Module 11: What is K-12 education that values and embraces diverse disabled students like? Part 1
“Education is not something which a teacher does, but… a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on the environment. The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child” (Montesorri 1995, p. 7).
Overview
A Message From Shaheen
This module provides you with an opportunity to begin bringing everything you have been learning throughout the Guidebook together to answer the module question. You will learn from educators what they think inclusion means in today’s educational context, and how we can create classrooms that welcome and embrace disabled students and students of color. This module’s Engage thinkers are teachers who teach in a wide variety of contexts. They offer big ideas that can help to shape your view of what teaching is as well as specific strategies that you can consider adopting in your future practice.
Musical Moment
Note: This song includes the term “deafie”. We want to stress that hearing people should not use this term, but also that the term isn’t used by all Deaf people. The overall consensus is that “deafie” is a term that Deaf people can choose to use, but one hearing people should not use.
|
Component |
Estimated Time to Complete |
|---|---|
|
Engage |
30 mins-1 hr |
|
Reflect |
1 hr |
|
Chat |
1-2 hrs |
|
Self-Assess |
10-15 mins |
Engage
Required
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
This article discusses how intersecting identities impact how people experience multiple systems of oppression with specific examples regarding children in school. |
2.5-5 mins |
|
|
The Difference Between Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Traditional Education By The Understood Team |
This article compares UDL and traditional educational practices on multiple topics, such as grades, assignments, layout, content, and accommodations. |
3-6.5 mins |
|
Decriminalizing Supports: Knowing “WHEN” we need support, not “IF” By Shelley Moore |
This video discusses the benefits of allowing all students to have access to supports as a way to help them meet their goals. |
2.5-5 mins |
|
This blog post offers a list of tips for teachers on how to create a classroom space that is inclusive and promotes learning. |
4-7 mins |
|
|
Celebrating Neurodiversity in the Classroom By Kristina Rizga |
This interview focuses on educational methods different from traditional teaching methods that better serve, value, and include disabled students. |
6-11 mins |
|
What if Teachers Didn’t Focus So Much on Individual Achievement? By Kristina Rizga |
This article discusses how classism and racism in communities impacts the school environment as well as how collective/community driven approaches to education benefit students. |
12-20 mins |
Optional
|
Source |
Summary |
Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
|
DeafSpace By Roman Mars and 99% Invisible |
This podcast discusses the architectural considerations for buildings that center Deaf people’s experiences and needs. |
14 mins |
|
This asynchronous learning module provides information on how to support students’ executive functioning in an online learning environment by altering the presentation of course content and implementing additional supports. |
14-28 mins |
Reflect
Use the prompts below as a jumping off point. Do not let the prompts confine your reflection.
- Based on what you’ve learned so far in the Guidebook, what do you think are effective teaching and learning approaches for disabled students?
- How is your answer to question 1 different from the education you have experienced as a student?
Chat
Use the prompt below as a jumping off point for a conversation with others in your class or community.
- Together, brainstorm an initial answer to the question: what is K-12 education that values and embraces diverse disabled students like?
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: How can I know which supports will work best for a specific disabled student?
A1: The first thing to do is what you are already doing in this class—learn about the many different kinds of supports teachers can provide to support learning. If you continue to explore this idea beyond this class, you will be well positioned to support your disabled students. The second thing to do is read the student’s IEP or 504 plan. The third thing to do is talk to the student, their family, and their “special” education teacher. The fourth thing to do is be observant. Notice how the student learns in your class with various supports. Notice how they respond to the different ways you present information. Based on your observation, adjust the supports you provide and the way you present information.
Q2: UDL sounds like a great idea, but it also sounds like it would be hard to pull off.
A2: Teaching from a UDL perspective definitely requires a different type of effort than teaching in a traditional (more narrow) way, where everyone uses the same materials and demonstrates their understanding in the same way. But usually it doesn’t require more effort—just different effort at a different time. The difference is about when and how the effort is spent. When we teach with a narrow idea of what it means to learn, we end up spending a substantial amount of time “accommodating” students for whom the narrow way of teaching doesn’t work. So, the effort is at the end of the timeline.
When we teach from a UDL perspective, we think broadly about what it means to learn and thus provide materials in many formats and come up with ways for students to demonstrate their understanding in many formats. That takes effort; effort that we expend at the beginning of the timeline.
The Engage Sources in the Guidebook are an example of providing multiple ways for students to learn. Some of the sources are text based, some are audio, some are video, and so on.
