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86: Developing Anti Racist UDL w/ Tesha Fritzgerald
26 Plays4 years ago
Transcripts can be found via our website, humanrestorationproject.org.
In today's conversation we're joined by Tesha Fritzgerald,. Tesha is an urban education expert who currently serves as a district level leader in an urban school district in Ohio. She is a Martha Holding Jennings Foundation Scholar who has a passion for UDL and culturally responsive teaching, which has led her to publishing her recent book, Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success.
I invited Tesha on to talk about pairing UDL and antiracist teaching, with a specific focus on:
- Demanding excellence in progressive, human-centered classrooms.
- Clarifying what UDL actually is.
- Clarifying how UDL and antiracism can coexist, when UDL has been critiqued for upholding a traditionalist lens.
- And actions we can take to build anti-racist, UDL-driven classrooms.
GUESTS
Tesha Fritzgerald, an urban education expert who focuses on UDL, culturally responsive teaching, anti-racist teaching, and author of Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success
RESOURCES
- Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success by Tesha Fritzgerald
- Building Blocks of Brilliance (Tesha Fritzgerald's website)
- Follow Tesha on Twitter!
- Article: Making Room for Asset Pedagogies by Benjamin Doxtdator
FURTHER LISTENING
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Supporters
00:00:10
Speaker
Hello, and welcome to episode 86 of our podcast at Human Restoration Project.
00:00:14
Speaker
My name is Chris McNutt, and I'm a high school digital media instructor from Ohio.
00:00:19
Speaker
Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that this is brought to you by our supporters, three of whom are Nate Babcock, Joel Ostrich, and C. Billy Campbell.
00:00:27
Speaker
Thank you for your ongoing support.
00:00:28
Speaker
You can learn more about the Human Restoration Project on our website, humanrestorationproject.org, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
UDL and Anti-Racism with Tisha Fritzgerald
00:00:52
Speaker
In today's conversation, we are joined by Tisha Fritzgerald.
00:00:55
Speaker
Tisha is an urban education expert who currently serves as a district-level leader in an urban school district in Ohio.
00:01:01
Speaker
She is a Martha Holding Jennings Foundation scholar who has a passion for UDL and culturally responsive teaching, which has led her to publishing her recent book, Anti-Racism and Universal Design for Learning, Building Expressways to Success.
00:01:13
Speaker
I invited Tisha on to talk about pairing UDL and anti-racist teaching, with a specific focus on
00:01:18
Speaker
demanding excellence in progressive human-centered classrooms, clarifying what UDL actually is, clarifying how UDL and anti-racism can coexist when UDL has been critiqued for upholding a traditionalist lens, and finally, the actions that we can take to build anti-racist UDL-driven classrooms.
00:01:35
Speaker
I wanted to start off by highlighting the words of Tamir Rice's mother and her call to action for teachers to question the system in which they serve.
00:01:41
Speaker
I'm going to read this quote at length because I think it's a very powerful opener.
00:01:45
Speaker
She states, Are you ready to recognize these areas of challenge and pick up the mantle of opportunity?
00:01:50
Speaker
Are you ready to admit that black and brown children have the geniuses sitting in broken systems that are not built to see the brilliance they bring?
00:01:57
Speaker
Are you ready to fight against mindsets that prioritize policing over educational practices that lead to a life of freedom?
00:02:03
Speaker
Are you ready to partner with parents and families in a meaningful way by valuing our hopes and dreams for our own babies?
00:02:09
Speaker
Are you ready to admit that teaching practices are broken and that many black babies have been labeled and over identified because educational systems haven't wanted to face this truth?
00:02:18
Speaker
So that entire opener to me, like it starts off the book incredibly powerfully and it demonstrates why we need to rethink systems within our classrooms, our schools, our districts, our communities and nationwide.
Tamir Rice's Story and Educational Change
00:02:29
Speaker
What brought you into writing this book, specifically UDL and its connection to anti-racism?
00:02:34
Speaker
Thank you, Chris, for asking the question.
00:02:37
Speaker
Samaria Rice is amazing.
00:02:40
Speaker
She's an amazing woman who has suffered such horrible tragedy in losing her son, Tamir.
00:02:46
Speaker
But what she has fought for is that we don't lose him as a person, that he went to schools, that there were things that helped him to learn, and there were things that kept him from learning.
00:03:00
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And so,
00:03:01
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Her story being from Cleveland, Ohio, we mourned with her.
