In the world we live in today, learning barriers are always present. I could never have fathomed that a pandemic would happen and I would be learning from home instead of in a normal classroom setting that I have become accustomed to after eighteen years of learning. It is interesting to think that a barrier like this effects everyone’s ability to learn and work from toddlers who can’t go to preschool, to adults who must work from home, to university students, to immigrants just learning English. Something that I failed to notice as I pitied myself and peers who now have to work and learn on our own is that many students face challenges much greater than this even without a pandemic in our midst. So, as I start my journey into the world of Education, I think it is important to remember that the barriers that students face on the daily can be adjusted–just as life during the pandemic has changed for each of us. For example, an activity that I wanted to do in our interactive learning resource was keeping a journal which logs daily technology use. A way that this could be adapted is not having to necessarily write in journals. A lot of students struggle with writing, so this activity could be adapted to drawings, voice recordings or a photo essay. I want to make sure that all activities in the classroom are accessible to all types of learners. Another way that activities could be adapted is through the use of materials that are used to teach. This could mean some reading, some interactive activities, some podcasts and some videos. In making sure that each lesson has a different media included will make sure that all students have an opportunity to learn in a way that is best fit to them. Early in the term it will be important to have students figure out what kind of learning approach works best for them. I will do this by meeting with each student in the first couple weeks and talking/asking questions which will help us to find which learning style is best fitted to them. If I can have a prior knowledge of how my students learn best it will be easier to adapt activities as needed.
October 16, 2020