EDAP612
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Table of Contents
Introduction. 3
Differentiating the Curriculum: Deciding WHAT to Teach
Based on MWoK.. 3
Differentiating Pedagogy: Deciding HOW to Teach Based on
MWoK.. 5
Enhancing Learner Autonomy: Fostering Self-Management and
Self-Teaching. 8
Cultivating an Inclusive Environment: Positive Climate,
Culture, and Formative Assessment 11
Conclusion. 13
References. 15
Ensuring inclusive and effective literacy education for
exceptional learners presents both a profound opportunity and a significant
challenge for educators. The “Multiple Ways of Knowing” (MWoK) framework, as
detailed by Munro (2008) and course lectures (EDAP612 Module 4), offers a
valuable model for understanding the diverse learning profiles of these
students and informing truly inclusive teaching. This paper aims to explore the
implications of the MWoK model for teaching literacy, describing how this
framework, alongside lecture content and additional research, can guide the
planning and implementation of an inclusive program for exceptional learners.
Curriculum differentiation, the critical adaptation
of what is taught, is fundamental to addressing the diverse
needs of exceptional learners in literacy. The “Multiple Ways of Knowing”
(MWoK) framework provides an essential, multifaceted lens for this process,
moving beyond singular deficits to understand a student’s entire learning
profile (Munro, 2011; EDAP612 Module 4). To effectively differentiate the
curriculum to match an exceptional student’s existing knowledge, educators must
first comprehensively assess this knowledge through the various interacting
dimensions proposed by MWoK.
The MWoK framework posits that students know and
understand topics through multiple, integrated dimensions: their experiential
or episodic knowledge (concrete, personal experiences); abstract conceptual
knowledge (decontextualised ideas, rules, and patterns); procedural knowledge
(skills and how to do things); emotional knowledge (feelings and motivations
linked to learning); cultural knowledge (values and practices from their
cultural backgrounds, including classroom culture); attitudinal and dispositional
knowledge (beliefs and values towards a topic); self-identity as a learner
(including self-efficacy); and their thinking knowledge (metacognitive skills
and learning strategies) (Munro, 2008; EDAP612 Module 4). For exceptional
learners, development across these ways of knowing is often asynchronous, meaning
they might exhibit significant strengths in some areas alongside considerable
challenges in others (EDAP612 Module 3). Munro (2008, p.5) refers to these as “imbalances”
in existing knowledge, which profoundly influence how students engage with and
learn new literacy content. Assessing this “starting knowledge” across all WoKs
is therefore the cornerstone of determining what to teach (Munro,
2011).
This detailed MWoK profile directly informs necessary
curriculum adjustments. For instance, if an exceptional learner in literacy
demonstrates strong experiential knowledge (for example: rich oral storytelling
abilities, vivid personal narratives) but struggles with abstract conceptual
knowledge (for example: understanding story grammar or thematic elements), the
curriculum should initially leverage these strengths. New literacy concepts
would be grounded in concrete, relatable experiences before moving to more
decontextualised rules or analyses. Conversely, if a student has strong
conceptual understanding but weak procedural knowledge regarding phonics
decoding, the curriculum must explicitly break down and teach these decoding
skills as distinct content. If negative attitudes or emotional responses
(attitudinal and emotional WoK) hinder engagement with reading, the initial
curriculum focus might need to incorporate high-interest, low-pressure texts to
build confidence before tackling more challenging academic material. According
to Munro (2011, pp. 112-114) “knowledge change journey,” the curriculum must
meet students at their current level of understanding be it novice, patterned,
or expert and systematically guide them to the next phase by targeting the
specific WoKs that require development.
General strategies for curriculum differentiation, such
as compacting for students who have mastered certain content, telescoping to
accelerate learning, extending concepts for deeper exploration, providing more
foundational tasks for those needing reinforcement, or altering the complexity
of texts and tasks, are all guided by this initial MWoK-informed assessment
(Tomlinson, 2014).
Consider an exceptional learner in Grade 4 who
demonstrates strong oral comprehension and rich experiential knowledge
(experiential WoK) but struggles significantly with abstract inferencing when
reading independently (weaker conceptual and thinking WoK). An MWoK-informed
assessment would involve observing their engagement with read-alouds versus
independent texts, analysing their retellings for literal versus inferential
understanding, and probing their thinking strategies. To differentiate the
curriculum content, the focus would not solely be on providing “easier” texts.
