Module 4: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access in Learning (IDEAL)

After completing this module on the IDEAL framework,  I have learned that creating lessons with accommodations and UDL strategies is a process that takes time to hone. In consideration of all types of learning styles, an educator has to include at least two or three ways of representation for their content area. That is not something that can be completed the night, or even a week, before a lesson. It is developed through years of teaching little-by-little, lesson-by-lesson. 

I know that I will not be able to accommodate for every learning style, but I can try to cover as many as I can. For example, this module's slide deck involves chunking of the text, making major points easy to visually identify, and imagery. This makes understanding my slides a simpler, more engaging process, because the audience is able to digest the concepts in different visual forms. However, I can think of groups of students that I could not teach to, such as ELLs or learners with visual-processing disorders.  In these cases, I would have to create other means of representation. For ELLs, I would likely translate this slide deck into their native language, or alternatively I can show them how to access translating tools on a computer. For learners with learning disabilities, it may be more productive to provide an audio version of this slide deck. This could be a simple narration of the slides so that they may keep up.

Time is one of the most precious resources an educator has. It may be impossible to get any lesson "right" the first time. As a teacher myself, learning how to modify and accommodate a lesson will take time. Multiple run-throughs of the same lesson or repeating the lesson the following year are all opportunities to make adjustments, to take another step towards creating an enriching lesson that removes all learning barriers for every single student.