00:03:04
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We grieved with her.
00:03:06
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We walked with her.
00:03:08
Speaker
Seeing her story and connecting her story to the work of anti-racism and universal design for learning seemed like such a natural fit.
00:03:18
Speaker
After the death of George Floyd, the work
00:03:22
Speaker
took a very different turn.
00:03:25
Speaker
And there was a fire that was lit inside of me to really make sure that systems understood that there are people in the system that make decisions and make choices based on what they think, based on what they feel, and based on what they think they know about the children in front of them.
00:03:42
Speaker
And so Samaria Rice's words about the geniuses that are sitting in broken systems were
00:03:48
Speaker
resonated with my own heart.
00:03:49
Speaker
And many times I reflect on students that I reached
00:03:54
Speaker
and ones that I didn't reach because systems told me that they didn't have value.
00:04:01
Speaker
Systems gave me schedules that said, these kids are on an IEP or these kids have failed English before.
00:04:09
Speaker
And the decision-making that went into what resources they got was not a system decision.
00:04:15
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It was an individual teaching decision.
00:04:18
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And so from the pain I've experienced of the past of not making decisions
00:04:23
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for every child.
00:04:24
Speaker
Universal Design for Learning is a framework that I believe gives me the freedom as a teacher to think about how to reach every student, but it also gives me the science and the research of teaching and learning to make better decisions
00:04:38
Speaker
and structure the classroom for every child to shine in the way that we're built to.
00:04:42
Speaker
So that's really the impetus for the work, just making sure that every individual understands the impact that they can have on the system where they are, and then as an individual, push the system to be better for every
Honoring Student Insights vs. Power-Based Teaching
00:04:55
Speaker
child.
00:04:55
Speaker
I mean, that really resonates with me because I think about that too.
00:04:59
Speaker
When we see students in this traditionalist lens, I think that sometimes we justify doing things that in retrospect feel really bad, like pushing students out of school because we feel like they're failures or they're not doing things, quote unquote.
00:05:14
Speaker
That teacher workroom talk where we label students and no longer see them as humans or individuals.
00:05:20
Speaker
And we justify that by saying like, well, they got an F or they're a discipline problem, quote unquote.
00:05:26
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And we just use that handbook to back up treating people like data as opposed to people.
00:05:31
Speaker
And really a lot of this work just seems to focus a lot more on honoring individual people.
00:05:38
Speaker
And you do use this word honor.
00:05:40
Speaker
And I want to start by talking about progressive education and the lowering of standards, because I think that there is something there that people that label themselves progressive educators
00:05:52
Speaker
that want to escape the system sometimes do so by adapting resources to the point or offering alternatives to the point where there's really nothing of substance there.
00:06:02
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Like they're not really upholding the standard of excellence.
00:06:05
Speaker
And you write that demanding excellence communicates honor.
00:06:09
Speaker
And you base this off of Delpit's work, Lisa Delpit's work, the codes of honor.
00:06:13
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Could you talk a little about that?
00:06:14
Speaker
When we think about honor,
00:06:16
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we have to think about the individual decisions that we make that communicate value to those who are in our learning community.
00:06:24
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And so when we think about how our learners learn, when we think about what they need, what is comfortable for them,
00:06:34
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We build environments that say to them, you know enough about you to make decisions for you.
00:06:40
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The opposite of that is power.
00:06:42
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And that's what Lisa Delpit writes about this code of power.
00:06:45
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And in the code of power, the people with the power make the rules to make sure that they're comfortable because they make the rules.
00:06:52
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And so juxtaposed to a culture of power where you do what I say because I told you to do it, because I am in power, because I am telling you to do what I believe is.
00:07:03
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everyone should do to be right.
00:07:06
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We have this culture of honor that says, I value you.
00:07:10
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I want to know more about you, that you are the expert on you.
00:07:14
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You make decisions that work for you.
00:07:16
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And together, we'll talk together about what decisions govern your best outcome.
00:07:23
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So let's say, for instance, flexible seating.
00:07:27
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I'm not going to tell you where to sit, but together we will evaluate whether your choice was the best choice for your learning.
00:07:34
Speaker
And do you need to make different choices for your best outcomes?
00:07:38
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This empowers the learner to make decisions and to customize any learning environment they go into, not just to comply, because even if the compliance led to an outcome that was good for them, will they be able to take you with them to make decisions in every learning environment they're in?