Instead, the curriculum itself would be adapted:
- Leverage Experiential WoK: Initially
use texts closely aligned with their known experiences and interests to
make inferencing more accessible.
- Make Inferencing Explicit Curriculum Content: The skill of inferencing identifying clues, connecting to
prior knowledge, drawing conclusions becomes what is
taught. This involves deconstructing the concept of an inference
(conceptual WoK).
- Teach Procedural Aspects: Explicitly
teach the steps involved in making an inference, perhaps using
think-alouds and graphic organizers (procedural and thinking WoK).
- Address Emotional/Attitudinal WoK: Select
texts that are engaging and build success to foster a more positive
self-identity as a reader capable of making inferences.
Pedagogical differentiation involves adapting how instruction
is delivered to cater to the diverse learning needs of exceptional students in
literacy, and MWoK framework offers robust guidance for these critical
modifications. An understanding of an exceptional learner's unique MWoK profile
their strengths, weaknesses, and imbalances across experiential, conceptual,
procedural, emotional, cultural, attitudinal, self-identity, and thinking
knowledge directly informs the selection and adaptation of teaching methods.
MWoK would recommend tailoring instructional strategies, resources, activities,
and the learning environment to align with how a particular exceptional learner
best processes and constructs literacy knowledge.
Munro’s (2011, pp. 115-117) “lesson format for knowledge
enhancement” provides a structured approach to instruction through three
phases: orienting for learning, learning new ideas, and reviewing, storing, and
using what was learnt. Pedagogical differentiation using MWoK occurs within
each phase. For instance, during the “orienting” phase, if a student has strong
experiential WoK but struggles to connect this to prior academic concepts, the
teacher might use more visual prompts, storytelling, or real-life objects to
activate their existing knowledge. During the “learning new ideas” phase, a
student with weaker procedural WoK in phonics would benefit from explicit,
direct instruction with multi-sensory approaches, while a student with strong
conceptual WoK but needing to develop deeper experiential understanding might
engage in role-playing or creating visual representations of literary concepts.
Vygotsky’s “Zone of Proximal
Development” (ZPD) and the concept of scaffolding is
crucial, as recognising where a student presently operates in the ZPD with
respect to the various WoKs allows the teacher to then offer very
particular scaffolding to support students to reach new understandings of
literacy (Vygotsky, 1978).
Modifying teaching to accommodate MWoK variations is
crucial. If an exceptional learner demonstrates strong abstract conceptual
understanding but limited experiential knowledge, the teacher might provide
fewer concrete examples and accelerate the move to abstract discussions or
rule-based learning in grammar or text structure analysis (Duchesne et al., 2018).
Conversely, for a student with a strong emotional connection to stories
(emotional WoK) but weak conceptual understanding of literary devices, their
interests can be a bridge; teaching might involve analysing how authors evoke
emotions in texts they already love. For those with weak “thinking knowledge”
(metacognition), explicitly teaching reading comprehension strategies like
questioning the author, summarising, or visualizing becomes a key pedagogical
focus (Pintrich, 2002).
Integrating different theoretical perspectives, as
highlighted in course materials, further enriches pedagogical differentiation (EDAP612
Module 4). A cognitivist approach might inform the breaking down of complex
literacy tasks into smaller chunks to manage cognitive load, especially for
students whose thinking WoK is still developing or who have working memory
challenges (Module 4; Cowan, 2008). A “socio-cultural perspective” emphasizes
dialogue and co-operative learning, particularly beneficial for students whose
cultural WoK aligns with such practices or who need to develop their
social-emotional WoK.
Continuing with the Grade 4 exceptional learner who has
strong oral comprehension and experiential WoK but struggles with abstract
inferencing in literacy:
- Instructional Strategies: Instead
of solely relying on written questions, the teacher would use rich oral
discussions to explore inferential meanings in texts read aloud,
leveraging their strong experiential and auditory processing. Think-alouds
would be a key strategy, where the teacher explicitly models their own
inferencing process: “The author says the character slammed the door. This
makes me think they are angry because when I'm angry, I sometimes act that
way.” (linking to experiential and thinking WoK).
- Adapting Resources & Activities: Graphic organizers, such as "clue-inference"
charts, would be used to visually scaffold the inferencing process
(supporting conceptual and thinking WoK). Texts chosen would initially be
rich in dialogue and action directly relatable to their experiences,
gradually introducing more subtle inferential demands.
