Module 7: What is learning and how does it happen?
“Schools are built upon highly regulated principles and policy discourses of individual achievement and progression. They are inherently individualistic and reward the entrepreneurial achievements of self-governing learners. The school is a literal and metaphorical ableist playground. At the very same time, educational institutions create disability and impairment categories.” (Goodley et al., 2019, p. 17)
Overview
A Message From Shaheen
Hey, Shaheen, why do you keep asking us these big questions? What you do and say in your future classroom will have a significant impact on your future students. And, what you understand and believe about humans, learning, teaching, and education will guide what you do and say in that classroom.
Rather than defaulting to the belief that the way you have been taught and the way that you learn is THE WAY, I want you to explore diverse ideas about these big concepts and then intentionally construct what you believe. I want you to question and critique the ideas you explore in the Guidebook and come to your own conclusions.
By the end of this Guidebook, you might decide that your ideas are diametrically opposed to mine. Cool. I do not want you to just adopt my beliefs because I am a professor and the lead author of this book. I want you to be able to explain why you believe what you believe and how your beliefs will impact your future work.
Musical Moment
Evelyn Glennie – The Sounds of My Kitchen Sink (Insufficient Captions)
Transcript of The Sounds of My Kitchen Sink
|
Component |
Estimated Time to Complete |
|---|---|
|
Engage |
40 mins-1 hr 20 mins |
|
Reflect |
1 hr |
|
Chat |
1-2 hrs |
|
Self-Assess |
10-15 mins |
Engage
Required
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Learning from One Another: Lessons in (Educational) Excellence By Dr. Betina Hseih |
This TED Talk focuses on creating learning environments that build understanding and recognize the humanity of students. |
10-20 mins |
|
*This article is paywalled |
This article discusses hereditarian interpretations of IQ scores and how this faulty view is used to justify systemic oppression and prejudice. |
4-7.5 mins |
|
Reimagining Learning | Jonathan Mooney By The Brainwaves Video Anthology Start at the 2:12 timestamp |
In this video, dyslexic writer and activist Jonathan Mooney discusses inclusion in education and the social model of disability. |
3-6 mins |
|
Is It Better to Be a Braille Reader Than a Print Reader? By Mark A. Riccobono |
This article discusses how implicit biases impact how people view disabled ways of knowing and being, with special consideration of blindness and literacy. |
1.5-3 mins |
|
In My Language | Mel Baggs By Mel Baggs |
This video showcases a few communication modalities that non-speaking disabled people use. Mel also addresses how oppressive the nondisabled world’s narrow understanding of communication is. |
5-9 mins |
|
The Gift of Language Campaign By The National Association of the Deaf |
In this video, parents of Deaf children discuss the benefits of teaching their children both ASL and English. |
2-4 mins |
|
The Biggest Myth In Education By Derek Miller of Veritasium |
This video critiques the idea of learning styles. |
7-14 mins |
Pick One
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Embracing Dyslexia: An Interview with Dr. Maryanne Wolf By Embracing Dyslexia |
In this interview, Dr. Wolf discusses cerebral diversity, spoken language, and how reading occurs. |
5-10 mins |
|
Embracing Dyslexia: Interview with Student Jessica Pupich By Embracing Dyslexia |
This interview focuses on the experiences of a young student with dyslexia before and after her diagnosis. |
3.5-7 mins |
|
What Is Executive Function? By Gail Belsky |
This article defines executive functioning and addresses how to identify and support individuals whose executive functioning skills are still developing. |
6-11 mins |
|
Don’t Should on Me: It’s Not Easy Being NOT Green By Shelley Moore |
This video discusses the problems with the concepts of normal, average, and standardization in education, and encourages teachers to help students become themselves, not a mythical green student. |
2.5-5 mins |
|
To the Teachers of ADHD Students (How Can I Help?) By Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD Transcript: To The Teachers of ADHD Students Transcript |
In this video, a person with ADHD discusses how teachers can best support and interact with their students that have ADHD. |
4-8 mins |
Optional
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
Our Workplaces Think We’re Computers. We’re Not. By The Ezra Klein Show Transcript: Our Workplaces Think We’re Computers. We’re Not. |
The podcast explains how the analogy that our brains work like computers is flawed and offers more accurate analogies. |
35-70 mins |
|
This blog post discusses the role of teachers in the classroom, and the difference between traditional and progressive education. |
4-7.5 mins |
|
|
In this article, Alice Wong shares her journey with becoming a member of the nonspeaking community. |
3.5-7 mins |
Reflect
Use the prompts below as a jumping off point. Do not let the prompts confine your reflection.
- Learning: Before this module, what did you think learning was and how did you think it happened? How have your ideas about learning been expanded, changed, questioned, or reinforced by this module’s Engage sources?
- In My Language by Mel Baggs (they/them): What do you think Mel was trying to accomplish with their video? What were your takeaways?
Chat
Use the prompts below as a jumping off point for a conversation with others in your class or community.
- What teaching and learning practices did you experience as a K-12 student? Based on those experiences, what do you think your K-12 teachers believed about learning?
- How could your takeaways from the In My Language video guide your future work?
Self-Assess
- What idea/concept from this module was the CLEAREST to you?
- What idea/concept from this module was the MUDDIEST to you?
- Rate your knowledge on the ideas discussed in this module
- Expert
- Mastered
- Competent
- Still Developing
- Undeveloped
FAQ
Q1: I want to learn more about what Mel was discussing in their In My Language video.
A1: Mel published an article in Disability Studies Quarterly entitled Cultural Commentary: Up in the Clouds and Down in the Valley: My Richness and Yours. In the article, Mel expands on the ideas they shared in the video.
Q2: What does learning have to do with disability?
A2: Great question. All people learn; it’s part of being human. However, the common narratives about how learning happens are very narrow and exclude disabled ways of learning. These narrow ideas are pervasive in schools and result in the exclusion of disabled students. So, that’s why we are learning about learning in Unit 4, which focuses on how the K-12 system is ableist.
