This
TEDx, presented by Jan Wilson, is a powerful demonstration of how a change
in perspective can influence the way in which we view our students, and other’s
in general. She begins by discussing her daughter’s journey, as a child diagnosed
with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 5. Many of the points that Wilson
discusses surrounding her daughter reminded me of many children that I have
worked with, either in the classroom or child care capacity, and it always saddens
me to hear that teacher’s shut down around them. Teaching can be overwhelming, which is something that I am beginning to understand, but your students need to be your priority at
all times, not matter what abilities they may have. As a result of this,
children with certain disabilities are seen as an outlier, or a trouble-some
student.
Wilson
states that “Critics of inclusion however
argue that certain children with disabilities can’t learn through traditional
teaching methods…” [4:20]. For me, this statement says more about our
teaching methods, rather than our children’s perceived inability to conform to
them. The phrase “If it aint broke, don’t
fix it” can hardly be an excuse here, because something is very much broken
in the way we deliver education. The way that we are viewing children in such a
hierarchical manner is what is broken. And the fact that we believe students
who fit in this ‘traditional’ style of teaching or structure are ‘normal’ speaks volumes as well. This is ‘othering’ in its simplest form. Yes, a
child may be diagnosed with ADHD, and may struggle to learn in one particular
way, but is that to say that all the other students in your class are not
having difficulties of their own?
I suffered from eye problems at a young age,
and it wasn’t until I started failing math, that my parents realized I had
difficulty seeing things far away. I was guessing at answers because I thought
what I was able to see was ‘normal’.
There’s
that word again. Normal.
In that situation, even once I had glasses,
and my eye sight was corrected, would it not have been helpful for my teacher
to provide instruction in a way that did not require me to read off of a white board?
Increase the size of the white board writing? Provide individual handouts for
key concepts? This is where the concept of UDL comes into play. You do not have
to have a physical disability for this to be relevant. Adapting your classroom
so that all your students can succeed from the beginning will benefit EVERYONE.
This draws on Wilson’s point later on that disability is more of a continuum rather
than one set label. My having glasses is a form of disability; I need external
support in order to succeed and enjoy life, much like a person who uses a wheelchair,
or a guide animal. Culture, race, and gender could be seen as disabilities
depending on your context. UDL can make accommodations for ALL diversity. And I
think I like that word much better: diversity, rather than disability. We are
all different, and we all have different ways that we process or communicate
information.
The three principles of UDL are as follows:
1.
Multiple
means of representation
2.
Multiple
means of expression
3.
Multiple
means of engagement
*For
a thorough breakdown of these guidelines, please see the National Center on the Universal Design for Learning link below.
There
is scientific evidence that we as humans, process information differently from
one another. This is a fact. There are some means of representation that may
suit some people better than others. It is a fact that I learn best when I can
manipulate my notes into some sort of visual diagram; whereas I have friends who
study best through straight memorization of stacks upon stacks of cue cards.
Then there are those who can hear something spoken in a lecture once and are
able to retain it, even past the finale exam. It is unfortunate that it’s not
until university that I realized this about myself, because it would have been a very helpful study aide.
So
my question is this – if we can recognize in ourselves that we have styles of
learning and representation that suit our needs best, why does it seem so
impossible that this should also be the case for our students?
UDL
allows us to open our minds to this, and see our lessons and classroom planning
from more than one perspective. Wilson self-admittedly stated that even she had
her own preconceptions in regards to disability, and even “able-bodied” people. Labeling
and “othering” is harmful, and can foster a negative
environment for our
students. The lesson here is that reflection and looking through lenses other
than our own are the key to helping us develop a UDL value system that can
benefit and support our students as individual and diverse learners.
http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/udlguidelines_graphicorganizer
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