- Scaffolding: The teacher would
provide sentence starters (“I think... because the text says... and I
know...”) and gradually reduce this support as the student's ability to
articulate inferences (thinking and conceptual WoK) develops.
Collaborative pairing with a peer who has stronger inferencing skills
could provide further scaffolding within their ZPD (Vygotsky & Cole,
1978).
Learner autonomy, the capacity for students to take
control of their own learning processes, is paramount for the long-term success
of exceptional learners in literacy. The MWoK framework highlights that this
autonomy is not an innate trait but a complex interplay of developed skills and
dispositions. To explicitly teach exceptional learners to improve their
self-management of learning, educators must target and cultivate specific MWoK
components, particularly “thinking knowledge” (metacognition), “self-identity”
(including self-efficacy), and “emotional knowledge” (self-regulation).
The MWoK framework underscores that effective
self-management stems from a robust understanding of oneself as a learner and
the learning process. "Thinking knowledge," or metacognition,
involves students understanding their own cognitive processes, the strategies
they can employ, and how to monitor and regulate their learning (Munro, 2008,
pp. 12-14; Pintrich, 2002). “Self-identity as a learner,” significantly
influenced by self-efficacy the belief in one’s capability to succeed determines
a student's willingness to engage, persevere, and employ self-management
strategies (Bandura & Wessels, 1997). Furthermore, “emotional knowledge”
and the ability to self-regulate emotional responses to challenging literacy
tasks are crucial, as unmanaged frustration or anxiety can derail independent
learning efforts. Emotional self-regulation plays a crucial role in literacy
development and academic success. Research indicates that frustration and
anxiety can negatively impact reading skills and comprehension in emerging
readers (Buono et al., 2020). Munro (2011, p. 120) emphasizes that the MWoK
framework can be used to systematically teach students to use self-talk to
direct their activity at each phase of learning, thereby internalizing
self-management.
The explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies is
central to fostering learner autonomy. This involves making transparent the
often-invisible processes that proficient readers use. Educators can model and
scaffold strategies such as setting specific literacy goals (for example: “I
will identify three character traits today”), planning their approach to a
reading task (for example: “First, I will skim the headings, then read the
first paragraph carefully”), self-monitoring comprehension (asking “Does this
make sense?” as they read), self-questioning to deepen understanding,
reflecting on which strategies were effective, and knowing when and how to seek
appropriate help (Boekaerts, 1997; Zohar, 1999).
Developing a positive self-identity as a capable
literacy learner, underpinned by strong self-efficacy, is equally vital.
Bandura’s work on self-efficacy highlights the importance of mastery
experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological/affective
states (Bandura & Wessels, 1997). Teachers can foster this by structuring
tasks to ensure small, achievable successes, providing specific, effort-based
feedback (“I noticed how you used the context clues to figure out that word;
that’s excellent strategy use”), and helping students attribute successes to
their strategies and effort rather than innate ability or luck. This aligns
with Erikson’s stage of “Industry vs. Inferiority” where school-age children
develop a sense of competence through successful task completion.
Emotional self-regulation skills enable exceptional
learners to navigate the inevitable frustrations of learning. Teaching students
to recognize their emotional triggers during challenging literacy tasks and
equipping them with coping mechanisms is essential. Strategies such as “brain
breaks”, simple mindfulness exercises to manage anxiety, or explicitly teaching
positive self-talk (“This is tricky, but I can try a different strategy”) can
empower them to persist rather than disengage (O’Mahony, 2020).
For
our Grade 4 exceptional learner struggling with abstract inferencing but strong
in oral comprehension:
- Metacognitive Strategy Instruction: Explicitly
teach a self-questioning strategy for inferencing, such as “What clues
does the author give? What do I already know about this? What new idea can
I make?” Model this, then have the student practice with a checklist.
- Goal Setting & Self-Monitoring: Help
them set a small, achievable inferencing goal for a short text (for
example: “I will try to make one good inference and explain my thinking”).
Teach them to use a simple self-monitoring tool, like highlighting clues
in the text and noting their inference.
- Boosting Self-Efficacy: When
they make a supported inference, provide specific feedback: “You used the
clue about the character’s ‘frown’ and your knowledge that frowning often
means someone is unhappy to make a great inference about how they were
feeling. Well done for using those thinking steps.”
- Emotional Regulation: If they
become frustrated, guide them: “It’s okay if it's tricky. Take a ‘thinking
break’ for a minute, then look at just one sentence and see what clues we
can find together.”
A positive learning climate and culture are critical for
supporting the literacy development of exceptional learners, fostering an
environment where they feel safe, valued, and empowered to engage with
challenging tasks. The MWoK framework recommends that such an environment is
cultivated by intentionally addressing all of a student’s “Ways of Knowing” and
by embedding continuous, responsive formative assessment into teaching
practice.
The MWoK framework suggests that an inclusive classroom
atmosphere is built upon acknowledging and nurturing each student’s unique
profile across their emotional, attitudinal, cultural, and self-identity WoKs,
alongside their cognitive ones (Munro, 2008). Valuing the diverse knowledge an
exceptional learner brings including their experiential and cultural WoK creates
a sense of belonging and affirms their identity (Munro, 2008, pp. 19-20). When
students feel their unique perspectives are respected, they are more likely to
take intellectual risks essential for literacy growth. Understanding “cultural
influences” (a key MWoK component) allows educators to create a culturally
responsive classroom that validates students' backgrounds and learning
preferences, making the learning environment more equitable and engaging
(Tomlinson, 2014).
Strategies for fostering such a positive climate include
building strong, trusting teacher-student relationships where students feel
understood and supported. Peer support and collaborative learning structures,
which resonate with the social and cultural WoKs, can enhance feelings of
community and provide varied learning perspectives (Duchesne et al., 2018).
Celebrating effort, progress, and the application of strategies, rather than
solely focusing on outcomes, helps build a “growth mindset” and bolsters a
student’s self-identity as a capable learner.
Formative assessment, defined as the ongoing process of
gathering and interpreting evidence of student learning to make adjustments to
teaching is integral to this MWoK-informed approach (Wiliam & Leahy, 2024).
Using MWoK to assess a student's “starting knowledge” is itself a powerful form
of initial and ongoing formative assessment. Throughout instruction, techniques
such as careful observation of students' engagement and strategy use,
purposeful questioning to probe understanding across different WoKs, providing
strategic feedback that links to learning goals, facilitating student
self-reflection, and using peer assessment all contribute valuable formative
data (Munro, 2011, p. 119). This data is then used in a cyclical process:
teach, formatively assess literacy learning, analyse the student's current MWoK
engagement and understanding, modify what is taught or how it
is taught in response, and then reassess to gauge the impact of these
modifications.
For our Grade 4 exceptional learner struggling with
abstract inferencing but strong in oral comprehension:
- Positive Climate Elements: The
classroom climate would explicitly value their strong oral contributions
(experiential WoK) and provide frequent, specific encouragement for their
attempts at making inferences, even if not initially perfect. The teacher
would foster an atmosphere were asking for clarification on abstract
concepts is seen as a strength, supporting their conceptual WoK
development.
- Formative Assessment for Inferencing:
- Observation: During guided
reading, the teacher would observe how the student approaches inferential
questions, noting if they attempt to use prior experiential knowledge or
rely solely on literal recall.
- Questioning: Targeted
questions like, “What clues in the story make you think that?” or “How
does that part of the story connect to something you already know?” would
assess their conceptual and thinking WoKs related to inferencing.
- Feedback: If the student
makes a partially correct inference, feedback would be, “That’s an
interesting idea. You have used the clue about. What else does the author
tell us that might add to your thought?” This scaffolds their thinking
WoK without devaluing their attitudinal WoK (willingness to try).
- Data Use: If observations
show consistent reliance on literal information, the teacher would modify
instruction to explicitly model bridging experiential knowledge to
textual clues, perhaps by using more picture-based texts initially or
co-creating visual maps of inferences.
In conclusion, the Multiple Ways of Knowing (MWoK)
framework provides a dynamic and indispensable tool for designing and
delivering inclusive literacy programs tailored to the multifaceted needs of
exceptional learners. By comprehensively assessing students' existing knowledge
across all WoKs, educators can effectively differentiate curriculum content and
pedagogical strategies. Furthermore, an MWoK-informed approach guides the
explicit teaching of self-management skills and the cultivation of a positive,
responsive learning climate, all underpinned by continuous formative
assessment. Adopting such a holistic, knowledge-cantered perspective not only
enhances outcomes for exceptional learners by addressing their unique learning
profiles but also holds profound implications for creating more equitable and
effective literacy instruction for all students.
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