EDCI 335 : Inclusive Learning Design & Universal Design for Learning
Inclusivity is essential to learning, it ensures that all learner’s needs are supported and that adaptions are provided so that everyone can have the tools to succeed. Everyone is different, so why should everyone be expected to learn the same way, point blank they shouldn’t. As an educator myself, I believe that we need to continue striving for inclusivity in all learning contexts.

My group and I have been working on an interactive learning resource to help grade 2 students learn the water cycle, which is part of the BC science curriculum.
For this post I will consider my group’s ressource and the following prompts:
How will your interactive learning resource specifically ensure that the needs of all learners can be met?
Consider the learning environment for your current design. What potential barriers can be reduced or eliminated to provide more pathways for learner success?

To ensure inclusion and meet the needs of learners, our group has discussed the need for clarity in our explanations as well as for allowing for different outcomes and results when it comes to our ressources learning goals. As a group we decided that as long as the learning occurs it is okay if learners take different ways to get there. I appreciate that our learning design allows for this flexibility and the variety of different learning activities that are provided in our resources.

Additionally, while developing our resource, we focused on creating adaptions to support and include leaners who have hard or hearing and those who are colour blind.
Adpations we have already disscused and plan to implment include: the speaker using microphone, students-controlled volume, visual aids, subtilties, different options coloured or black and white, and the use of lables.

Considering how we can further improve the incusivity of our ressources I want to focus on this quote from the readings, “take a moment to think of the various supports you may need to progress through your day” (EdTech Admin, Inclusive learning design, April 5th, 2022). This quote reminded me of my needs as a learner, which are often clear and detailed instructions or reassurance, and brain breaks. Therefore I think that adding a step-by-step checklist for the learning goals of the ressources could be an additional tool as well as adding in some time for brain breaks or short acitivies to help break the work time into mangagebel chunks.
Another couple barriers I have considered regaridng our interaticie ressource are the reading and writing level of grade 2 students. Since our ressources and lessons will all be virtual we are able to target many of these possible barriers by allowing settings and provideing insctions of how to use the technology to support the learners, such as changing the video speed, brightness, having the text be read aloud to them, using google docs talk to text feature and so on. speed control, brightness, audio/readaloud abilities.

I think this quote perfectly summarizes the focus of teaching and learning as a whole, and this is a great reminder of how all learning resources should be developed in mind “an inclusive design begins with the understanding that every person is a learner, and every learner has the right to pursue excellence and achievement. The learning designer must ensure that the environment, materials, tasks, and assessments are well matched to the learners who will be using them” (EdTech Admin, Inclusive learning design, April 5th, 2022).

I’ll end my post with this one argument I will always have as a teacher fairness is not making sure everyone has the same starting point, but that everyone has the right setup to ensure they are starting on an equal footing.
This is just a picture that helps iterate this point of mine:

Two images side by side: Equality vs Equity. Equality shows two children standing on equal hight stools reaching for books and the height of one student does not let them reach. Equity shows the same shorter student on a taller stool that brings the books


I am so thankful this is the direction that learning and education are focusing on and further moving towards.

Cheers!

Morgan

References

EdTech Admin. (n.d.). Inclusive Learning Design. EDCI 335 learning design for technology-mediated environments. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/inclusive-learning-design/

EdTech Admin. (n.d.). Universal design. EDCI 335: Learning design for technology-mediated environments. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/universal-design/

Cornell University. (2022). Equity. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/post/equity