Special Needs in the DL Environment

Special Needs in the DL Environment

Everyday Jay gets up and heads off to school, unwillingly, unhappily and unnecessarily.  Jay is a bright boy with a condition known as Aspergers, a form of autism.  He is not incapable of doing the work he is just bored.  A phenomenon that occurs more and more everyday in schools across this country; children are disengaged from their learning environment.  Jay, like many students, has a learning disability.  His learning disability has advanced and he has become disruptive in the classroom, he submits no schoolwork and is on the verge of dropping out.  Jay’s parents are exasperated with the school system that is not working effectively to meet his needs.  Online learning is presented as an option but Jay lacks self-discipline, has poor reading skills and lacks parental support, all considered to be essential for online learners.  The question becomes are there supports for kids like Jay?  How can we reinvent the wheel to meet the needs of learning disabled students in an online environment?  What is the solution?

“It is the social and legal responsibility of all educators to serve the learning needs of every student in their schools, regardless of that student’s age, ability, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or exceptionalities.”(Gavigan and Kurtts, p. 54)   How are school systems to meet their legal responsibilities when studies have shown the “completion rate in online schools (sic) is less than for traditional schools”(Kuehn) and students are becoming increasingly frustrated with the system as it is functioning.

Distributed learning is designed in such a way as to create an environment for these students to succeed but has many inherent barriers to success.  By providing students with the opportunities to explore subjects of interest to them, creating authentic tasks and problems to solve and allowing them to use technology that is second nature to them students begin to take control of their own learning and drive the direction of their education.  However, it becomes difficult for many of these students to remain motivated for the entirety of the course.  They may struggle with cultural or language barriers.  Some may have disabilities in hearing or seeing that must be overcome in order for them to achieve to the best of their abilities.

It is for this reason that a blended approach to distributed learning may well be the best approach for these students.  The idea of Universal Design for Learning puts the student back in the drivers seat and creates an environment, based on sound neurological research, that makes the learning accessible to everyone not just the marginalized few.  By designing lessons that meet the needs of those with learning disabilities, we create materials that are useable by all.

Curb-cut phenomenon suggests that what is “designed for a disability but used by everyone”(Treviranus) is a good thing.  Closed-captioning was created for hearing impaired but “98%”  (Treviranus) its use is by non-hearing impaired individuals.  Whether it is a cultural, social, physical or mental disability a universally designed lesson can meet the needs of all learners.  Treviranus states that if open education resources are created to be flexible, portable, usable and based on sound pedagogy they can be accessible for all.

Similar to this are the theories of David Rose who took the architectural principal of Universal Design and applied it to learning.  Classrooms, whether brick building or not, are full of diverse groups of learners.  Gifted, learning disabled, ESL, hearing impaired, blind, physically challenged, and culturally transplanted, all students bring a unique set of circumstances to the learning environment.  Using neuroscience as a starting point, Rose suggests that similar to Bloom’s taxonomy and Vygotsky’s theories there are three broad types of learning:  representation, expression, and engagement.

Representation is the way in which we present information to the learner.  Using a variety of methods visually, orally, symbolically, to present information allows students from all areas to acquire the material.  Providing the opportunity to choose which method they would prefer provides a student centered approach to instruction.

Online resources, many of which are free, can enable students to access the tools necessary for them to be successful.  Use of such tools should be encouraged for all students.  A lack of segregation occurs when students are aware that each of them has and uses tools to facilitate their own learning.  These tools also provide opportunities for students to explore materials that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Expression allows students to demonstrate what they know and have learned.  The use of many multi-media materials can allow and encourage students to express themselves in a variety of ways.  Rose demonstrates, through the use of note-taking, the vast and varied methods students use to create notes.  As students all learn in different ways they also display their results in a unique manner.  The broad spectrum of design in the notes ranged from video archive to intense bulleted reference to concept webs, all effective and all creative.

