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Include Special Education in the Average

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Include Special Education in the Average

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UDL is best embodied in recognizing the limits of normal education. We aren’t trying to make normal education accessible to kids with disabilities. Kids with disabilities will show us how to make an education that will work for everyone. And we need to include them. Overcoming those limits will make education better, and more musical, for everyone.

It is sad that individuals with disabilities are often not thought about. At least Glee got it right.

" I hate it that Glee gets it better than our schools." --From Bach to Lady Gaga

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Teaching or instructing to the "averages" is destroying our educational system. As educators we realize that there is no blue print to our students, everyone has different needs.

We assume too often when setting up instruction to the average. For example, we may have a student who is great in science but he struggles with decoding complex words. So in turn he struggles when working on labs because of his inability to read the directions, but when verbally explained the student excels.

Technology can be used to create flexible learning environments. Simple solutions can have a huge impact

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We work with people who have disabilities is because we want to reform education for everybody.

If we really listen to people with disabilities, we will get to a better music, not just disabled music.

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Learner variability is universal. The context within typical learning settings is limiting and disabling. Universal Design for Learning helps educators meet the challenge of variability. Learners who are disabled by typical learning contexts will show us how to make an education that will work for everyone.

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UDL is providing multiple representations as a way to help people make sense, to make meaning out of these things.

Guide Lines of UDL:

1. Provide multiple representations

2.  provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols.

3. provide options for comprehension

4. provide multiple means of engagement

5. provide options for sustaining effort and performance

6. guideline around self-regulation.

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Video: From Bach to Lady Gaga: Music Lessons for Special Education

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NARRATOR: Welcome to the Universal Design for Learning series, a rich media professional development resource supporting expert teaching and learning from the National Center on UDL. In this session,

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Technology is here. We need to know what we want it to be. We want to create flexible learning environments with simple solutions with big impacts

Technology can assist those below average readers, writers in performance, engagement (as a learning equivalent to an adjustable seat)

Need adjustable seats for learning in all classrooms!! Lets ban the average in the classroom! Tell companies that we want tools that are designed to the edges! This would lead to increased performance and increase talent pool because we would reach more students with designing to the edges. Demand it.

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Things designed on the average don’t allow us to actually do what is expected. The average hurts everyone and destroys talent—talent becomes a liability, or students get bored

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We’ve all sat in the classroom (the cockpit of our economy) spending more $ but getting declining results. Why?

What about Bad Design? We design for the average student ex. Textbooks

What is an average student??? Students vary on many dimensions of learning (memory, language, processing)

Jagged Learning Profiles! (Strengths, average abilities, weaknesses are all different for students)

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Designing a cockpit for the average pilot—wouldn’t that fit most?....no. 4K pilots were studied on 10 dimensions. ZERO were average, there was no such thing. Instead—all pilots had a jagged size profile—no one is the same on every dimension—Airforce banned the average (they wouldn’t buy the average sized cockpits) Airforce demanded a design for the edges. They wanted cockpits that were for small people, big people.

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Designing a cockpit for the average pilot—wouldn’t that fit most?....no. 4K pilots were studied on 10 dimensions. ZERO were average, there was no such thing. Instead—all pilots had a jagged size profile—no one is the same on every dimension—Airforce banned the average (they wouldn’t buy the average sized cockpits) Airforce demanded a design for the edges. They wanted cockpits that were for small people, big people.

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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty