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Influencing inclusive practice: Universal Design for Learning in teaching and facilitation

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Chrissie Butler

Inclusive designPhoto: © Copyright wfmillar and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Chrissie Butler
Chrissie Butler

Allanah King
Allanah King

Introducing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to colleagues and supporting its use in our inclusive practice is a big part of my work at CORE. Recently Allanah King and I had an hour or two in transit together. Allanah is a Learning with Digital Technologies facilitator, classroom teacher and a passionate advocate of the difference technologies can make in learning. We got talking about how UDL is continuing to influence the way she works. Here’s an edited Q and A of our discussion.

Chrissie: So Allanah, how is UDL is influencing the way you think about planning learning?

Allanah: I think it has made me much more aware of things I do that might get in the way of other people’s learning. So for example it makes me think about barriers hidden in the way I teach or facilitate, or barriers in the resources I use or the way I organise the learning environment. At the same time, it is also helps me create much more user-friendly environments. I know now that there are things I can do from the outset to make learning experiences more effective for more people. A key thing is that I can build in support or different ways to access material or instructions at the beginning, rather than add it in later. And I can offer that support to everyone so that can use it if they need it.

Chrissie: That’s cool. I think that’s what I would call a “design to include” mindset. It’s like we know there is always going to be diversity. That’s a given. Someone in the room is always going to have dyslexia or will have forgotten their glasses, or easily loses attention if someone talks for long. Plus everyone will be bringing different experiences and histories. When we don’t have that design to include mindset, we can inadvertently design to exclude. We don’t mean to, we do it unconsciously.

Allanah: Yep, when I was first full-time teaching in a classroom of primary-school-aged children, I had never heard of Universal Design. I was teaching from the perspective of doing what I thought was best for all my students. I taught from a position from where I thought most children would succeed. Once everyone was occupied doing something, I would try and 'pick off' the outliers or groups of children who historically had been struggling to give them more support.

As I became a more experienced teacher, I tried to see the lessons from more of a child's perspective. I started structuring lessons around the individual needs of learners and at the same time wanted to create an environment that worked for everyone.

As I learn more about Universal Design, I design lesson sequences in a way that supports all learners right from the beginning, rather than as an add-on. That’s quite a big difference.

Chrissie: That makes a lot of sense to avoid the retrofitting. Have you got any examples?

Allanah: At one point I had a student called Anna in my class. As Anna had low vision, I made sure that when I wrote instructions for everyone on the whiteboard I read them aloud so Anna could hear them. I also gave Anna her own copy in large print to take to her desk. I made sure when we played sport we used large bright coloured balls so Anna could more easily see the ball. When we worked with text in Google Docs, I increased the default font size of our Google Docs (video tutorial) so we could all see the text more readily as we typed. In my planning across the curriculum, I tried to make things work for Anna and, in doing so, ensured that all learners in the class benefitted. My teaching was enhanced, and all students could participate and were able to access the content independently.

Chrissie: That’s a great example of a UDL approach in action. For example, offering those instructions in different ways aligns with the principle of Representation. Not only did you provide Anna a range of options to support her understanding, you also offered them as a support for everyone. I can imagine in your classroom that students would also be encouraged to take photos using tablets to capture ideas for later or just to bring the information nearer to them. These approaches also support independence and provide students with opportunities to make good choices about what they need to support their learning.

The use of coloured balls was also a great approach. It’s such a small thing, but it can make such a massive difference to a student’s participation – it levels the playing field. The coloured balls could be considered an assistive technology, just like Google Docs – they both increase access. The beauty is that they can be used by everyone. This is really the Action and Expression principle in action. We recognise and minimise barriers to participation and create options and embedded supports for students so they can just get on with creating and learning and sharing.

Chrissie: So what about your work as a facilitator, how is UDL having an impact there?

Allanah: As a Blended eLearning Facilitator I facilitate a number of practical workshop sessions with teachers and endeavour to make sure my approach and resources are designed with Universal Design for Learning principles in mind. I try think of the sessions from the perspective of the participants. Whenever possible I send out a Google Form giving participants a taste of what to expect from the session and asking what they would like me to know about them. Here is an Example Google Form from a workshop from Chisnallwood Intermediate. I give people access to the resources beforehand so they know what’s coming. I make sure they have access to those same resources during and after the session so they can rewind bits if I went too fast, or if they missed part of the session, or were not able to attend at all.