00:07:55
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No.
00:07:55
Speaker
So every learner needs to learn how to drive for themselves, whether that's how they take information in or what supports they need or how they show what they know to the world.
00:08:06
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These are the areas where learners need to be in the driver's seat.
00:08:11
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putting them in the driver's seat says you have the tools that you need to drive.
00:08:17
Speaker
Now, I'm not going to just turn over the keys to you and send you out onto the expressway recklessly, but we will take the steps together to make sure that your driving meets your needs, that you know how to arrive at your destination safely, that you know what you need in order to learn, you know what supports work well for you.
00:08:34
Speaker
And if you can't find ones that work well for you,
00:08:36
Speaker
You have the tools to advocate for yourself, to ask for what you need.
00:08:40
Speaker
And for the asking to be received respectfully is a culture of honor.
00:08:46
Speaker
And many times Black and brown children, when they advocate for themselves, when they speak up for something that's not working for them, is dismissed as disrespect.
00:08:55
Speaker
So as Samaria asked, how many geniuses are sitting in the office?
00:09:00
Speaker
How many geniuses are cast to the side because what is in the learning environment is not working for them?
00:09:06
Speaker
And so honor becomes integral to making change in education, one learner at a time and change in how educators view the learners in front of them as valuable, as bringing something to the table, as having something to offer and as expert enough on themselves to make decisions for themselves.
00:09:26
Speaker
Yeah, and it's fascinating, too.
00:09:28
Speaker
You bring up the idea of kind of talking with the student, working through with them and kind of negotiating.
00:09:33
Speaker
Is this the best decision that you're making right now?
00:09:37
Speaker
In my experience, students are hyper honest about how they feel their current situation is going.
00:09:42
Speaker
And if a student, let's say, picks maybe a wrong seat, a seat where they're hyper distracted or they're talking to someone all the time and they're they're not doing a lot.
00:09:51
Speaker
They're going to be honest and saying, you know, I know this isn't really the best possible situation, but when you bring their voice into the equation and you're treating it like an honest conversation, like I'm just here to help you.
00:10:02
Speaker
Students recognize that and that is what builds relationship and what builds trust.
00:10:07
Speaker
If you just tell a kid like move seats, you're bad, you suck, you're going to internalize that or just hate the person for saying it.
00:10:13
Speaker
And you miss the opportunity to give them the skills to evaluate when they're in the wrong seat.
00:10:18
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What do I do next?
00:10:20
Speaker
And how do you try out different configurations until you find what works for you?
00:10:24
Speaker
And there's a freedom that happens in a learning community that allows learners to be the experts on themselves.
00:10:30
Speaker
I don't want
00:10:31
Speaker
someone to tell me where to sit.
00:10:33
Speaker
I hate it.
00:10:34
Speaker
I need to be able to choose my seat because I have needs that I don't need to communicate to everyone else, but perhaps I need to be close to an outlet because I'm using an assistive device for me that I don't need to disclose to the world.
00:10:46
Speaker
Or perhaps I need to be close to the door so that as I go in and out to the restroom, I don't disturb the learning for others.
00:10:53
Speaker
Allow learners to be the experts on themselves and
00:10:56
Speaker
and to have a menu of supports to choose from so that they will know that they can get what they need.
00:11:01
Speaker
So closed captions are not just for people with hearing issues.
00:11:06
Speaker
Maybe I needed to make sure that I'm understanding the words that you're saying or that the message that you're sending is what you're communicating to me.
00:11:14
Speaker
We can't always prescribe the intervention or the support, but we have to have a menu that every learner understands that they can choose from it to see exactly what they need.
00:11:25
Speaker
We think ahead for the predicted supports that would be needed.
00:11:29
Speaker
And then we allow learners to pick and choose what they need.
00:11:32
Speaker
And we would be surprised.
00:11:34
Speaker
I know I'm often surprised when I give a menu of supports.
00:11:37
Speaker
And I think that some of my students would choose one.
00:11:42
Speaker
Maybe they choose three where I would only think one would work for them.
00:11:46
Speaker
Maybe they go through all of the resources when I would think that they would gravitate towards one kind.
00:11:50
Speaker
And so that's the beauty of a universally designed learning environment that thinks ahead to what
00:11:55
Speaker
would be the barriers for learners.
00:11:57
Speaker
And as we learn them, as we listen to their voices, we learn more about what they need.
