fact, in my own experience, that really helps the students to, to grab those ideas and take them away and make them their own. And what I found is, in fact, doing this takes me far less time, in terms of the actual grading I would do on an assignment because the students have had the opportunity to go away and really polish shine up that work and make their ideas so much clearer. And again, more focused. The key to engagement, I think, much like the keys to a successful ecosystem for trees is not to overthink it. Just like our trees, students come into our college learning environments to learn. Engagement is really about juicing it up making that learning powerful. And when we do this, we know that the actual learning that takes place will be so much more effective. So as I'm standing in my front yard, surrounded by all of these trees, I actually know they're listening. They're engaged, they are excited. They're excited by the rain that fell last night and the stories that the fungi are sharing about what's happening farther away. And I know that when I create a learning environment that is full of rich, engaging experiences, then my students are excited, they are motivated to be in that learning ecosystem in a fully connected way. And so I think a strong educational ecosystem is just like my yard, it's abuzz with opportunities. And all of these interconnected systems are waiting in anticipation of what's coming next. So creating engagement is to create these ways for all of your learners to get excited about what's coming next.

So as you think about creating these spaces, in your own environments, remember that. Think about all of the different ways that our trees connect and engage with each other and then explore for yourself. What are the unique ways in your own course that you can get your excited students and juiced up for even more great content and explore all the really unique ways that you can bring that into your classroom.

So I hope you've enjoyed this episode of universal design. And I hope that you'll join us next time and, and really consider all of these ways that we can increase engagement in our classrooms. Take care. Bye bye.

Teresa Lee  15:16

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