Multiple Means of Representation

• Create opportunities for students to reflect and build on their prior knowledge about the natural and designed worlds.
• Display content and expectations in a way that is accessible to all learners in your classroom, such as providing alternative visual and auditory representations.
• Use language and graphics that promote a shared understanding of science concepts.
• Encourage students to highlight patterns and make connections to big ideas clear. 

1.     Accessible Visual Information: Educators should be aware of the limitations and challenges presented by images, graphics, animations, videos and text. Audio, text-based and visual descriptions that highlight essential takeaways from diverse media can support learners with a range of needs. For example, if a diagram is being used to show energy transfer as it relates to weather patterns using arrows and other symbols, it is essential that a caption be provided to highlight what the diagram is showing and attention should be made to provide a key or label all the symbols that are being used.

2.     Comprehension Considerations: Educators should support comprehension by making links to other ideas clear using transitional phrases or by created a concept map. Ensure that all vocabulary or unfamiliar concepts provide alternate references that define the word (i.e. graphics to support vocabulary words or a glossary with definitions).

3.     Processing Information: Information processing should be supported by the inclusion of opportunities to activate prior knowledge (e.g., prompting class discussion related to connected topics, providing first hand experience for learners to draw from), highlight patterns and make connections to other concepts (e.g., providing opportunities to have students make connections to cross cutting concepts during instruction) and guide the information processing by sectioning text by key ideas and promoting reflection.

4.     Diversity of Learners: Do not assume that all learners possess the same ability to comprehend visuals, text or other media (some students may struggle to process all media and might benefit from large or small group discussion) or have the same background knowledge. There is never one way to accomplish these tasks and designers must take a multi-pronged approach to designing materials that take into account the learners with a range of needs.