00:12:02
Speaker
And then we make those supports available to all the learners in the environment.
Principles of UDL Explained
00:12:07
Speaker
Yeah.
00:12:07
Speaker
And I think that speaks to a lot of the assumptions that are made about UDL.
00:12:13
Speaker
I know in the past sometimes I've been told that UDL is for accessibility purposes.
00:12:18
Speaker
So only the students that are like, for example, like deaf or something where they need those additional tools in order to be quote unquote successful, that not all students need it.
00:12:28
Speaker
And what you're alluding to right now is kind of the opposite, that all students need universal approaches to learning because all of them can succeed in different ways.
00:12:36
Speaker
For those that maybe are less familiar with UDL, could you just clearly define what it means to incorporate that practice?
00:12:45
Speaker
So universal design for learning at its core has three principles, and I'll tell you the way that I think of it.
00:12:51
Speaker
So universal design for learning has a principle called multiple means of representation.
00:12:58
Speaker
And I see multiple means of representation as
00:13:01
Speaker
having options for how learners take information in.
00:13:05
Speaker
So maybe it's a podcast or maybe it's a blog post, maybe it's a video, maybe it's on YouTube, maybe it's music, maybe it's poetry, but they have options for how they take the learning in.
00:13:17
Speaker
So yes, even in direct instruction, we can use multiple means of representation, means using pictures and words, having a glossary
00:13:27
Speaker
that they can go to or hyperlinks that they can click on for definitions.
00:13:31
Speaker
Having the supports built in for how learners take information in.
00:13:35
Speaker
That's multiple means of representation.
00:13:37
Speaker
And then multiple means of engagement.
00:13:40
Speaker
I see in Universal Design for Learning multiple means of engagement as how do you support learners once they're on the journey?
00:13:48
Speaker
So maybe that is where do you have multiple means of do you have flexible seating?
00:13:55
Speaker
Do you have
00:13:57
Speaker
lights that they can turn on and off.
00:13:58
Speaker
Maybe there's noise canceling headphones that they're not listening to something else through, but maybe they're closing out the noise while everybody else converses in small groups.
00:14:07
Speaker
These are supports that are available that help learners learn how they learn and also give them what they need to reduce the barriers and threats, to reduce anxiety, to allow their brains to take on that cognitive load for
00:14:20
Speaker
taking learning in.
00:14:21
Speaker
So those are the supports that kind of help them navigate through.
00:14:25
Speaker
And last but not least is multiple means of action and expression.
00:14:28
Speaker
And this is how do I show the world what I know?
00:14:32
Speaker
And then what are the options for that?
00:14:34
Speaker
And many times in a traditional classroom, and I use the word loosely, in a traditional classroom, we show what we know by taking a test.
00:14:42
Speaker
Or everyone has to write a paper or everyone has to do a book report.
00:14:47
Speaker
Well, in a universally designed learning environment, learners would have an opportunity to choose how they show what they know.
00:14:55
Speaker
Of course, the standard is rigid.
00:14:57
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We don't change the standard, but the pathway to the standard is totally flexible.
00:15:02
Speaker
And once I reach the standard, how I show you what I know has to have some value to me.
00:15:07
Speaker
It has to be relevant to me.
00:15:09
Speaker
And maybe,
00:15:11
Speaker
The multiple means of action and expression means taking the barriers off the classroom and allowing me to show what I know to a community that cares.
00:15:18
Speaker
Maybe it's making a video or maybe it's creating a blog post of my own.
00:15:23
Speaker
Maybe instead of a book report, it's posting a review on Amazon to say, here's what I think about this book and I'm 12 years old.
00:15:30
Speaker
So we have to think about how do we give learners an authentic audience and
00:15:35
Speaker
an authentic way to show what they know and choices and options for how they show that they've reached the standard.
00:15:42
Speaker
So multiple means of representation, how you take it in, multiple means of engagement, what supports you through, and multiple means of action and expression.
00:15:50
Speaker
How do you share what you know with the world?
00:15:53
Speaker
Yeah, and it seems like each one of those two builds off of day to day when they might change up to I think that sometimes we get caught in the mantra of, oh, this student likes to listen to the book.
00:16:05
Speaker
So therefore, I'm always going to give them a book on tape, which is
00:16:09
Speaker
maybe a good thought process, but sometimes they might not want to listen to the book.
00:16:13
Speaker
Sometimes they might want to read it.
