Many educators are familiar with the UDL framework and have heard the term over and over, but if a new student joins the class who has speech and hearing impairments, will the lesson meet that student's needs? Reviewing and deconstructing UDL this week has been refreshing. I decided to create a word cloud to visually represent the buzzwords, key focuses, and thoughts I had as I explored.
Let's unpack the term "Universal Design for Learning" to better understand (or review) how we can best meet the needs of our students by creating lessons accessible to all learners.
Universal
The word that comes to mind when I think of the term universal is access. Every learner has access; regardless of their backgrounds, strengths, needs, interests, or disability, every learner can access the material through accommodations, modifications, and resources. Most educators are aware of the equity and inclusion issues, however what does intersectionality mean and how does it affect the students in our classrooms?
Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) can be described as:
“...not really concerned with shallow questions of identity and representation but...more interested in the deep structural and systemic questions about discrimination and inequality.”
- Kevin Minofu, a former student of Crenshaw’s (Coaston, 2019)
We can learn so much from our differences, however, we need to support our learners no matter those unique backgrounds, experiences, disabilities, learning styles. Educators must reflect on their teaching practices and instruction. If we have a new student, would the lesson (instruction, activities, assessment, etc.) be inclusive for a transgender Latina? African American boy with autism? The UDL framework provides support and key components to consider to help teachers answer, "yes."
Design & Learning
The three components of UDL include: Representation, Action and Expression, and Engagement. Teachers must keep in mind the terms 'flexible' and 'supportive' when designing their instructional approaches to meet every learner's needs. We want to challenge our students' skills and help them build strategies. But, there's no one-size-fits-all (ever) in learning. Differentiation, gamification, and choice are a few avenues teachers can explore when designing instruction and guiding student learning.
Personally, I realized, although I have 150 students, that is no excuse to be aware of how intersectionality affects my students and classroom experience. I challenge my fellow educators to have courageous conversations with colleagues, administration, and even students. We need to be aware and not afraid to ask to learn more about our students.
Resources:
Coaston, J. (2019, May 28). The intersectionality wars. Vox.
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989: Iss. 1, Article 8.
Comments