Engagement is by far the most important of these principles.  If we return to our hypothetical case study, we see that Jay struggled with disengagement.  Rose suggests that when students are given the opportunity to control both the structures they use and the challenges they embark on they are more likely to become and stay engaged.  Much like a weight machine, students should be allowed to adjust the level of support and type of support they use before they then choose the level of challenge they want to exert.  Continuously lifting a weight that is too light does not allow for growth and one that is too heavy discourages continued effort.  Self-regulation of the challenge allows for accountability and ownership of ones learning which in turn results in engagement.

These theories conclude that in the past learning was structured by the curriculum, forcing students to adapt to it. In this new theory we are working towards the curriculum changing to meet the needs of the student.

In order for these ideas to become successful in a distributed learning environment we must continue to encourage educators to embrace new ideas.  We must discourage those who believe that the use of tools such as calculators, spell checkers, translators, etc. are forms of cheating.  Recognition of the diverse needs of every student and the creation of materials that everyone can use will bring about a greater sense of achievement.  The development of learning communities for students and the permission to use cell phones, iPods, and pda’s as communication tools will help support the building of knowledge and interaction.  Students will be able to take greater control and ownership of their own learning.

“Learning is not one thing, it varies across and within tasks, across and within individuals and over development and experience”. (Rose) The need for multiple and flexible delivery of content becomes more essential if we are to create true learning.

Infrastructure and technological supports are some of the largest barriers to the implementation of UDL in curricular settings.  However, as seen in the province of British Columbia, funding for the infrastructure is changing and becoming an item of much contention amongst school boards.  As more and more students apply for distributed and online learning options funding is being reallocated to the boards with these students.

Many disenfranchised youth are being steered towards online options but do not have access to computers or the support necessary for them to be successful.  The diversity necessary to enable these culturally disabled youth to succeed is not currently present within the province which creates a greater divide.

Despite the arguments that DL programs are not geared for students with learning disabilities provided proper funding, infrastructure support, technical support and teacher time the use of Universal Design for Learning could provide an alternative to these students.  In British Columbia, many of the students who are behavioural problems are encouraged to enroll in DL opportunities but they do not have the necessary supports to be successful.  Students need to be provided with definitive face-to-face opportunities so that they do not feel isolated and segregated.  Students like Jay could thrive in an atmosphere which allows flexible, multiple options for representation, expression and engagement as outlined in UDL.

References

Bhattacharya, Madhumita; Hartnett, Maggie; Education for A Digital World: Advice, Guidelines, and Effective Practice from around the Globe

Gavigan, Karen; Kurtts, Stepanie (2009); Technology, Connection: AT, UD and Thee: Using Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning in 21^st Century Media Centers; January/February 2009; Vol. 27; Issue 4; p. 54-56

Kuehn, Larry (2008); Distributed learning: Solutions or new problems?; Teacher Newsmagazine; Volume 20, Number 6; retrieved from http://bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArtic…

Luxenburg, Avi (2009); Why Distributed Learning is Gaining Popularity, both Online and Face-to-Face; retrieved from http://sd71.bc.ca/news.php?news_id=225

Meyer, Anne; Rose, David H.(2002); CAST-Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning; retrieved from www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes;

Meo, Grace (2008); Curriculum Planning for All Learners: Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to a High School Reading Comprehension Program; Preventing School Failure; Volume 2 no. 52

Pace, Darra; Schwartz, Diane (2008); Accessibility in Post-secondary Education: Application of UDL to College Curriculum; Volume 5, no. 12(serial no. 49) U.S. China Education Review

Rose, David H.; October 24, 2008; Reaching Every Student in the Digital Age: A Showcase of Universal Design for Learning; retrieved from http://events.insinc.com/setbc/20081024/presentation-index3.html

Sapp, Wendy (2009); Universal Design: Online Educational Media for Students with Disabilities; AFB; Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, Aug. 2009

Treviranus, Jutta; One Size Does Not Fit All: Supporting Diversity through Inclusion Design; University of Toronto; retrieved from http://openedconference.org/archives/578

Tags: EDDL 511, week 4