00:16:14
Speaker
We have to be careful not to prescribe to the learner what they need based on what we think.
00:16:20
Speaker
The moment we become an expert on someone else,
00:16:24
Speaker
is the moment we allow our biases to rule in power, and it takes away honor.
00:16:30
Speaker
My husband shared a story with me from when he was in the second grade, and a teacher made a decision for him.
00:16:35
Speaker
Everyone else had a chance to choose to play with some blocks or something like that, but she chose to give him a stencil because she said, you need to work on your handwriting.
00:16:45
Speaker
She didn't give him an opportunity to choose what intervention would work best for him.
00:16:49
Speaker
She chose it, she gave it to him, and then he felt shamed.
00:16:53
Speaker
When we make decisions for another human being, when we tell them you need this, when we say your deficit is this, so I'm going to assign you this, then there's that shame.
00:17:04
Speaker
There is a guilt that comes in.
00:17:06
Speaker
There is a message that is sent to the learner over and over again that I'm not good enough, that I can't learn like everyone else, and I don't belong here.
00:17:15
Speaker
And then we perpetuate that with referrals to special education or pulling them out of the setting for an intervention that
00:17:22
Speaker
When if we universally design, then we send the message to the learner, you belong here.
00:17:28
Speaker
Every single one of us learns differently.
00:17:30
Speaker
And when you find what works best for you, it is also welcome here because you are.
00:17:35
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You are of value.
00:17:36
Speaker
You bring something to the table.
00:17:38
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We want you here.
00:17:39
Speaker
And you are the expert on you.
00:17:41
Speaker
I
Community in Universally Designed Classrooms
00:17:42
Speaker
mean, for sure.
00:17:42
Speaker
When you walk into a classroom that operates like this, where the district has the funding to incorporate all the tools, when all the students have kind of the thing that they're doing, that everyone's kind of learning off doing their own thing, the teachers work with some students, maybe some students are off on their own.
00:17:57
Speaker
It feels like a community, like it feels like a place where I walk in there and there's love and respect.
00:18:03
Speaker
And like, even if you weren't a student in that room, you would walk in there knowing like, oh, these people care about me.
00:18:09
Speaker
Whereas sadly, if it's not incorporated this way, it feels like a prison in some cases, especially during COVID.
00:18:17
Speaker
I was just looking at someone posted on the news that one of the
00:18:22
Speaker
New tech tools for COVID is literally putting people into small glass boxes and having them sit inside these like cram boxes so they don't spread COVID as opposed to, you know, just waiting until we don't have to worry about doing those things.
00:18:35
Speaker
But it is scary when you consider the carceral network and all the things that we internalize.
00:18:44
Speaker
When someone tells us constantly what to do and that we're doing something wrong and what that does to our psyche and how we think of ourselves.
00:18:50
Speaker
When we build a community this way, we reflect a community that we hope to see in the future.
00:18:55
Speaker
So I really appreciate the message that's being sent here and the ideas that are being expressed.
Critiques and Adaptation of UDL
00:19:04
Speaker
But I did want to also talk about critiques of UDL.
00:19:07
Speaker
So I wanted to highlight a piece by Benjamin Dockstatter, which is where I'm getting most of this information.
00:19:13
Speaker
Where it's interesting in your book, you talk about UDL, culturally responsive teaching, restorative justice, trauma-informed practices.
00:19:20
Speaker
But UDL has been critiqued and some of its major authors, something like George Koros, where basically UDL is used to uphold the traditional system, quote unquote, as opposed to changing the system itself.
00:19:33
Speaker
So as in like UDL is, don't be negative, all students need to learn.
00:19:37
Speaker
Just keep doing the same thing over and over again and they'll figure out how to do it.
00:19:43
Speaker
as opposed to this idea of transformation that we're questioning what the system is itself and rebuilding it in a UDL lens.
00:19:51
Speaker
Could you speak a little bit to that like juxtaposition?
00:19:54
Speaker
I love that in the UDL community, we are open to hearing the critiques.
00:20:00
Speaker
What I would say is that to anyone who is thinking about how to build a universally designed learning environment, that we have to be attentive to what the critiques are.
00:20:12
Speaker
So here's the thing, with the framework, the multiple means of representation, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of action and expression,
00:20:21
Speaker
When you are implementing and when you are designing, we have to know that there can be flaws, that there can be implicit bias, that we can take the framework and turn it into something that it was never intended to be.
