My school is going to be virtual until the end of December due to the pandemic. Knowing that we are going to have to be online again, my immediate concern was “How can I best help my most vulnerable students?”. I work at a relatively diverse school- we fluctuate around 40% students of color, half of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and roughly one in ten students qualify for special education services (Great Philly Schools, 2020). These categories are not discrete from one another- although they are presented as separate statistics, students will often fall into one or more categories. These students are exposed to more injustices than a student who may fall into just one of the categories. This compounding of different societal disadvantages is called “intersectionality” (Crenshaw, 1989). It is critical that educators consider intersectionality, as ignoring these factors can leave students feeling vulnerable and unseen in the classroom.
One way to address issues of intersectionality is to use an Universal Design for Learning framework in your classroom (Indar, 2018). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the structuring of your classroom activities so that students have multiple avenues through which to engage with class, interact with material, and show their learning (CAST, 2018). The use of UDL in your classroom allows for more student voice and choice and deeper learning. It also gives all students a chance to engage with the material from wherever they are at, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, disability, sexuality, or any other factors that might make it hard to engage in a typical classroom. To better help my coworkers to prepare for more virtual learning in the fall, I have prepared a Professional Development to help build a practical and usable knowledge of the UDL Guidelines (Russell, 2020).
References
CAST. (2018, August 31). UDL: The UDL Guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org/?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=none&utm_source=cast-about-udl
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal. https://philpapers.org/archive/CREDTI.pdf?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000603 Great Philly Schools. (2020). New Foundations Charter School. https://greatphillyschools.org/s/schools/0011N00001GzoWG/new-foundations-charter-school-high-school-campus Indar, G. K. (2018). An Equity-Based Evolution of Universal Design for Learning: Participatory Design for Intentional Inclusivity. UDL-IRN International Summit, Orlando, FL. https://udl-irn.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Done_INDAR.EDIT_.DH_.JEG-copy.pdf
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