Running Head: Wiki and BlackBoard Posts

My Wiki Posts
Social Class
Am I the Exception?
As I reflect on my socioeconomic status as a child and where I am now, I consider myself
very fortunate. Neither of my parents attended high school and they were both quite poor as
children. My father lived in a rural town just outside of North Bay and he was the middle child of
eight children. His father often left his mother and the children for days to go hunt for food. On
the other hand, my mother was raised in Toronto by her mother and spent her childhood moving
from one boarding house to another. Getting an education was not feasible and certainly not on
their priority list, although, eating was! A big difference between my parents was their parents
My father came from a home full of love and laughter and had the fondest memories of his
childhood; whereas, my mother did not have the emotional support that she needed and does not
like to talk about her childhood.

So how did all of this affect me? As Davis-Kean (2005) points out, a warm, social climate in the
home is related to parent education. I guess I am the exception, my parents did not have an
education. However, my parents provided me with a home that was filled with love and support.
Even though we had no money, we had each other. I can remember my father working two jobs
so that I could go to a private high school. The cost was $500 a year and this was a huge amount
of money for my parents. To clarify, I wanted to go to the high school because many of my
friends were; not because my parents wanted me to. My parents cared deeply about my
happiness. However, I was an over achiever and wanted to do as well as my friends. What truly
affected my dedication to school, was my peers. Most of my friends came from middle class

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families with parents who were school teachers, nurses or owning their own business. Also, I
really wanted to please my parents. They worked so hard.

I found this edited Maslows Hierarchy of Needs while searching for something for
another course and I thought it fit very well with my wiki this week. Maslows Hierarchy of
School Needs hit the nail on the head. I think it really depicts a clear picture of why some of our
students struggle with learning (Guditus, 2013). It resonated with my own experiences. I don't
remember ever going to school hungry, but I do remember wearing very used hand-me-downs
from my sister and being made fun of. I was always stressed and anxious that I wouldn't fit in so
I found it hard to learn in class. I was very fortunate to have really good friends and a supportive
family. What about our students? Are they all as fortunate? As teachers, I think we sometimes
make assumptions about our students. Maybe we think they are lazy or not engaged because they
were out at the pub all night. Do we judge them if they dont attend class or are nonparticipatory? How can a student learn when they are hungry, struggling with mental health
issues or have not made any friends and feel totally isolated? I think that if we all post Maslow's
Hierarchy of School Needs in our offices as a reminder, we may think before judging. I know I
will.

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References
Davis-Kean, P. (2005). The influence of parent education and family income on child achievement: The
indirect role of parental expectations and the home environment. Journal of Family Psychology.
19(2), 294-304.
Guditis, S. (2013) Reflections of an Educator: Maslow's hierarchy of school needs (image). Retrieved
with permission from
http://sguditus.blogspot.ca/2013/02/maslows-hierarchy-of-school-needs-steve.html

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Understanding our History

In the article If Anything Can Be Done With the Indian, We Must Catch Him Very Young,
Leeuw (2009) shared our embarrassing Canadian history and revealed the inexcusable way in
which Indigenous children were separated from their families, culture and traditions with the
attempt to assimilate them into Canadian Society. Sharing the pain of the past can help us
learn from our mistakes and hopefully never repeat them again. Although, we have come a long
way since Indian residential schools, that tried to take the Indian out of our children, we still
have a lot to learn. If we hope to truly honor and respect the original settlers of this great land,
we must foster relationships by creating an atmosphere of acceptance and equality.
So, are things really better? According to McMohan (2014) from Macleans magazine Half of
First Nations children live in poverty, with rates reaching as high as 64 per cent of children in
Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They are far more likely to grow up in communities racked with
violence, live in overcrowded housing and lack access to clean drinking water. Nine of Canadas
10 most violent communities are Aboriginal, according to Statistics Canadas violent crime
index, as are 92 of Canadas 100 poorest communities. How this happen in one of the most does
advanced countries in the world? Amnesty International and Human Rights have called Canada
out on the sanctimonious image they portray on the world stage, and how they really treat
indigenous people in their own country (McMohan, 2014).
Controversy over who is to blame seems to be divided into two camps, by both native
and non-native people. Some say that Native leadership (including indigenous people) is to
blame while others blame the government. Regardless of who is to blame, we as a country, need
to address this extreme disparity. McMohan (2014) shares a story of how a youth movement
made a huge difference in twenty-one year old Mike McKenzies life. Mike shares how he was