00:20:33
Speaker
It is very important to listen to these voices of critique, to hear them out and to think about what the barriers are to truly building freedom and
00:20:43
Speaker
in the classroom.
00:20:44
Speaker
So when we think about, in my book, I talk about building express ways to success and putting the learner in the driver's seat.
00:20:50
Speaker
That means that my biases and my power are laid to the side in order to value the learner and they pick up what is best for them.
00:20:59
Speaker
But when we hear the critiques, when we hear that UDL could be a tool that oppresses
00:21:06
Speaker
learners, we have to be attentive to that.
00:21:09
Speaker
We have to make sure that our design is bringing about the results that we are designing for.
00:21:15
Speaker
And if it's not, then we go back to the table.
00:21:18
Speaker
We come together as a community and no one should be implementing UDL in isolation.
00:21:23
Speaker
And so that keeps the bias or the negative implications from being the reality all the time when we keep coming back together, when we see, OK, I failed.
00:21:35
Speaker
What is this feedback teaching me?
00:21:37
Speaker
What is it telling me?
00:21:38
Speaker
How can I grow?
00:21:40
Speaker
And then flip it on its head and say, what is it teaching my students?
00:21:44
Speaker
What is it telling them and how is it causing them to grow or how is it being a barrier?
00:21:49
Speaker
If we are not conscious of that lens, then we fall.
00:21:53
Speaker
And that's with culturally responsive teaching.
00:21:55
Speaker
That's with universal design for learning.
00:21:57
Speaker
That's with trauma informed.
00:21:59
Speaker
The moment we become an expert on someone outside of ourselves,
00:22:04
Speaker
is the moment that we stop universally designing.
00:22:06
Speaker
And so it's very easy on the outside to look at a framework on paper and say that it has limitations, but actually the framework has to be implemented to say whether it can move people forward or not.
00:22:19
Speaker
We have to implement, we have to try, we have to design, we have to keep coming to the table and we have to keep having the conversation.
00:22:28
Speaker
I love the fact that in the UDL community, we can take a look at the framework and say, here's areas where I personally implement well and this is how I know.
00:22:39
Speaker
Here's the outcomes.
00:22:40
Speaker
Here's the feedback from students.
00:22:42
Speaker
Here's the products that they give.
00:22:43
Speaker
And here's areas that I struggle with because it is three principles that have massive implications for
00:22:50
Speaker
You never arrive at, Katie Novak says, you never arrive at UDL Utopia.
00:22:55
Speaker
We're always learning.
00:22:57
Speaker
We're always growing.
00:22:58
Speaker
We're always striving.
00:22:59
Speaker
And as we teach people this framework, as we teach them to evaluate the outcomes, we have to keep bringing them back to, does this work for your learners?
Sharing Power with Students
00:23:09
Speaker
What options are you giving?
00:23:11
Speaker
Are your options limiting their capability to shine and grow?
00:23:15
Speaker
Or is it teaching them, putting them in the driver's seat so that they can get to the destination that they've chosen and they're not pigeonholed to the destination of your choosing?
00:23:23
Speaker
I think that's a great point.
00:23:24
Speaker
And it
00:23:25
Speaker
I think that critique of UDL rests itself on that idea of giving up power and speaking about power, right?
00:23:33
Speaker
It's one thing for me to create a classroom where there are many pathways to success, but ultimately I am the one defining what someone should do and what power exists.
00:23:45
Speaker
And also just bring to the table what it is that you're doing, like talking about UDL with students so they understand this is the point of all of this.
00:23:55
Speaker
I'm attempting to share power and give up power and cede it to you.
00:23:59
Speaker
I think some of that critique happens because behind the scenes, we might think about these things, but the learner still feels like they're not in control because they were never given a place to talk about power and privilege and what it means to be in the classroom underneath a teacher's authority, whether it be
00:24:15
Speaker
real or manufactured or just part of the system itself.
00:24:18
Speaker
And in my experience, at least, having those conversations with students about power and even politics in school is incredibly powerful because that's what kids, that's what their daily existence is like at school.
00:24:31
Speaker
And when you talk about that, they feel like not only are you fighting for them, but they're on your side and they're willing to work with you.
00:24:36
Speaker
Learners can handle the conversation.
00:24:39
Speaker
their families can handle the conversation.
00:24:42
Speaker
And in a truly universally designed learning environment, the conversation is ongoing.
