UDL Principle #2: Provide Multiple Means of Representation (The WHAT of Learning)

The second UDL principle, Multiple Means of Representation, asks educators to consider What goes into the process of learning. When seeking to carry out this principle, educators will need to consider the mechanics of cognition. In short, educators are called upon to consider what goes into students’ perception, comprehension, and retention of what is being taught. Those considerations require careful reflection on how information is presented to students and how concepts or key ideas are represented as synthesized forms of discrete forms of knowledge. Doing so allows for more equitable access to your lessons, presentations, course material, and teaching methods overall because the nature and sociocultural contours of what is deemed as acceptable or required knowledge must be interrogated. The goal of providing Multiple Means of Representation is that students will not only become familiar with discrete bits of information, but also become resourceful and knowledgeable throughout the entire learning process. Attending to the presentation of information as well as the larger notions of how that information coalesces into concepts that have meaning beyond the course is a part of merging Multiple Means of Representation with inclusive pedagogy. When this step is taken, the effective logistical presentation of information can not only be technically sound but rooted in an awareness that representation is as much about what is seen as it is about who is seen.

For example, you’ve likely been in the audience during a presentation when the slides being used contained too much text, the images are inconsistent with the diversity of our communities or world, or the fonts were too small, or maybe the presenter missed an opportunity to make their information clearer through the use of a diagram. If so, you’ve witnessed how the ineffectual presentation and representation of information can significantly detract from students’ ability to perceive and make sense of what they are being asked to learn. Mindful construction or compilation of learning materials is not only about being well-organized; it also plays a significant role in students’ ability to access and understand what they are being asked to learn. Other examples of what it means to provide Multiple Means of Representation include:

embedding a variety of auditory and visual information related to a given topic into lessons and units
the reduction of distracting jargon or idioms
tapping into students’ prior knowledge in order to build a cognitive bridge to what will be taught and what they can do
the provision of video captioning
use of mnemonic devices, and
the provision of explicit opportunities and/or scaffolds to help students connect prior knowledge, previously learned course content, and new course content.

Students benefit from the provision of Multiple Means of Representation because it communicates an educator’s recognition that no student is singularly a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. Effective provision of multiple means also recognizes that an educator’s linguistic profile, logic, cultural background, and preferred mode of consuming information will not predictably match that of their class. Those differences need not be seen as insurmountable blocks or indications that “certain” students are not equipped to learn. Instead, the effective use of Multiple Means of Representation is an opportunity for educators to conscientiously embody reflective teaching that regards linguistic diversity, sensory disabilities, and cognitive variety as reminders that education should not be the purview of any privileged group or default type of student. Specifically, this UDL principle calls for the provision of options related to perception, language, mathematical expressions, and symbols, and the enhancement of comprehension.

Here are the guidelines and corresponding checkpoints associated with the UDL principle of Multiple Means of Representation:

Guidelines and Checkpoints for Multiple Means of Representation (The *WHAT* of Learning)
Guidelines	Checkpoints
Provide Options for Perception	Offer ways of customizing the display of information
	Offer alternatives for auditory information
	Offer alternatives for visual information

Provide Options for Language, Mathematical Expressions, and Symbols	Clarify vocabulary and symbols
	Clarify syntax and structure
	Support decoding of text, mathematical notion, and symbols
	Promote understanding across languages
	Illustrate through multiple media

Provide Options for Comprehension	Activate or supply background knowledge
	Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
	Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation
	Maximize transfer and generalization