February 1, 2011
dgordon@cast.org
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880
Tel: 781-245-2212 ext. 279
Wakefield, MA, February 1, 2011 — In a playful and dramatic revision of Aesop’s "The Tortoise and the Hare", author and illustrator Mira Singer challenges old assumptions about how to succeed in education. She uses the age-old tale of the race as a metaphor for poorly designed curriculum, and shows how core principles of Universal Design for Learning could make a fair and engaging race for all participants.
UDL is a research-based system for making learning environments that are flexible and supportive enough to give everyone the opportunity to learn at their optimal level. See www.udlcenter.org for more information.
Singer used CAST UDL Book Builder , a powerful (and free) online tool that enables people to create, share, publish, and read digital books that engage and support readers with variable backgrounds, skill levels, needs, and interests. Additional content authored by Kristin Robinson and Anne Meyer of CAST includes a) robust supports for student readers to improve their comprehension and engagement, and b) advice by an on-screen coach named Terry who offers tips to teachers and others about authoring and using effective UDL books.
A key emphasis of UDL is to provide individuals with many different methods and materials to reach the same goal. In her retelling, Singer shows that both the Tortoise and the Hare could have benefited if their race had been designed using UDL principles. The race was unfair from the beginning since the goal (crossing the finish line) was tied to only one means of reaching it: running the exact same course.
It turns out that this course was not really appropriately challenging and supportive for either of the contestants. Bored and unchallenged, the Hare got distracted from the goal and ultimately failed. The Tortoise, meanwhile, was stuck plodding along to finish line. The victory--and its moral, "slow and steady wins the race"--rang hollow since the Tortoise did not really have an opportunity to let his full array of talents shine. The problem of confusing goals with means plagues our education system, and the new UDL version of this tale offers a great new way to think about learning, and some new morals to the story.
Singer illustrates the tale with clever pictures, a multimedia glossary, and animated coaches who provide just-in-time reading supports and guide beginning readers in employing effective comprehension strategies to master the text. The book begins with sepia-toned images which gradually give way to vibrant colors, dramatizing the ways in which this new story breaks from the old. In the same way, UDL suggests ways of re-envisioning traditional educational models to make teaching and learning more inclusive and effective for all.
At CAST, Robinson and Meyer worked with Singer to script animated coaches for students and teachers. For example, readers can click on Buddy—a cartoon dog—who then offers helpful advice for how to understand the story. Terry, another animated coach, emphasized the pedagogy beneath this retelling and suggests ways of making more effective and inclusive learning materials. A multimedia glossary and a TextHelp toolbar that offers text-to-speech and word-for-word English-Spanish translation also support readers’ needs. Singer also developed a coach named Mira who gives insight into the craft of authoring and illustrating the new story.
First launched in 2006, UDL Book Builder is an easy-to-use and free resource for educators, parents, or anyone who wants to make books that provide multiple pathways to reading success. As of this date, more than 30,000 individuals have created their own books using the tool, nearly 2,500 books have been shared privately, and over 1,800 books have been posted publicly in the Book Builder library.
Mira Singer’s retelling joins a line-up of helpful Model Books that demonstrate how to use the service. Using an animated coach, CAST staff has added a number of research-based tips for educators to explain and model how to make books that are pedagogically robust as well as entertaining.
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About Mira Singer. Mira Singer is a college student interested in all forms of storytelling, from writing and drawing to theater and other arts. You can learn more about her writing on her website, www.dragonsathenaeum.com or see more of her artwork at http://jesterbells.deviantart.com.
Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST has earned international recognition for its development of innovative learning resources and for articulating the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework for creating inclusive educational environments. For more information, go to www.cast.org.