00:24:47
Speaker
And the destination is chosen by the learner and their families, and we partner with them for that.
00:24:53
Speaker
So as we think about what UDL will transition into, what it looks like in the future, we think about how do we make sure that all practitioners have the tools they need to be able to have these conversations
00:25:07
Speaker
to lean into the uncomfortableness of the conversation.
00:25:10
Speaker
And when there's conflict, how do we navigate those areas?
00:25:15
Speaker
It's all about honor.
00:25:16
Speaker
And when we honor the learners, their families, and as a community come together and say, how do we co-create this environment so that we all can learn together?
00:25:25
Speaker
That means there's gonna be some give and take, some ebb and flow, some, you need this to learn, I need this to learn.
00:25:32
Speaker
There are times where that comes in direct conflict with one another.
00:25:35
Speaker
How do we navigate that space?
00:25:37
Speaker
That's the same thing that we have to do as educators, as policymakers, as practitioners, as leaders.
00:25:43
Speaker
Keep having the conversation, lean into the conflict and not away from it and listen to voices that are seemingly opposing or against, but help it to inform how you reform and get better at the practice.
00:25:56
Speaker
Exactly.
00:25:57
Speaker
I mean, the way that we're going to create critical thinkers is actually providing actual critical thought and not just like a manufactured critical thought where we're making up the rules.
00:26:08
Speaker
So I really appreciate that.
00:26:10
Speaker
And I think, too, it might help to think about, you know, what are just some steps
Steps to Equitable Education
00:26:15
Speaker
that we could take?
00:26:15
Speaker
So if our ultimate goal is to build this, like,
00:26:19
Speaker
liberatory learning or a society where people are more equal, more equitable, and hopefully just in general.
00:26:26
Speaker
How did we get there?
00:26:27
Speaker
How can we use UDL to push anti-racism to ensure that our communities are equitable?
00:26:35
Speaker
So we have to continually think about where is the power.
00:26:41
Speaker
I know that I talk about power and honor.
00:26:44
Speaker
The only way to honor learners is to help them realize that they come to you with power of their own.
00:26:50
Speaker
And then we make that space so that they can advocate for themselves, advocate for themselves and their choices.
00:26:57
Speaker
advocate for themselves and what makes them comfortable, advocate for themselves and what they really need in order to learn and where they're trying to go.
00:27:06
Speaker
We do that by the choices that we make.
00:27:10
Speaker
then we monitor the impact of those choices on our learners.
00:27:13
Speaker
Specifically when it comes to anti-racism, we have to take a look at our curricula and see if Black and Brown voices are even represented.
00:27:22
Speaker
And then if there are Black and Brown students in our learning environment, are they able to bring their full self into the classroom and be acknowledged as a picture of success?
00:27:31
Speaker
So many times when we look at the statistics, when we look at the data,
00:27:35
Speaker
It tells us that a Black child is three times more likely to be suspended than their white counterpart.
00:27:41
Speaker
And what that is saying to us is that simply the color of their skin can predict the experience that they'll have walking into the school.
00:27:48
Speaker
Can you imagine the anxiety, the pressure of being misunderstood and the implications of being misunderstood
00:27:56
Speaker
on their accessibility to even being in the learning environment.
00:28:00
Speaker
And now even with COVID, as many of the learning environments are electronic or hybrid, that a student can be removed from the setting and it's not even reported anymore.
00:28:12
Speaker
So when we think about what we can do to make sure that every learning environment is universally designed, meaning that every learner will have access to the supports that they need and that they will get to choose how they take information in, how they give information out and how they're supported through.
00:28:30
Speaker
We'll also have to think about what that means for black and brown learners.
00:28:34
Speaker
Are we understanding where they're coming from?
00:28:36
Speaker
Are we setting our own dial to learner so that we can learn more about them and what they bring to the table and what funds of knowledge they have to share?
00:28:46
Speaker
Are we inviting families to be a part of the learning community, not just for us to tell them what they need to do, but for us to treasure the experiences and the knowledge that they bring together?
00:28:58
Speaker
to us to enrich our learning community?
00:29:00
Speaker
Do we have classrooms where voices are truly treasured, meaning that everyone
00:29:07
Speaker
understands how to listen, how to receive a voice.
00:29:11
Speaker
Even if you disagree, how do we receive that?
00:29:14
Speaker
And there are many, if you look on any social media, there are many adults in need of this kind of learning environment as well, right?
