Title: Principle III - Offer multiple means of engagement
Course: UDL & online special education > Section: 3. Propose multiple means of engagement

Presentation

The "why" of learning (affective network). This principle deals with importance the motivation and plurality of involvement strategies, the role of affective and subjective aspects. It becomes necessary to use a wide range of strategies plurals to meet most learners' needs.
"Principle III" acknowledges that motivation is crucial for proper learning >, that students differ greatly in how they respond to motivations to learn, as there is no one way of engagement that can be suitable for all students and in all contexts. The reasons that can influence the individual variation towards involvement are many: from neurological to cultural ones, to those relating to personal predisposition, subjectivity, basic training and the level of previous knowledge, etc. Some students are highly involved in the spontaneity and novelties, while others do not feel involved, or even feel frightened in comparison with the new experiences, preferring the rigid routine; some students prefer to work alone while others integrate better if they work in a group.

Introduzione al coinvolgimento

Introduction

The affective networks, responsible for pattern evaluation and attribution to assign emotional meanings in these cognitive processes, determine the < strong>personal involvement in different learning functions and processes and in the relationships in this context with the world around us. The activation of affective networks largely depends on the student's involvement. Activating students' motivation and involvement in their learning is one of the great challenges for any educator. Professional experience allows us to assess how far they are large differences in student motivation, both individually and in effective group relationships in the classroom. Behaviors change when students are willing, to a greater or lesser extent, to work in groups, do exercises at home, exhibit work in public, draw diagrams, use illustrations, etc.  These changes in interests and preferences influence the degree of motivation in the learning process, collaboration and active participation in the teaching proposals. The positive value of carrying out heterogeneous activities is reflected in the results of research and didactic experimentation and depends particularly on the student's degree of identification and the extent to which he is active part of the specific teaching activity that is proposed to him. In the following video we introduce some of the key notions that determine the positive aspects of a correct stimulation of the student.

Engagement Intro Video

Definition of engagement

Introduction

The following video exposes the basics of engagement, which is the first of the actions aimed at removing barriers in inclusive teaching.

Students differ greatly in the ways they can be engaged or motivated to learn, there is no a means of engagement that is optimal for all students in all contexts.

Affection is a crucial element of learning. There are a variety of causes that can influence individual variation in affect, including those of a neurological nature, cultural, personal relevance, < strong>subjectivity and basic knowledge, along with a variety of other factors. Some students are strongly involved in spontaneity and novelty, while others are disengaged, even frightened, by these aspects, preferring rigid routine. Some students may like to work alone, while others prefer to work with their peers. Indeed, there is no single means of engagement that will be optimal for all students in all settings; Providing more engagement options is essential.

To be able to have proactive and motivated students, we must stimulate the interest and motivation to learn.

Proposed actions

It can be difficult to design learning activities to engage all students in the classroom (face-to-face or virtual), some students may enjoy spontaneity and more active participation, others may prefer a set structure and routine. The recommendation is to try and try different options and let the students choose.

- Let them work in groups according to their preferences and build small communities which they can then share their experiences with other groups.
- Always support students as they take on new challenges to help them become more confident and encourage them to try new things.
- If that doesn't work, discuss and analyze with them what went wrong. These reflections will promote self-regulation and make your students learn how they learn (metacognition).

Example: SQ3R

The development of cognitive and self-regulation strategies has a strong educational value, especially for students with greater learning difficulties. A strategy, still very valid for current educational proposals, used in the process of reading/understanding of texts is the SQ3R strong>. The SQ3R method, named for its acronym in English Survey, Question, Read, Repeat and Review, is attributed to Francis Pleasant Robinson in the 1940s, which was then presented in 1946 in his book Effective Study .

This method “was born for university students, but it is also extremely useful for young students. Classrooms around the world have begun using this method to better understand what they are reading” (Gunning, 2002). This is one of the most used methods by teachers in the United States due to its effectiveness in the reading process. Study systems such as the SQ3R method reinforce the mental information procedure that occurs in students and at the same time have a greater efficiency and productivity within the learning process. Each stage of this method is designed to facilitate the processing of incoming information so that the student can manage and deal with it more effectively.

To make it easier for students to use adequate strategies for understanding the text to be studied and to be aware of the various phases that are activated along this path, study support schemes can be envisaged, held realized that the orientation was intended to promote understanding of the students.

In the following diagram you can see the main instructions with the use of the SQ3R method as a study guide.

I, STRATEGIC STUDENT, STUDY LIKE THIS
Strategy | What do I do? | Why do I do this?
Take a general look at the text

(Survey)
1. I AM LOOKING FOR:

- The title of the chapter
- Paragraph titles
- Words in bold
- Contents
- Image captions
- Comprehension questions

2. I observe:

- Imagery
- Maps
- Timelines
- Diagrams
- Schemes
To understand what I already know about the subject and prepare to discover new information
Ask questions (Question) | 3. I CONVERT TITLES INTO APPLICATIONS | Creating questions helps me to read, having a goal in mind
Read
4. I READ (with eyes or text-to-speech) each paragraph to answer questions

5. I EMPHASIZE the most important concepts (use different colors, circle, frame)

6. I WRITE NOTES or insert post-it notes

7 . I PUT QUESTION MARKS IN THE UNCLEAR PARTS
Reading carefully helps me discover new information

Underlining serves to highlight and select what is important

Writing I need to organize ideas and to find explanations for what I did not understand well
Recall | 8. I MAKE A DIAGRAM OR A MAP of the topic I have studied 9. I use TECHNIQUES and STRATEGIES to remember difficult words 10. I REPEAT ALOUD without looking at the book | Elaborating notes, diagrams and maps serves to organize myself to better remember the topic Help recover terms when they are questioned or in checks Repeating I need to create a ladder in the mind and to check if I am prepared
Review | 11. I REVIEW often using the material I have archived in paper or digital | Helps maintain and consolidate the trace of memory

Increase interest

Increase interest with tools available within LCMS platforms, such as Moodle. Useful resources and tools to achieve this goal in the construction of curricula.

Options to stimulate effort and perspective

Research and teaching practices coincide in emphasizing that to attract student interest it is essential to provide alternative options or different possibilities within the same assignment for homework, so as to allow the development of each student's potential or preferences and thus respond to individual inter- and intra-differences.

There are different types of strategies to improve the level of engagement. Among those that have proved most valuable in addressing diversity we have cooperation and teamwork, the search for more integrated student tutoring systems towards those who tend to be left behind, peer tutoring and the creation of a climate of trust learning, where error and reflection can be an integral part of the learning process. It can also be considered a good practice to appeal to the student's opinion and not only to assessment. Questioning the student can help him obtain information that allows him to adjust the effort and plan the work more adequately.

Provide options for self-regulation

This principle focuses on the need to ensure that students develop the internal capacity to recognize emotions, control reactions strong>and the state of mind in situations that are faced during the learning processes.

There are various emotional circumstances that condition learning processes, for example competition to obtain better results or not inferior to other classmates, stress during periods of examination or frustration due to negative or lower than expected results or evaluations. Although it is sometimes often thought that these mechanisms or strategies are acquired naturally, in reality there are students who find it difficult to develop these skills, while others develop these skills more strong>easily in a direct and experimental way. It is essential to stimulate the skills that allow the student to regulate his emotions, set his own goals, be able to assess progress or know your strengths and weaknesses while learning. It is important to make them aware of the different problems, to better understand their capacities and limitations, educate their emotions and offer strategies for conflict management, so that these processes are perceptible and learning is facilitated. Informative work, presentation of practical strategies and applicable situations that can serve as an example are essential. Systematic self-assessment activities can be carried out, workshops of emotional education, an approach to conflicts to be resolved, which are developed during the course.

The following video suggests some activities using e-learning platforms.

Conclusions

The importance of experimenting and insisting on proposing collaborative strategies and involvement can be the basis of success .

Design learning activities to involve all students in the classroom (in lecture or distance) can be difficult. Some students may act with spontaneity and be very inclined towards more active participation; others, on the other hand, may prefer the pre-established rules and a routine to be respected without asking any kind of question. It is recommended to make several trials and options, allowing students to choose.

- Let them work in groups according to their preferences and promote the building of small communities which, later, will be able to share their experiences with other groups.
- Always support students when they face new challenges to help them become more confident and encourage them to try new things.
- If the previous advice doesn't work, bring the discussion to the classroom and analyze with the students the strategies that didn't work. These reflections will promote self-regulation and make your students aware of how they learn (metacognition).

Propose multiple means of engagement (outline)