Article Review: Scaffolds vs. New Literacies (week 5)

     An issue that I have always had as an arts educator is that we are now and forever, constantly and always, endlessly and ceaselessly being told that our content is great fodder for scaffolds. Now...this is quite true. For example, a student who might not be able to write a three-paragraph story could potentially draw a beautiful illustration that conveys a brilliant tale. A different student might not be able to recount the arc of a character with words alone, but they could act it out with gusto in a drama class. Still another student might not be able to get every formula straight, but they could find the ways that rhythm and melody tie math together, making answers easier to hear. That feeling of your content always being in service to something that is deemed more important is also felt with regards to digital tools, as argued by Jodi Pilgrim and Sheri Vasinda in their article, Technology supports in the UDL framework: Removable scaffolds or permanent new literacies? 

    Scaffolding is something that most people are familiar with, even if they do not use the term as regularly as we might in education. Put up a structure with different stops at different heights and see how high you can climb. Very often these days, digital tools are being used solely as scaffolds in the classroom, a practice which heavily discounts their worth as new literacies (Pilgrim & Vasinda, p 45). These platforms have their own value as communication tools and, as this tech-challenged teacher can attest, truly do represent a new type of literacy altogether, one that allows students to explore the power of their own voices more richly and with greater expanse than ever before. "Teaching and learning literacy from a multiliteracies perspective nurtures meaning making using a variety of tools and modes" (Pilgrim & Vasinda, p. 49).  UDL and the multiliteracies perspective are intertwined. Both allow for complex, varied communication that is accessible to all learners, making this tag team equity-based and ready for anyone and everyone to show off their knowledge in ways that work for them (Pilgrim & Vasinda, pp. 50-51). There are, of course, barriers to consider - socio-economic, location-based, and more - but steps can be taken to ensure that digital tools are accessible in and out of school as permanent fixtures in multimodal learning. Not only do students stand to gain greater autonomy and investment in their own learning, but they will also be better equipped to understand and engage with the world around them as communicators and receivers (Pilgrim & Vasinda, pp. 54-55). 

    This article touches upon the very real need all students have: to demonstrate learning in ways that work for and with them. The lesson that I am working on is meant for students in grade 6. It offers the basics in filmmaking and editing while also striving for something greater: how can YOU tell a story? The emphasis for my classroom, which houses roughly 160 students per week, is on total communication that can be felt and understood by everyone in the room, regardless of dominant language, reading proficiency or verbal/aural/visual capabilities. The notion of multiliteracies/new literacies and UDL's insistence that all students be given access to every pathway of expression is something that I hope to achieve by the time students reach the end of the overall unit. 

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    Within the CAST guidelines, which can be a bit overwhelming in scope, I would like to pull out three to focus on within the upcoming lesson. The following are pulled directly from the CAST UDL guidelines.

1) Emotional Capacity: 

• Create opportunities for learners to appreciate their personal, cultural, and linguistic assets and the assets of others (e.g., displaying learner-created self-portraits, creating spaces for affinity groups, sharing notes of appreciation with peers and colleagues).

Because the lesson focuses on the choice of creating a short autobiographical film, the lesson in its entirety is something of a self-portrait. Extensions can be implemented that allow for audience response, a natural way to appreciate difference and develop affinity. 

2) Perception: 

• Provide descriptions (text or spoken) for all images, graphics, videos, or animations.
• Provide auditory cues for key concepts and transitions in visual information.

There will be a bit of a spin on things here...I will be providing some information and an exemplar that will allow for varied speeds, colors, sizes and sounds but students will also have control over how they use these elements to communicate their own story. 

3) Interaction: 

• Embed flexibility in the requirements for rate, timing, speed, and range of motor action required to interact with instructional materials, physical manipulatives, and technologies.

Owing to varied needs that students are sure to have in terms of pick-up of new information and tools, the lesson will need to have allowances built in that ensure learners are not feeling overwhelmed by the quantity of editing tasks they are asked to complete. 

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Reflection: UDL and the Digital Use Divide 

    I have to agree with the notion set forth by Pilgrim and Vasinda in their article- UDL and Digital Tools really do go hand-in-hand. The capacity that these tools have to aid students in achieving deeper expressions of learning is vast and largely uncharted. The ease of access to multimodal communication offered by various tech platforms is undeniable, embedded with a demand for equity that recognizes the identities, styles and wants of all learners. Throughout the UDL frameworks, autonomy is more than supported; it is, in many ways, demanded. Combining this concept with an array of digital tools for students to explore and master is a natural fit for any subject and grade level. 

    That said, there are barriers to this concept. In thinking of my own students, I wonder what would happen if digital tools became the prime mode of communication. Although we are a district that uses 1:1 chromebook technology, a large percentage of my students do not have home internet access. How can these tools be equity-based when 1/4 of the classroom can only use them in school? 

References 

CAST. (2024). CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Office of Educational Technology, A call to action for closing the digital access, design, and use divides: 2024 National Educational Technology Plan (2024). Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology.

Vasinda, S., & Pilgrim, J. (2023). Technology supports in the UDL framework: Removable scaffolds or permanent new literacies? Reading Research Quarterly, 58(1), 44-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.484