As we conclude this brief series on Universal Design for Learning, let’s look at some potential implications of UDL for our adult Bible study classes.
You’ll remember from previous articles that UDL is a design framework based on
- Acknowledging learner variability. Every learner brings different gifts, learning preferences, challenges, and life situations to the classroom.
- Recognizing predictable barriers that might prevent student learning and seeking to remove them during the design process.
- Designing lessons with firm learning goals and flexible means to reach those goals. We previously used the analogy of traveling from Wisconsin to Florida. The Sunshine State is where everybody ends up, but there are a number of different paths to travel there.
What does learner variability mean in the context of adult education? Consider what the learners in your Sunday Bible study look like. How are they different from one another? You might have veteran Christians and new Christians. There might be people who’ve been at your church for decades, some who’ve just recently joined, and some who haven’t yet joined but who are interested. You might have some who are there for a deep dive into the Word and some for whom a deep dive will be intimidating. You might have people who need to see it in order to have it register in their brains and some who need to say it in order to make it stick. There might be some who are comfortable when immersed in the printed word and others who struggle with reading. There might be some who love to take notes and others who will put the class handout in the recycle bin immediately after class. How do you reach all those diverse learners? Our tendency might be to default to the middle, to teach in a “one-size-fits-all” methodology. It’s hard enough to design that kind of a Bible class, isn’t it? But the “one size fits all” lesson runs the risk of not challenging some and overwhelming others. It runs the risk of not reaching the see learners or the say learners. Even with the drawbacks of “one-size-fits-all,” it’s also not practical to design a personalized lesson for every individual in the class. UDL isn’t like handing a dozen umbrellas out to a dozen people standing in the rain. UDL is about finding an umbrella big enough to include everyone under it. (Or maybe putting up a tent at that point!)
One way to include as many as possible in the learning is to recognize predictable barriers and remove them beforehand. In a Bible class context, this might include things that you’re doing already, things that seem like common sense. For example, not being able to see the projector screen or the marker board would be a barrier to learning. Not being able to hear your classmates’ questions or comments would be another. You practice UDL when you prepare the room beforehand, making sure that your tables and chairs are arranged to enable everyone to see the front and to hear one another. Perhaps you can see that UDL is an opportunity for a higher-level conversation with your congregational leaders as you discuss things like video monitors, projectors, and PA systems that invite all learners to be full participants.
Including as many as possible in the learning also finds application in your actual lesson design. Since you know that you will have a variety of different preferred learning styles in class together, maybe you plan to have a little something that’s a thoughtful nod to each of them. For those who learn best when they can see something and study it, you could include an activity that includes a diagram, a mind map, or a flow chart. This is also a good place to mention a well-designed PowerPoint and an aesthetically pleasing student handout. Since you know that you’ll have some “talk” learners in class, you include a “think-pair-share” in your lesson design. (Just be sure not to short-change the “think” part of that format. You can also predict that you will have some learners who need to gather their thoughts as the first step of group work.) Or consider this: Since you know that you’re going to have new folks in class, you could include page numbers along with your Bible references or a short, printed explanation underneath each passage. Not only does this help folks who are new, but it also sometimes eliminates the need to ask a type 1 question about the passage in order to make sure everyone is on the same page.
One more way to help solidify the concept of firm goals with flexible means is to put it in terms of student choice. As teachers, we determine the goals: the content or skills we want them to leave with when class is done. But we can present learners with a variety of means through which they take in the content (that is, read this paragraph, listen to this short podcast segment, watch this brief video) and a variety of means through which they can demonstrate their grasp of that content. Regarding the latter, the choice board included in this month’s Adult Education: Additum provides you with a template for catechism students to show you what they know. But how might a choice board look in adult Bible study? Is that even possible? This is one area where more thought and innovation are needed. Assessment, in general, is still a matter of debate in an adult Bible study context. But for now, here are a few things to consider if you want to start on a choice board for your adult learners. Give them the choice to work alone or with a small group according to their preference in certain activities. Invite them to summarize a topic(s), giving them the choice to write something, further research something, draw something, or tap into their memory/experience for related information Adults may be a little more image-conscious than youngsters when it comes to writing or acting in a skit, but who knows?. The EduProtocols books by Marlena Hebern and Jon Corippo might provide you with interesting idea starters in this regard. The point is that offering adult learners choices makes them partners in the learning and can give a wide variety of learners the chance to “get under the umbrella” so to speak.
One last thing: Don’t let this overwhelm you. You don’t have to “dot every i” when first getting acquainted with UDL. Try to implement one thing in your next lesson. And add another when you feel comfortable.
Our Creator has blessed us and our students with a variety of gifts, interests, experiences, and levels of understanding. He’s blessed us with a message that resonates with different learners in different ways at different times in their lives. Being reminded of such diversity in our hearers could be intimidating for us. But remember that our God is the one who not only gives the message but enables our students to hear it, believe it, and grow in it. That’s the way it’s always been and always will be. As his humble instruments and faithful stewards, we simply strive to reach as many of our learners as possible. UDL can help us do that.