TELE 1070 - Assignment 1

1. How has your lived experience has impacted who you are and how you relate to students in and outside the classroom?

I am a cis-gendered white settler who grew up middle class in a small, predominately white town. I generally did well in school (math classes aside) and was encouraged to travel after graduating from high school and follow my interests into postsecondary and beyond.

When working with learners in my role in Recruitment, I aim to meet people where they are. I try to operate without assumption – knowing that an individual’s experience could be very different from my own. I draw on my own experiences when offering guidance, but shy away from sharing personal details.

For example, my decision to spend time working and travelling before studying art at college and then university has given me an understanding of how important it is for everyone to explore their own path and that these paths do not need to be linear (as we are sometimes led to believe by well meaning influencers).

I can empathize with learners wanting to leave their small communities for a larger one (as I did) but also understand those who would like to stay in their hometowns (as many of my friends chose to).

I know that it’s important to find something that you’re good at, and that these skills can be transferable to a variety of industries. If math is not your thing, you can leave it behind! I love helping people find a program that would be a great fit.

My privilege has allowed me to have a range of experiences without barriers to overcome. When working with learners, I operate from the position that barriers could exist at every turn. My job is to help get learners to a completed application. This means finding communication channels and styles that work for them, helping them to see themselves as NSCC students and connecting them with internal and external resources that can provide support, as needed.

2. How can you best acknowledge learner variability (visible and invisible)?

I’m working to become increasingly aware of how to best support the learners that I assist in the Recruitment department. As the individuals I work with may have varying degrees of experience and confidence with it comes to education I aim to make their NSCC interactions as positive, non-judgmental and supportive as possible. Understanding that students may benefits from more or less assistance from me, from supports internal and external to NSCC and from the experience of my colleagues, I listen and ask questions and hope to foster a safer space for our conversation. Using Motivational Interviewing techniques, I avoid telling learners what to do, I instead listen with empathy to understand their motivation and empower them to make a decision that’s best for them.

3. How do you recognize, reduce and eliminate barriers to learning?

Barriers can begin at the program research stage. I begin by recognizing that navigating the NSCC website, reaching out for more details, speaking on the phone, composing an email, traveling to a meeting with me – these may be barriers. Program location, duration, tuition cost, etc. can also be barriers.

I try to reduce barriers by remaining flexible with how I share information and connect with and address learners. I use Motivational Interviewing techniques and share details about supports (like Accessibility Services, culturally-specific supports, funding resources) and speak about life at NSCC. I’ll seek out information on their behalf and offer to connect them with my colleagues, as needed. I check in to see if I can assist with any additional questions.

 

TELE 1070 – Assignment 2

In TELE 1010 I was given the opportunity to create and deliver a lesson plan using UDL. Since I’m not a faculty member with curriculum to draw from, this was a fun chance to teach something that I’m interested in and I chose to show how to design a pieced quilt. I incorporated Universal Design for Learning principles by:

  • Recording my virtual presentation so it could be reviewed by students afterwards

  • Closed captioning was an option for students to use

  • Using interactive quizzes and activities to engage students and scaffold their learning

  • I offered three ways to complete the assignment of designing quilt blocks;

  1. I gave a Jamboard demo and showed students how to use the pictures of quilt blocks I’d uploaded there to design quilt fronts, digitally.

  2. I provided some printable quilt blocks that could be printed out, cut up and arranged at home.

  3. Students could also create their own quilt blocks (drawn on paper, made with fabric, collaged with paper, etc) to arrange at home.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy principles were integrated by:

  • Presenting a range of examples of quilt makers and projects, historically and in a contemporary context including Bisa Butler, the Quilters of Gees Bend, Amish quiltmakers and the AIDS Memorial Quilt

  • Presented a range of motivations behind quilt making including function, activism, story telling, memorial, etc.

  • Spoke positively and with enthusiasm to motivate students

  • Encouraging collaborative learning

  • The lesson was taught to a small group where discussion and sharing of ideas was encouraged

I felt that the inclusion of UDL and CRP in my lesson plan and delivery helped students who were new to these concepts learn with confidence and enthusiasm in a way that worked for them. They helped make the learning environment I created feel welcoming.

If re-approaching this lesson, I would include even more examples of quilts and their makers drawing from additional traditions and backgrounds so that more students could further see themselves and their communities in these examples.