Enhancing Communication Through Multimodal Strategies

Today we will be discussing using multimodal activities to support instruction and communication.

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Penelope Webb 0:10

Welcome to The Exceptional Humans Podcast, where we discuss questions related to language, identity, education, and behavior. I'm your host, Penelope and I have a background in education, linguistics, and behavioral science. Today we will be discussing using multimodal activities to support instruction and communication. As human beings, we have a huge need for inclusive and accessible communication. However, that starts to get complex when we have classrooms and other environments with individuals with different communication needs. Whether those needs are language-based, whether those needs are due to sensory preferences, whether those needs are due to a diagnosis, we often inhabit environments where verbal communication is not the most effective style of communication for all individuals in that environment. This is particularly concerning because the environments that we spend the large majority of our time, such as schools and workplaces, and often home environments, often don't include more inclusive approaches to instruction and communication. Unfortunately, a lot of people's understanding in these environments of inclusive communication is limited to resources such as visual prompts, use of visual timetables, and use of gesture. Which is very limiting for those individuals who require a more diverse and inclusive approach. So I thought I'd share some different approaches, different strategies that can be used to support individuals with more diverse communication needs. These strategies are tailored more towards use in schools. However, they are easily adapted for other situations. The first one is using a range of texts, so regardless of the situation, using a combination of both fiction and nonfiction texts can actually help people access more nuanced or complicated concepts. Especially if you can find texts and tools that allow you to adjust the lexicon, so the language complexity of the text. Also of importance is opportunities for individuals to access these resources independently and with their peers. Another strategy is to incorporate games, quizzes, and other fun learning experiences to deepen knowledge and consolidate learning. Use of audio, video, and other digital tools, including things like websites, online resources, even things like ChatGPT can be very enabling for individuals who experience barriers to communication. Additionally, opportunities for hands-on learning, use of unlikely resources and environments can also help consolidate learning experiences. An example of an unlikely resource and environment would be using desks and a whiteboard marker to show working out of a maths concept or using a school playground to teach students prepositions. It is also important to consider whether or not it might be appropriate to present instructions and communicate in more than one language. So in school context, this might be using mathematical language or scientific language as well as plain English. In other contexts, you might be doing translanguaging, which is use of more than one language as part of a learning experience. You might also be using nonverbal resources alongside of verbal communication, this may include complete languages such as Australian Sign Language. The real challenge for a lot of people when it comes to supporting instruction and communication for individuals with diverse communication needs is getting our head around the concept that we need to be considering and prioritizing others communication needs alongside our own. We all have communication preferences and learning preferences, and it's really easy to forget that others preferences and needs may not align with our own and may differ quite significantly from what we consider to be the norm based on our own personal experiences with language, communication and learning. The Exceptional Humans Podcast is written and recorded on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara lands. We would like to pay our respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today.