Neurodiversity is the natural diversity in human thinking, learning, communicating and interacting, or “neurocognitive functioning”. School systems are typically built on neurotypical values, which are values based on dominant cultural norms. Expectations, routines and practices set the tone in our classrooms and communicate to our students who belongs and who does not. Many usual classroom practices exclude (i.e., make them feel they do not belong or are inferior) students that do not fit dominant cultural norms, whether it be because of cultural, linguistic, cognitive, or other differences. This Power-Up offers an opportunity for educator scholars to learn about neurodiversity and to reflect on and reimagine educational practices for inclusivity. Readings and videos are supplied as forms of engagement, observations and reflections are elicited using personal modes of representation, and a final product, or learning evidence, that is open to a range of choices for personal learning expression is expected.
The educator scholar will examine a school/classroom practice for inclusivity by evaluating its underlying value system.
The educator scholar will rethink or redesign the school/classroom practice for inclusivity by focusing on the goals, and a wider range of possible avenues for reaching the goals, of the practice.
To enact learning from a neurodiversity perspective, the teacher scholar will use personal modes of thinking, learning, communicating and interacting to produce learning evidence for how the values of neurodiversity could/has increase/d inclusivity in a specific school/classroom practice.
PLO Progression (Links to an external site.): DDM3 Equitable and Inclusive Learning Environments, GLAE3: Supporting Educational Contexts, GLAE5: Ethical Issues in Education.
InTASC (Links to an external site.): Learner Differences Standard 2. The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
Completion of the application activity.
Full credit in all areas of the Power-Up rubric.
Follow the links in the Required Resource section to the required two web pages (American Institute for Learning and Human Development - Neurodiversity and Neurodiversity: Some basic terms and definitions) and two videos (Human Neurodiversity Should Be Celebrated, Not Treated as a Disorder | Op-Ed | NowThis and Introduction to Neurodiversity by Anani M. Vasquez designed for https://neuroplexure.com/). Read and view these resources.
Then complete the application activity, which will include a self-observation/observation and a reflection on the underlying values of a school/classroom expectation, routine or practice.
Finally, upload a product (learning evidence) that integrates each component of the application activity. This product can be a written paper, a video, a visual or an audio clip.
Define neurodiversity in your own words.
Examine a school or classroom expectation, routine or practice for values of neurodiversity. Begin by choosing the expectation, routine or practice (e.g., SLANT, line up, classwork submission, protocols for asking or answering questions, silent reading time, attention signals, math journal expectations, etc.). Then observe it in action. (You might choose to video record yourself and your students during one of these times, or you might journal about your experience after paying close attention). Consider the following as you examine the expectation, routine or practice:
School and classroom expectations, routines and practices not only help the day run smoothly, but they set the culture (and norms) for the group. Does your chosen practice operate from values of neurodiversity? Does it take into account individual differences? Does it restrict (or make difficult) participation from any student or group of students? Does it make any student or group of students feel inferior to others? Are the norms created from these practices inclusive? How might you know? Who could you talk to that might have alternate perspectives? (For example: tracking the speaker does not help all students process what the speaker is saying, and using flashcards to memorize math facts is not helpful for all math students).
Building a (classroom) community requires that members of the group agree to specific norms. Who was involved in the development of this classroom practice? How did/might all members have a say? If students were invited to share (in a safe environment) their personal ways of learning, thinking, communicating and interacting, were those ways incorporated into this classroom expectation, routine or practice? If students were not able to share, did the teachers/administrators take time to learn about each student’s personal ways of learning, thinking, communicating and interacting?
How might this expectation, routine or practice be redesigned using the values of neurodiversity? Is there a way to reach the same goal (e.g., gain attention, listen to each other, explain math problems, etc.) using diverse ways of thinking, learning, communicating, interacting?
Upload a product (learning evidence) that integrates each component of the application activity, including a neurodiversity definition, reflection on the practice in action and on how the practice was designed, and a proposal for how this practice might be rethought/redesigned. There is no ‘right’ way to show what you have learned in this Power Up because you learn, think, communicate and interact in your personally different way(s). Therefore, the expected product (learning evidence) can be in the form of a written paper, a video, a visual or an audio clip.
American Institute for Learning and Human Development - Neurodiversity https://www.institute4learning.com/resources/articles/neurodiversity/
Human Neurodiversity Should Be Celebrated, Not Treated as a Disorder | Op-Ed | NowThis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWxmEv7fOFY
Introduction to Neurodiversity by Anani M. Vasquez designed for www.neuroplexure.comLinks to an external site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZjxsg8qUFA
Neurodiversity: Some basic terms and definitions https://neuroqueer.com/neurodiversity-terms-and-definitions/
Armstrong, T. (2012). Neurodiversity in the classroom: Strengths-based strategies to help students with special needs succeed in school and life. ASCD.
Silberman, S. (2016). NeuroTribes: The legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity. Avery.
Vasquez, A. M. (in press). Perspectives, strategies and propositions for cultivating inclusive educational environments: Teaching for neurodiversity and creative learning. In R. D. Williams (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement. IGI-Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-8860-4.