Addressing student variability in educational design

36
Addressing student variability in educational design Dr. Alan Bruce ULS Ireland ODS Summer School Marathon, Greece 15 July 2014

description

The role and fuction of Universal Design for Learning as a technique in cereating more inclusive learning systems at a time of change for schools and teachers. Presented at ODS Summer School in Marathon, Greece on 15 July 2014

Transcript of Addressing student variability in educational design

Page 1: Addressing student variability in educational design

Addressing student variability in

educational designDr. Alan BruceULS Ireland

ODS Summer SchoolMarathon, Greece

15 July 2014

Page 2: Addressing student variability in educational design

Setting contexts Global change and emergence of new learning

priorities: crisis, power and ownership Transforming educational systems: linkage to quality,

outcomes and employment The Inclusion Imperative: access, equity and innovation Understanding difference: student diversity in a

changed world Policy to best practice – design, integration and

sustainable values Introducing Universal Design for Learning

Page 3: Addressing student variability in educational design

1. Global change Patterns of constant change Permanent migration mobility Outsourcing Flexible structures and modalities Obsolescence of job norms Knowledge economy Ecological pressures End of certainty

Page 4: Addressing student variability in educational design

Challenges to the system

Persistence and increase in inequality Permanent hopelessness of excluded Embedded violence and internal underclasses Social polarization Stripping away rights Invisibility, ethnic difference and the retreat

to denial Role of learning

Page 5: Addressing student variability in educational design

Accelerating inequality

12 m.: numbers with more than $1m. to invest (9,2% increase since 2011)

$46,2 trillion: aggregate wealth of this group (10% increase since 2011)

Ultrarich (>$30m.) surged 11% (now 35,2% of all millionaires)

World Wealth Report: RBC Wealth Management & Capgemini Financial Services (June 2013)

Declining social mobility Rising income inequality reflected in declining

equality of opportunityGlobal Wage Report 2012/13, ILO (Prof. Miles Corak, Journal of Economic Perspectives 2013)

Page 6: Addressing student variability in educational design

Mainstream: nightmare or opportunity?

Mythology of the ‘normal’ Defining the mainstream: what have we become? Robust probing of social structure required as a

preliminary to defining mainstream Masking power, relationships and inequity Need to avoid cliché and assumptions Learners are immersed in and emerging into this

changed constellation – of which educators may know little

Page 7: Addressing student variability in educational design

2. Transforming educational systems

Education is both structure and process Aims and goals vary considerably Education systems mirror world, society and

relationship-matrix of which they are part Education systems are as much constraining

as liberating Forum for ideas or market for products? Or both….?

Page 8: Addressing student variability in educational design

Critical perspectives Traditional schooling in the spotlight Learning systems both reflect and lead

society Information…wisdom…understanding Critical enquiry - back to Illich Reflection and inquisitiveness Engaging with difference

Page 9: Addressing student variability in educational design

Knowledge in transformation Commodification of knowledge Impact on education systems (Freire, Illich,

Field) Impact on work (Braverman, Haraszti, Davis) Impact on community - alienation and

anomie From community to networking Knowledge and learning now centrally linked

as product and process dimensions

Page 10: Addressing student variability in educational design

Traditional models Conservative Strict Hierarchic Inflexible Memorization and recall focus Examination-driven Resistant to application of new technologies

Page 11: Addressing student variability in educational design

Potential models Pupil/learner centered Competence driven Community focused Technologically enhanced International engagement focus Learning process (application modes) Individual value (humanistic approach)

Page 12: Addressing student variability in educational design

Current realities Disruptive classroom behaviors Absenteeism Early school-leaving Teacher burnout Migration, integration and sustainability Literacy, numeracy, basic skills Languages Quality and governance

DG EAC (2008) European Education and Training Systems in the Second Decennium of the Lisbon Strategy, NESSE and ENEE.

Page 13: Addressing student variability in educational design

3. The Inclusion ImperativeFive key issues:

1. Measures to reduce early school leaving2. Priority education measures in relation to disadvantaged pupils and groups3. Inclusive education measures in relation to pupils with special needs4. Safe education measures in relation on the reduction of bullying and harassment5. Teacher support measures.

Page 14: Addressing student variability in educational design

Defining inclusionSocial inclusion can be defined as a number of affirmative actions undertaken in order to reverse the social exclusion of individuals or groups in our society

INCLUSO (EU 7th Framework, 2009)

Page 15: Addressing student variability in educational design

Defining exclusionA multidimensional process of progressive social rupture, detaching groups and individuals from social relations and institutions and preventing them from full participation in the normal, normatively prescribed activities of the society in which they live.

