IX The Association of Ideas

In this talk, James (1899/1962) explains how our stream of consciousness is controlled by how we associate ideas, and this association follows either the Law of Contiguity (where a new idea comes to you because it was previously next to your last idea) and the Law of Similarity (where the new idea is similar to the previous one, even though they might not have been directly related before).  He posits that education depends on constructing a system of associated ideas.  

James (1899/1962) sounds rather modern in one of the passages in this talk, when he presents the idea that one “must not rely on single cues, but multiply the cues as much as possible” (p. 44).  This reminded me of reading I have done on the subject of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  I was asked to read a few chapters out of the Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning by David H. Rose and Anne Meyer, which can be found online for free at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/.  In this book, they talk about how you should always use multiple representations, using different kinds of media and format, so that every student can grasp the content.  Previously I had heard this kind of thought associated with accessibility issues for blind or deaf students, but had never really thought about how multiple ways of displaying content can help students with different kinds of learning styles.  I like that James mentions it in his talk, even if briefly, because it is an important aspect of education.  I am especially excited by the implications that new technologies have on this UDL movement, since content can be displayed in many different ways using computers and other technological devices.  For instance, the CSS Zen Garden (http://www.csszengarden.com/) shows how the same content can be displayed in endless ways using CSS.  This site only focuses on the visual aspects that can change, but imagine the different ways that the content can be manipulated; for example, allowing it to be read by a screen reader for a blind student, or enlarged for someone with poor vision.  Textual information can be easily supplemented with pictures, and interactive animations can be incorporated for people who prefer to be more hands-on (check out this great example: http://www.moma.org/interactives/projects/2001/whatisaprint/flash.html).  James’ (1899/1962) idea to “multiply the cues” (p. 44) is really exciting in our modern age.  What are some other ways, whether using technology or not, that teachers can help to reach many different kinds of students?  What are the inherent difficulties in doing this, and what kinds of setbacks does it bring for teachers?