UDL-based Multimodal Strategies to Improve ELLs Academic Growth in Reading Comprehension
Key Issues
ELLs reach a plateau in language acquisition and comprehension, and they struggle in transitioning levels from approaching proficiency to proficiency, leaving them discouraged and unwilling to engage. Educators recognized the struggle to attain the correct balance to adequately incorporate UDL-based multimodal strategies to address ELLs’ academic gaps and maintain reading engagement. Some of the struggles are attributed to a lack of formal training or simply exposure to the best approach methods.
Key Findings
Current pedagogy entails culturally relevant curricula, strategies, evidence of achievement and affective outcomes, instructional practices for individual and groups of students, and materials to offer authentic connections to the real world.
Doran (2015) describes UDL as the vehicle of delivering instruction further available and suitable for learners with various needs, capabilities, learning styles, and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, emphasizing a flexible and rigorous curriculum developed for best approachability. In an UDL-based approach, teachers draw on the learners' strengths and needs to deliver the appropriate curriculum goal minimizing potential barriers and maximizing accessibility, emphasizing academic rigor for all learners. The UDL-based approach must be implemented in response to students’ diverse cultures to increase engagement and empowerment by utilizing multiple avenues of expression to enrich the dominant language.
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Qualitative: A preliminary survey consisting of open and closed-ended questions was collected from two upper-grade teachers and one special Ed teacher from the same school to gather the educator's perception on evidence-based and multimodal instructional strategies with ELLs.
Another survey was conducted on a veteran teacher from a different cultural background to gather impressions concerning diversity, inclusion, classroom management, cooperative learning (chart on the right).
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Quantitative: This action research employed descriptive and experimental research. A descriptive approach to gathering systematic information of the extent to which the elementary teacher used UDL-based multimodal systems—experimental research to establish the cause-effect relationship of multimodal strategies on student engagement and access to comprehension.
The participants were ten 4th-grade English Language Learners in Los Angeles, California. Of the participating students, 100% are Hispanic. Spanish is the primary language. 100% have reclassified within the last year (RFEP). 100% of the students receive free or reduced lunch.
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Action Research Presentation
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The following action research presents and evaluates evidence-based and multimodal instructional strategies to positively impact diverse learners.
Effective Diverse Learner Instructional Strategies from the Action Research Findings
“Authentic learning provides a learning environment which gives students a taste of the real world” (Simpson, 2015, p. 62).
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Incorporating multimodal teaching adds creativity and flexibility between the educator and the ELL during English language interaction promoting the learning environment.
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UDL-based multimodal strategies boost motivation and promote critical thinking.
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Multimodal approaches require integrating multiple modes to enhance learners’ backgrounds, knowledge of English context, and engagement in the learning process.
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Refinement of pedagogical skills in cultivating students’ content knowledge across disciplines and language skills to promote a culturally conscious environment.
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Text-audio read-aloud enable ELLs to enjoy and challenge their reading within their Lexile and ZPD level to ensure academic rigor and language acquisition.
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Enabling ELLs to create multimodal compositions, such as video, screencast, enhance writing, and communication abilities, that promote critical social skills, leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration.
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Empower educators to administer discipline inquiry to drive action and enhance current practices by performing meaningful changes.