H. Silver, Social Exclusion: Comparative Analysis of Europe and Middle East Youth , Dec. 2007. (Wolfensohn Center for Development, Dubai)

Page 16: Addressing student variability in educational design

Probing inclusion Not necessarily benign Not necessarily desired Not necessarily valued Inclusion or conformity? Exclusion often seen minimally as lack of access Exclusion is a systematic policy of inequality and

denial of rights Hugely different implications

Page 17: Addressing student variability in educational design

Shaping real inclusion

If learning, working and production are controlled inclusion is at best token, at worst sinister

At the core of inclusion must be ability to assess critically and express freely

Fundamental to inclusion is ability to ask questions that challenge existing relations

Inclusion re-examines existing reality while posing viable alternatives

Page 18: Addressing student variability in educational design

Trajectories of inclusion

Youth and mass unemployment Demographics: ageing and life expectancy Women and labor market participation Immigration, cultural and religious difference Disability Conflict, stress, anomie Urbanization, dissent and democratic deficits

Page 19: Addressing student variability in educational design

Meaningful inclusion Inclusion changes both sides – the act of

mainstreaming is to change the mainstream not the ‘excluded’

From objects to subjects Narratives of adaptation and discovery From target group to citizen Critical role of teachers Inclusion and the dialectic of rights

Page 20: Addressing student variability in educational design

4. Understanding difference

Student variability – what does it mean? First there was access – the struggle for

universal education Education as a right not privilege Starting with gender Ending with society

Page 21: Addressing student variability in educational design

Schooling history Relatively recent – mass public schooling only

in 19th Century Highly segregated:

gender class language religion ability

Page 22: Addressing student variability in educational design

Catering for all – how and why? Is education a right? Who pays? Setting standards Assessing outcomes Purpose and vision Impact of ICT

Page 23: Addressing student variability in educational design

Legacies of excluding systems

Legacies of segregated schooling Gender Disability Religion Ability Language Class

Unequal school systems mirror unequal society

Schooling is not separate from wider socio-political environment

Page 24: Addressing student variability in educational design

5. Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn.

UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for everyone - not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs

Page 25: Addressing student variability in educational design

Universal Design Originally it referred to designing buildings, products and environments that

are accessible to all sections of society including the aged and those with disabilities of all kinds.

The 9 principles: Equitable use

Flexibility in use

Simplicity

Perceptible information

Tolerance for error

Low physical effort

Accessible size and space for approach

A Community of learners

Instructional climate

Page 26: Addressing student variability in educational design

Design for All (DfA) The name of the European initiative associated with ICT inclusive

products and e-accessibility (Web Accessibility Initiative/WAI)

Design for All (DfA) embraces the idea that it is possible to produce ICT goods, which can be accessed to all potential users without modification, or, at least products should be easy to adapt to different needs, or should use standardized interfaces that can be accessed simply by using assistive technology.

International standardization considers principles of universal design, ISO 20282-1:2006 provides requirements and recommendations for the design easy-to-operate everyday products, taking into consideration design requirements for context of use and user characteristics aiming at ease of operation.

Page 27: Addressing student variability in educational design

Key focus Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework

that addresses the primary barrier to fostering expert learners within instructional environments: inflexible, “one-size-fits-all” curricula.

Inflexible curricula raise unintentional barriers to learning.

In learning environments individual variability is the norm, not the exception

UDL addresses learner variability by suggesting flexible goals, methods, materials and assessments that empower educators to meet these varied needs.

Page 28: Addressing student variability in educational design

Universal Design for Learning The universal design concept was transferred to the

education field and applied to the learning process and learning environment, so now termed universal design for learning (UDL)

Universal Design Learning is a framework for learning that includes all students. Being grounded in socio-cultural theory, UDL views learning environments and social interactions as being key elements in development and learning.

The key principles driving UDL include: flexibility, simple and intuitive instruction, multiple

means of presentation, success oriented curriculum, appropriate level of student effort, and appropriate environment for learning.

Page 29: Addressing student variability in educational design

UDL Curriculum The purpose of UDL curricula is not simply to help

students master a specific body of knowledge or set of skills, but to help them master learning itself— to become expert learners.

Expert learners have developed 3 broad characteristics:

1. strategic, skillful and goal directed2. knowledgeable3. purposeful and motivated to learn more

Page 30: Addressing student variability in educational design

Components of UDL Curricula

Goals Methods Materials Assessment

Page 31: Addressing student variability in educational design

Structural framework CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology)

established 1984 First Federal grant from NSF 1994 UDL defined. CAST invents “Bobby” 1995 CAST Advisory Council established 2005 National UDL Taskforce established 2006 First Statutory definition of UDL 2008 National Center for Universal Design established 2009 University of North Carolina academic expertise

Page 32: Addressing student variability in educational design

UDLnet focus Among first UDL projects in Europe Implement foresight process to map and propose

effective methods to support modernization and development of digital competencies

Review international scientific evidence and educational stakeholders’ views to identify and analyze emerging trends, opportunities and challenges in education and eLearning

Collect, implement and test a series of participatory engagement activities to improve uptake, sharing and reuse of inclusive teaching and learning practices

Page 33: Addressing student variability in educational design

General objectives To improve classroom practice and raise

awareness of European educational communities on inclusive teaching and learning practices

To improve teachers’ work practice, combining ICT skills with innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, and institutional organization

To redesign, adapt and personalize curricula and instructional methods

To create a learning environment that helps each student develop his or her full potential

Page 34: Addressing student variability in educational design

Principles At the core of Universal Design for Learning

is the principle of equity and inclusion. UDLnet Best Practice Guidelines for design

and implementation of inclusive resource-based educational activities as a reference to be adopted by educational stakeholders

To develop a detailed and systematic methodology with the view to provide/collect inclusive teaching and learning practices

Page 35: Addressing student variability in educational design

Challenging times How do we include at a time of crisis and

economic efficiencies? How do we distribute resources equitably? How do we alter minds, prejudices, inherited

bias? How do we extend inclusion in an innovative

manner? Ho do we establish the primacy of

educational vision?

Page 36: Addressing student variability in educational design

Thank you

Dr. Alan BruceULSDublin

[email protected]