This strategy supports language development for MLLs, students with disabilities, and many other learners who can use support in developing and expressing their ideas and thoughts. It addresses the “affective” aspects of language learning by supporting learners to  feel confident that they can be successful, feel safe and supported to make mistakes, and provide scaffolding as they need it for optimal language development.

Support for language production

This strategy provides support for students when they need to produce language. It “chunks down” the larger tasks of expressing what we know by allowing students to record their thoughts in chunks. This can be a scaffold for expressing a concept orally or in writing later.  Being able to demonstrate what they know by speaking orally and recording can help build confidence and support students’ ability to engage and interact with content, classmates, and teacher

Opportunities for feedback and practice

MLLs need positive and instructional feedback to develop their language. Additionally, they need opportunities to process the feedback and apply it in additional practice and interaction in order to develop understanding and language. This strategy allows teachers to give students feedback and provide appropriate prompts to let students develop their ideas and thoughts.  You can ask your students to explain something briefly in a recording, listen to the recording with the student, and decide together what more the student might want to add.  This is a way to provide learning-centered feedback (feedback that focuses on what the student has done well and includes specific information on how they can continue to progress).

The Audio Clip Think Out Loud Strategy aligns with all three UDL principles: Representation, Action & Expression and Engagement:

Representation Guidelines

UDL Guideline 3: Comprehension

• Checkpoint 3.3 Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation

With the ability to audio record clips of what they would like to articulate, learners have the chance to process information at a rate that is comfortable for them.  This can help language learners who may need time to articulate ideas in the new language as well as those students who can benefit from chunking down ideas.

Action & Expression Guidelines

UDL Guideline 4: Physical Action

• Checkpoint 4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation
• Checkpoint 4.2:  Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies:

This strategy allows learners to choose how to respond and articulate ideas. For learners who may struggle to respond in writing, audio recording provides a different method for response.  

UDL Guideline 5: Expression and Communication

• Checkpoint 5.3: Build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance

Learners can practice “out loud” without the pressure of generating writing. They can make choices about recording as many clips as they want and piecing things together as they like, providing a way to practice and build on thoughts.

Engagement

Guideline 7: Recruiting Interest

• Checkpoint 7.3 Minimize threats and distractions

For students who struggle with writing or have preconceived ideas that they don’t “like” to write (based on challenges faced in the past), this strategy gives them a way to respond and generate ideas without the anxiety or negative emotions associated with writing.

Guideline 8: Sustaining Interest and Persistence

• Checkpoint 8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback

Teachers can listen to the recordings and give formative and supportive feedback. For example, teachers can ask questions to help learners expand on or clarify a response. In contrast to giving corrective or summative feedback on a final product (e.g., a written response), teachers can provide incremental feedback on audio clips and have a dialogue with learners as they articulate their ideas.

Guideline 9: Self Regulation

• 9.1 Promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation

For learners who have struggled with writing and do not see themselves as capable writers, this strategy gives them a different way to tackle the task of language production. For some learners, it can be freeing to respond orally and see that what they say out loud can then become written text (when they write out what they have recorded).

Some ways in which Audio Clips can support Multilingual Learners and Students with Disabilities specifically are:

• Can provide just-in-time and customized scaffolding to support students to meet them where they are; you can decide what sorts of recordings they can do (length) and also decide whether to give prompts or not.
• Can leverage students’ strengths and preferences - for those students who are more comfortable expressing themselves orally, audio clips can feel like a natural way of expressing ideas 
• Helps break down the cognitive tasks/ demands involved in expression (oral or written); audio clips can be of varying lengths, allowing learners to express ideas in short or lengthy ways 
• Provides learners with clear and achievable goals - teachers can break a larger task into smaller questions/prompts that learners respond to, providing a clear outline or structure for the task/activity/assignment.
• Chunks information into small, focused segments/ tasks.