I am currently enrolled in a graduate class on Universal Design for Learning. I want to share my weekly reflections here as I think it is important to share and discuss what I am learning. It was interesting to learn about the history of sign language and the deaf on Martha’s Vineyard. I giggled when reading about how children, deaf and hearing, would use sign language to communicate when the teacher wasn’t looking. (Wikipedia, September 2010) The fact that this “disability” was so prevalent on the Vineyard required citizens to adapt in order to make life better for all on the island. I recently saw the film, “A Quiet Place” where there are dangerous monsters that are drawn to sound. Survivors used sign language to communicate and needed to find new ways to do the tasks of everyday life. It was eye-opening to consider how much life would change for me if I couldn’t make any sound. I think that we as educators should consider the different variables that students face in their daily lives and how they impact their education.
One variable that I haven’t thought about as much as I should is that of neurodiversity. I have been doing a lot of reflection on topics of diversity especially with regards to race. I am constantly evaluating my thoughts and opinions on the things happening around me through the lens of race. This was a reminder that students with disabilities also require my reflection. Armstrong (2010) pleads with us to use more positive language when discussing students with varying neurological abilities. He states that, “regular classroom teachers are far more likely to want a ‘rare and beautiful flower’ or ‘an interesting and strange orchid’ included in their classroom than a ‘broken’ or ‘damaged’ child.” (Armstrong 2010) This analogy demonstrates the power of language. Focusing on the positive and what students ARE able to do as opposed to what they aren’t will bolster students confidence and change their experience in school. My new approach to teaching is in direct alignment with the idea of embracing a child’s strengths. I am beginning my third year as a choice-based art educator and ascribe to the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (https://teachingforartisticbehavior.org) philosophy of education which believes that the child is the artist and the classroom is their studio. I no longer have all students creating their own versions of the same project as I realized that this is not how artists work. In the past, I focused heavily on technique acquisition, especially drawing skills. Now, instead of requiring all of my students to become proficient at drawing realistically, I encourage students to find their own path to success through multiple means of expression (UDL principle) . Some students may not like drawing, but will fall in love with sculpture or weaving or knitting. When we shift our focus to “differences, not disabilities,” (Armstrong, 2010) the possibilities are endless and exciting. Looking back to Martha’s Vineyard and the way their culture adapted to the needs of the population, I wonder what school systems would look like if they were all universally designed. How can we create spaces where all students learn regardless of whether or not they are good at “playing school?” How can we honor each student and their needs while still maintaining a functioning classroom? How can we get through the curriculum while allowing for student choice? If all schools implemented UDL, how would the role of special education teachers change? Would students still need to be pulled out of class for interventions? Would more students stay in school? What would the future look like for children who had a voice in the way they learn? At this point, I have more questions than answers. It is hard to imagine this utopian school system where everyone’s needs are met, but I think we need to do what we can for the kids we have in our classrooms. We have to start somewhere. I am starting here, in this course.
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AuthorMrs. Taborda is the studio art teacher at Oxford High School in Oxford, MA. This blog will document her journey as an educator and share the happenings of the OHS art room. Archives
November 2018
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