Teacher Feature: Nicole Doering - Multimodal Learning in Action

For the longest time, students have been expected to show their learning one way, but for many this can limit their creativity and prevent them from seeing their learning through who they are. 

Nicole Doering, teacher at Meadows West School, remembers that feeling well. Looking back on her own school experience, she recalls struggling when assignments only asked for traditional academic tasks. That experience became a source of inspiration for the teacher she is now. “I really struggled with that paper pencil task and being able to represent how I was feeling,” she says. 

Today, multimodal learning is the teaching approach that guides her classroom, giving students many ways to express themselves through talking, writing, or drawing to understand ideas and show what they know.

Nicole’s Journey to the Classroom

Nicole’s path to teaching was not a straight line. She grew up as a competitive dancer and often felt that school did not fully reflect who she was or what she could do. After completing her undergraduate degree in psychology and later a diploma in dental assisting, she discovered her passion for teaching. 

“Someone told me, why don’t you become a teacher,” she shares. “I was a dance teacher at the time, and it made sense.” When she joined Winnipeg School Division, she first taught at Dufferin School before joining Meadows West where she now teaches Grade 7 Science and Grade 8 English Language Arts. 

She obtained her Master's degree in Education in 2023, is now pursuing her PhD in Education, Language and Literacy, and recently presented at international education conferences about the subject.

Multimodal Learning Inside the Classroom

Multimodal learning aims to help students make meaning by engaging both their thinking and their feelings. It encourages learning experiences that connect with one another and offers paths for students to express who they are while building stronger and more personal connections to class lessons. “Multimodal learning in my classroom is everywhere. We do it all the time. It is embodied,” she explains.

During a figurative language project, students might create Roblox worlds that tell stories with similes and metaphors. Other projects use music and explore their favourite artists. “I have had kids use Taylor Swift songs and pull-out different allusions and words to explain figurative language,” she says. Students have created digital games, board games, and visual or audio projects to communicate ideas.

In of the class activities, students painted their feelings over several days and then turned their reflections into poems that later were exhibited along with their art.

Some students later shared their poetry in a school-wide poetry jam.

Nicole also connects learning across subjects whenever possible. Last year, students prepared essays in English language arts to support their science fair research, then presented their work at both the school and divisional fairs using multiple ways to communicate their findings. 

She credits the Manitoba English Language Arts curriculum for supporting this interconnected approach. “It gives me space to be creative and incorporate my students’ voices while still teaching the academic skills needed,” she says. A big part of this approach relies on the students’ support to try new things. “My student’s willingness to take chances and trust the process is a huge driving force behind why I teach the way I do,” she says.

Confidence That Carries Forward

Looking ahead, Nicole hopes the skills her students build will carry them into high school and beyond. She believes multimodal learning helps students express their identities. “Multimodal meaning making embodies your cultural identity and allows you to represent who you are,” she explains.  In other words, this means students can use different ways of learning to show who they are and what is important to them. “I hope they can transfer these skills to different settings and contexts. I want them to share their gifts and really shine in leadership.” 

Nicole’s work shows that learners can thrive when given the chance to express themselves and share what they know from a place of confidence and pride.