I am also conscious that all participants will be at different stages of their elearning journey: some may be just beginning, others may be eLearning whizzes. So my strategy is to give participants a range of options during a session including an ‘escape lane’ where they can self direct their own learning or explore a line of inquiry that grabs their attention as I am working alongside others who wish to go at a more structured pace.

UDL has also really influenced my thinking when I am preparing resources for participants. Now I try to provide resources keeping in mind that people will have quite different preferences – some may prefer to watch videos, some may prefer to follow written instructions, some may prefer to have the resource on their iPad and some may prefer to be led directly as they walk through the material step by step. Others will use a combination of all the options. I also try to make resources that are rewindable and reviewable.

Chrissie: I can increasingly see how UDL is having a significant impact on how we facilitate and work alongside adults. So often workshops, staff meetings or professional learning sessions are scheduled in the late afternoon when teachers are exhausted and already “full up” with the day. Creating engaging, flexible, rewindable options makes so much sense. Designing to include seems to be an imperative in those contexts.

So that is a snapshot of our conversation. Huge thanks to Allanah for her openness and willingness to share her journey.

if you are interested in finding out more about Universal Design for Learning, visit:

  • Inclusive Education TKI website
  • Universal Design for Learning video library on Edtalks
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Why I love research

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Louise Taylor

Louise speaking with man in Bali

Recently, I was at a networking event and someone asked me what I do for a job. When I said ‘I am a researcher’ they replied, ‘I feel sorry for you’, going on to share how they thought this must be the most boring job in the world. To be honest, I was a bit taken aback by this comment, as I have never found research boring. Hard work maybe, but never boring. Being a researcher means I have the space to follow my curiosity, to think broadly about life and learning, and to ask what if questions — and all in my workplace. How can this be boring?

As a researcher, I am constantly challenged, as I am exposed to new ideas and perspectives, which has caused me to see things differently on many occasions. As a result, I find that I am always learning, which, for me, is an exciting outcome of my job. These positive experiences with research have not just happened, however. They have evolved as I have developed a disposition towards research, one that I believe is different from the characteristics typically valued in educators.

I have a teaching background, and so I have learnt to think on my feet and make decisions in a moment. As a teacher, I looked for ideas I could implement straight away in the classroom, and my planning often became a bit of a snatch and grab process. I liken this to being a magpie — seeking out useful ideas and resources from a range of sources, and using these to build a programme that is varied, on trend, and best practice. Teachers are expert at this, but as a researcher I found this approach the antithesis of inclusive, innovative research, and I had to change.

The process of research requires a slowing down and letting go of being the knower. My own experience has taught me to be friends with questions and uncertainty, and to be patient as I wait and see what happens. I am not alone in this; I have observed those I mentor in research go through the same process of unlearning old patterns to become a more curious and intrepid explorer. Cultivating a disposition for research in my own work has involved learning and relearning how to question and listen more.

Learning to question more

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Posted in

Open digital badges

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Tara Fagan

A contemporary way of contributing to a professional portfolio that is more reflective of learning in today’s world

Badges

Looking for new ways of collating and showing your professional learning? Or, thinking about new ways to support your learners to set goals? If so, open digital badge certification might be the answer.

What are Open Digital Badges?

Badges, also known as micro-credentials, are gaining global momentum as modern evidenced-based certification. Why is this?  At a first glance, digital badges appear to be a visual representation of a person’s skills, knowledge, competencies and achievements. However, part of the richness to open digital badges is the evidence that sits in behind each badge detailing the learning. This ‘metadata’ displays information that records the badge issuer, the date issued, and the criteria required to earn the badge. Furthermore, open digital badges enable the badge earner to link to artefacts that contributed to the badge such as research, inquiry, reflections and videos thereby adding robustness to the badge. Selecting the displayed badge showcases the basic requirement information and any evidence of learning that the holder has chosen to share.

 

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