Lesson1: Principle I: Representation

Principle I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation

I. 

Students differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. For example, those with sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or deafness), learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia), language or cultural differences, and so forth may all require different ways of approaching content. Others may simply grasp information better through visual or auditory means rather than from printed text. In reality, there is no one means of representation that is optimal for all students, therefore, providing options in representation is essential.h

Guideline1: Provide options for perception

To be effective in diverse classrooms, curricula must present information in ways that are perceptible to all students. It is impossible to learn information that is imperceptible to the learner, and difficult to learn when information is presented in formats that require extraordinary effort or assistance. To reduce barriers to learning, therefore, it is important to ensure that key information is equally perceptible to all students by (1) providing the same information through different sensory modalities (e.g., through vision, hearing, or touch); (2) providing information in a format that will allow for adjustments by the user (e.g., text that can be enlarged, sounds that can be amplified). Such multiple representations not only ensure that information is accessible to students with particular sensory and perceptual disabilities, they also make it easier for many others to access. When the same information, for example, is presented in both speech and text, the complementary representations enhance comprehensibility for most students.ow to use the structure of the guidelines

- care 

Guideline2: Provide options for language and symbols

Students vary in their facility with different forms of representation, both linguistic and non-linguistic. Vocabulary that may sharpen and clarify concepts for one student may be opaque and foreign to another. A graph that illustrates the relationship between two variables may be informative to one student and inaccessible or puzzling to another. A picture or image that carries one meaning for some students may carry very different meanings for students from differing cultural or familial backgrounds. As a result, inequalities arise when information is presented to all students through a single form of representation. An important instructional strategy is to ensure that alternative representations are provided, not only for accessibility but for clarity and comprehensibility to all students. le

Guideline3: Provide options for comprehension:

The purpose of education is not to make information accessible (that is the purpose of libraries), but to teach students how to transform accessible information into useable knowledge. Decades of cognitive science research has demonstrated that the capability to transform accessible information into useable knowledge is an active process, not a passive one. Constructing useable knowledge—knowledge that is accessible for future decision-making—depends not on merely perceiving information but on active "information-processing skills," like selective attending, integrating new information with prior knowledge, strategic categorization, and active memorization. Individuals differ greatly in their skills in information processing, and in their access to prior knowledge through which they can assimilate new information. Proper design and presentation of information—the responsibility of any curriculum or instructional methodology—can provide the cognitive ramps that are necessary to ensure that all students have access to knowledge.tion into useable knowledge. Decades of cognitive science research has demonstrated that the capability to transform accessible information into useable knowledge is an active process, not a passive one. Constructing useable knowledge—knowledge that is accessible for future decision-making—depends not on merely perceiving information but on active "information-processing skills," like selective attending, integrating new information with prior knowledge, strategic categorization, and active memorization. Individuals differ greatly in their skills in information processing, and in their access to prior knowledge through which they can assimilate new information. Proper design and presentation of information—the responsibility of any curriculum or instructional methodology—can provide the cognitive ramps that are necessary to ensure that all students have access to knowledge.

rn more about the guidelines

Methods: Read an Explanation

Find Examples and Resources

Explore the Research Evidence