This week was a busy one! Aside from fitting everything in before Thanksgiving break (because as teachers, we can’t leave loose ends, right?), I’ve been exploring intersectionality and universal design for learning. Those are some big words. They’re even bigger ideas. IntersectionalityA term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality is the overlapping of our various identities. Crenshaw likens this concept to intersecting roads. If there were to be an accident in an intersection, the cause was likely due in part to both parties driving down the streets that crossed paths. This intersectionality means that challenges one may face due to his or her identity complicate when overlapping. For example, a black woman may face both racism and sexism, but it is impossible to put a finger on exactly which causes what. In our classrooms, it is important that teachers are aware of these intersections and intentionally structure our classrooms and lessons to support students in these crossroads rather than further isolating them. Check out this brief video or this TED talk by Crenshaw herself to better understand this complex issue. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)According to CAST (2010), “research shows that the way people learn is as unique as their fingerprints.” One way to make our classrooms accessible for all learners, regardless of identity, challenges, and intersectionality, is to use the UDL framework when planning instruction. It focuses on providing students with multiple representations of three main brain networks: recognition (what students learn), affective (why students learn), and strategic (how students learn). Follow this link to a professional development slideshow I created for teachers at my campus to better understand and use UDL in their classrooms! References
CAST (2010, January 6). UDL at a glance [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4&feature=youtu.be CAST (2018). UDL and the learning brain. Wakefield, MA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/our-work/publications/2018/udl-learning-brain-neuroscience.html CAST (n.d.). About universal design for learning [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.XdnC7-hKjIW Crenshaw, Kimberlé. (2016, October). The urgency of intersectionality [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en National Association of Independent Schools. (2018, June 22). Kimberlé Crenshaw: What is Intersectionality? [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDtnfQ9FHc OldSimo. (2017, August 22). Intersectionality is bad: It’s a form of fetish and pppression Olympics [Image]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@Old_Simo/intersectionality-is-bad-its-a-form-of-fetish-and-oppression-olympics-a3f5571670b2
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Hi there!I'm Sarah! I have a passion for powerful teaching and lifelong learning. I am a 4th grade teacher turned instructional designer, and this is my blog documenting the journey. Click here to get in touch with me. Archives
February 2021
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