00:29:21
Speaker
We need to learn how to treasure each other's voice and give everyone a space to disagree, to think deeply, to take some time, to make the space that you need in order for you to be successful until every learner understands.
00:29:36
Speaker
has a vision of themselves as successful, then we will need universal design for learning that is anti-racist.
Implementing UDL Without Overwhelm
00:29:43
Speaker
And when it comes to creating these classrooms, too, I'm sure people listening and they hear like, oh, you can have them listen to a podcast.
00:29:50
Speaker
They can do some writing.
00:29:51
Speaker
Like there's all these different chunks of ideas.
00:29:53
Speaker
And I'm thinking with like my teacher brain.
00:29:56
Speaker
which my teacher brain automatically goes like, man, that's a lot of work.
00:29:59
Speaker
That's a lot of stuff I have to do before every lesson.
00:30:02
Speaker
What suggestions would you have to do this effectively in a way that won't cause teachers to burn out?
00:30:08
Speaker
So what I will say is that universal design
00:30:13
Speaker
It's actually when you design on the front end is a lot less work on the back end because learners have what they need as far as options to get what they need.
00:30:22
Speaker
So I would say think deeply about what the outcomes are.
00:30:27
Speaker
And with providing multiple means of representation, engagement and action and expression, you don't have to create everything.
00:30:36
Speaker
There are many resources that are already created.
00:30:39
Speaker
There are many YouTube videos.
00:30:40
Speaker
So if you don't see yourself as a musician or a rapper, you don't know how to make a music video, never fear.
00:30:47
Speaker
Google is here.
00:30:48
Speaker
Type in the name, type in the subject, and I guarantee you'll find a video, some kind of song.
00:30:53
Speaker
You may find poetry.
00:30:55
Speaker
You may find something that's already created, or you may want to share the standard.
00:31:00
Speaker
Make sure that every learner understands the standard.
00:31:03
Speaker
and allow them to come up with resources that help their understanding and they can share that one with another.
00:31:08
Speaker
So if UDL feels too cumbersome, too overwhelming, my guess is that you haven't tapped into a community that already exists that will bring you what you need in order to reach your learners.
Joy and Community in UDL Classrooms
00:31:21
Speaker
I know that when you're in a classroom like this, it
00:31:24
Speaker
it feels a lot more fun to teach too.
00:31:25
Speaker
There's a, there's a, it's a joyous occasion to teach a class where everyone's kind of working on their own thing, working in small groups, doing different stuff because you spend most of the period walking around and talking to kids and learning about them and hearing from them.
00:31:38
Speaker
Oh yeah, you are exactly right.
00:31:41
Speaker
The teacher's joy is actually a part of the learning community.
00:31:44
Speaker
Now we just have to make sure that we're not putting our needs over the needs of the learners, but I don't want teachers to neglect themselves.
00:31:51
Speaker
That's not the message of anti-racist UDL at all.
00:31:54
Speaker
We create learning environments where everyone is a learner, where everyone is growing.
00:31:59
Speaker
That includes the teacher.
00:32:01
Speaker
That includes the students in a real school, a learning organization.
00:32:05
Speaker
That means the secretaries, the custodians.
00:32:08
Speaker
We are all learners.
00:32:09
Speaker
We are all learning and growing and bringing our full selves into the learning environment.
00:32:14
Speaker
No barrier.
00:32:16
Speaker
no disconnect that you are welcome here.
00:32:20
Speaker
And over and over again, we welcome the learners in how we present options and how we interact with them and how we're curious about what their backgrounds are, how we can connect with their families, how we can participate in activities outside of school,
00:32:36
Speaker
We bring 100% of ourselves and our joy and our loves to the classroom with us.
00:32:44
Speaker
And when we share them, that also communicates value that you're sharing with me who you really are.
00:32:50
Speaker
I can share with you who I really am.
00:32:52
Speaker
And we can learn from each other together.
00:32:56
Speaker
That creates community.
00:32:57
Speaker
And that kind of community is where true transformative learning happens.
Closing and Call to Action
00:33:07
Speaker
Thank you again for listening to Human Restoration Project's podcast.
00:33:10
Speaker
I hope this conversation leaves you inspired and ready to push the progressive envelope of education.
00:33:14
Speaker
You can learn more about progressive education, support our cause, and stay tuned to this podcast and other updates on our website at humanrestorationproject.org.