Contextual Background:
I deliver technical workshops to year 1&2 BA Fashion Contour. I demonstrate how to make a sample to industry standard, and the students create their own. The purpose of the workshops is to understand industry standards, which is implemented in their final garments independently.
I teach students with diverse needs. For this case study, I am going to focus on language diversity.
Evaluation:
I email the week before class, so students know what equipment to bring, and what to expect in class, with the handout attached. This allows the students to prepare physically and mentally and can be engaged and ready to participate in class. This allows students who do not speak English as a first language to digest the information ahead of time, at their own pace. I allow the students to record demonstrations so they can play back as and when they need.
I want to slow down the number of steps delivered during demonstrations. We have recently updated our sessions from 2 x 3.5-hour classes to 3 x 3.5. I think that by delivering less steps, breaking up the demonstrations, and accommodating comfort breaks, this will help the students to stay engaged.
Moving forwards.
Every student is unique and has their preferred method of learning. I want to champion ‘Universal Design for Learning’ and ensure that my workshops are as varied as the student’s needs. ‘’In the past two decades, neuroscience has demonstrated that learners are highly variable in the ways they learn and that this variability is the norm, not the exception.’’ Glass, Mayer, Rose (2012, p.99).
I want to continue to offer multiple strategies to access the learning material in a manner of ways, to accommodate all students’ needs in a way that best suits them; ‘’the most appropriate response to diversity is a flexible approach that enables transition from dependent to autonomous learning.’’ Bamber and Jones (2015, p.153).
In BA Fashion Contour, we use complex and unique words to describe how to construct a bra. Clarity is important to ensure that all students understand the task at hand. ‘One important consideration when teaching international students is the clarity of explanations. This means providing a clear outline of what is required, providing models of successful practice, and aligning objectives with teaching and assessment.’ Bamber and Jones (2015, p.154). I will create a glossary of terms with photos and drawings to ‘scaffold’ students with language diversities. This will be attached to all weekly emails for ease of access, and allow them to build on their language, confidence, and ability to participate wholly in workshops.
Embracing ‘Universal Design for Learning’, all students within the class will be able to access this with ease, ensuring that everyone can pull from this document when required. I want to make sure that all supplementary information is easily accessed by all, regardless of diversity.
‘’What is critical is not to make education more accessible to students with disabilities, as has often been argued, but to ensure that UDL options and alternatives are exercised broadly across the whole range of students’’ Glass, Mayer, Rose (2012, p.117)
References.
Bamber, V. and Jones, A. (2015) Challenging students: Enabling inclusive learning In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Mar-shall (Eds.) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (4th ed., pp.152-168). Abingdon: Routledge.
Glass, D. Meyer, A. and Rose, D. (2012) Universal design for learning in the classroom: practical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
Hussey, T. and Smith, P. (2010) The Trouble with Higher Education: A Critical Examination of our Universities. New York and London: Routledge.