Equity and Access in K-12 Distributed (Online) & Open Learning Environments

How can you ensure equitable access to authentic, meaningful & relevant learning environments for all learners in K-12 open and distributed learning contexts? What did you already know, what do you know now based on the course readings and activities, what do you hope to learn?

This week’s topic is one that I was incredibly excited to explore, as equity is a passion of mine, and ensuring that my students have authentic, meaningful, and relevant learning environments is extremely important to me. I have had a decent amount of experience adapting programs, activities, lessons, and projects with diverse learners, and learned about the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) last semester and have utilized UDL within lesson plans; but, ensuring that there is equity in open and distributed learning contexts is something I have little experience with. This week’s topic is full of resources, readings, tools, and content that I know I will look back on in the near and far future to ensure that I am always creating the best space and learning experience I can for my students. In reading #1, Basham, Blackorby, Stahl, & Zhang, L. (2018), so beautifully explain one of the main reasons I love UDL: “Originally formulated as an approach for ensuring the effective inclusion of students with disabilities and diverse learning needs in general education classrooms, UDL has steadily gained traction as a framework for addressing the variability inherent in all learners.” (Bashem et al. 2018). Although online learning provides a multitude of benefits, online learning can be far more difficult for students who are living in poverty, have disabilities, and ELL’s. Today’s learners are diverse and variable, and many of the forms of assessment and methods of teaching aren’t practical for everyone. Although these gaps in equity throughout online learning can be down putting, its essential to look at how technology can be a gateway towards employing UDL principles of multiple means of engagement, action and expression, and representation. Technology assists in creating personalized learning experiences for students. When online learning designs are competency-based, they are more likely to align with UDL Principles (Basham, Hall, Carter & Stahl, 2016; Basham & Stahl, 2015; Bray & McClaskey, 2013; Din, 2015). Online and open learning allows students to develop their sense of mastery, independence, belonging, and inquiry, and when paired with UDL principles, it can be adaptable, accessible, and personalized for a variety of learners.

In last week’s reading, I become concerned and interested in the inequality that Indigenous learning spaces endure, and I was excited that this week supplied so many resources and tools to help break down these gaps and barriers. Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012) depicted 8 design principles that assist inequity and development of learning spaces:

• Design Principle 1: A space young people control 
• Design Principle 2: A space for hanging out and ‘mucking around’
• Design Principle 3: A space where learners learn 
• Design Principle 4: A space to grow into new roles and responsibilities
• Design Principle 5: A space to practice oral and written language 
• Design Principle 6: A space to express self and cultural identity through multimodal forms 
• Design Principle 7: A space to develop and engage in enterprise
• Design Principle 8: A space to engage with the world

Just as UDL principles assist a variety of learners, the design principles don’t only apply to indigenous groups. When you make an environment more accessible, it typically allows everyone to feel included and motivated to learn. I will be focusing on Design Principle 1, 2, 6 and 8. There was a multitude of themes that carried throughout the chapter: the deficit mindset assumed by educators and institutions; The Circle of Courage guiding motivation and learning experience; mutual respect; and relevance of existing knowledge and meaningful activity. A deficit mindset is something I become familiar with when taking a webinar in June, “Student Voices Challenging Adult Racism to Create Anti-Racist Schools,” held by The National Association of Black Male Educators. In that webinar, students and teachers discussed how approaching BIPOC students with a deficit perspective lead to a lack of motivation because students begin to believe what teachers assume, that they can achieve what other students can. Design Principle 1 outlines that a space that young people control assists in counteracting such perspectives, as well as motivates students through a sense of autonomy, agency, and independence. Technology has assisted Indigenous communities immensely, as personal hand-held devices allow students the ability to utilize technology that is not locked in a classroom. Open-learning could be an active pathway for BIPOC as it will enable them to have a choice in their learning experience. Technology can also assist students in control over the smallest decisions, which increases confidence and decision-making skills. Marginalized and rural communities must have spaces where they can have access to information and produce knowledge.

Design Principle 2 depicts the importance of individuals having time and space to “muck around” with technology without fear of failure. “Mucking around” reminded me of the gamification of education, where students can choose the journey that suits their needs, where trial and error are utilized, and there is little fear of failure. Students build a sense of belonging in these environments, and bond over learning and experimentation.

Design Principle 6 and 8 connect well to one another as they highlight the use of technology as a form of expression and understanding of oneself and the world around you. Inquiry-based projects allow students opportunities to work in groups to provide insight into their shared experiences. Multimodal/multimedia work “illuminates the cultural practices and symbol structures in image and language that young people are using for identity formation” (Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. 2012, p. 86). Open Learning Practices come along with risk as students are opening themselves and their knowledge up to “the world”, but this risk gives students a space to tell their stories, and have control over their own self-representation.

I hope to engage further with the resources provided this week, as well as explore further resources to ensure that I am forever in praxis, and ensuring that I am creating a learning environment where equity, belonging, independence, and adaptation is at the forefront.

References

Basham, J.D., Blackorby, J., Stahl, S. & Zhang, L. (2018) Universal Design for Learning Because Students are (the) Variable. In R. Ferdig & K. Kennedy (Eds.), Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 477-507). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.

Kral, I. & Schwab, R.G. (2012). Chapter 4: Design Principles for Indigenous Learning Spaces. Safe Learning Spaces. Youth, Literacy and New Media in Remote Indigenous Australia. ANU Press. http://doi.org/10.22459/LS.08.2012 Retrieved from:   http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p197731/pdf/ch041.pdf

UDL: The UDL Guidelines. (2017, November 28). Cast.Org. http://udlguidelines.cast.org/