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about to commit suicide, like his brother did, in order to escape the life he was leading on the
reserve. He says that Feathers for Hope gave him hope that he could finish his high school
diploma and go to college. It also provided him with a circle of friends who valued their culture
and tradition and have had the same struggles he has faced. The article is very informative and
definitely worth the read. As well, have a look at this short video that shows the impact that the
Feathers of Hope movement is having on indigenous youth.
Unfortunately, our education system is definitely not meeting the needs of aboriginal
youth which remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. More than half of
Canadas Aboriginal population hasnt finished high school and just six per cent have a
university degree (McMohan, 2014). Many grandparents and some parents of our youth
experienced the nightmare of residential schools and our slow to trust the government and its
promises. Mike McKenzie shares that aboriginal youth cannot sit back but must take the
initiative on their own and become part of community organizations that advocate for change. I
will end with his final words of wisdom:
What Aboriginal youth need most, he says, is to hear theyre not alone, that however
intransigent the present-day problems may seem, the future is far from hopeless. If you
can give young people the initiative and the opportunity to see it, its possible to pull
yourself out of it, he says. You dont have to be condemned from day one just because
you were born on a reserve.

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References
Ahnationtalk (2014, September) Feathers of Hope Documentary Youth Forum 2013 and
Onward (Video). Retrieved from http://nationtalk.ca/story/featured-video-of-the-dayfeathers-of-hope-documentary-youth-forum-2013-and-onward/
McMohan, T. (2014, August). Why fixing First Nations education remains so far out of reach.
MacLeans Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/why-fixingfirst-nations-education-remains-so-far-out-of-reach/
Reid, D.K. and Knight, M.G. (2006) Disability justifies exclusion of minority students: A critical
history grounded in disability studies. Educational Researcher 35(6), 18-23

Disabilities, Learning Challenges and Mental Health Issues

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Post-Secondary Education
As I mentioned in this weeks discussion post, I have a passion for UDL. I realize that
some of you may be very familiar with the UDL framework but I thought I would hit your
affective domain and get you thinking about why UDL is so important.
Students with disabilities are no longer an anomaly but are representative of todays
diverse post-secondary classroom. Data from Ontario universities and colleges suggest that
approximately 5% of university students and 11% of college students are registered with a DSO
(McCloy & DeClou, 2013). One reason for such an increase is enactments of disability
legislation (McGuire & Scott, 2006)

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Social policy can be a driving force for change (McGuire & Scott, 2006). Historically,
legislation such as the Ontario Human Rights Code (1962) and the recent release of the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005) have made the path towards
equality a reality for the foreseeable future. Such legislation focuses on the removal of barriers
in order to enable full participation in all aspects of society for persons with disabilities.
The AODA was introduced in 2005 with the following purpose: AODA is to benefit all
Ontarians by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve
accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities by 2025 (AODA, 2005). A roll out plan that spans
20 years will affect every type of organization in Ontario regardless of size. Postsecondary
institutions are mandated to provide accessible formats of all teaching and learning materials
upon request. In addition , obligated organizations that are school boards or educational or
training institutions shall provide educators with accessibility awareness training related to
accessible program or course delivery (AODA, 2005).
Such legislation has acted as a catalyst for long overdue changes to promote inclusion in
the learning environment. The shift from accommodation to designing accessible postsecondary
programs will initiate change in the way colleges and universities develop and deliver
curriculum. We need to move away from a medical model of accommodation towards a social
model of inclusion.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been around for a few decades and is steadily
picking up momentum with advances in technology and cognitive psychology. UDL draws upon
three main guidelines: multiple means of representation (multi-modal teaching); multiple means
of engagement (maximizing student learning through relevancy); and multiple means of
expression (allowing students to demonstrate learning in multiple ways).UDL is a proactive

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design rather than a reactive retrofit. It takes on the burden of adaptation so that the student
doesnt have to, minimizing barriers and maximizing access to both information and learning
(Pace & Blue, 2010). Furthermore, the evidence on educational progress suggests that wellstructured and supported inclusive practices such as UDL are beneficial for both disabled and
non-disabled students alike (Rose et al., 2006). If you are interested in learning more about
UDL, the CAST website (http://www.cast.org/) is the place to go. It has a plethora of resources
including links to online resources, lesson plan builders, research all with a focus of using
technology to enhance learning. I use this site regularly when planning my courses. I encourage
you to have a look.
References
McCloy, U. and DeClou, L. (2013). Disability in Ontario: Postsecondary education
participation rates, student experience and labour market outcomes. Toronto: Higher
Education Quality Council of Ontario.
McGuire, J. M., & Scott, S. S. (2006). Universal Design for Instruction: Extending the Universal
Design Paradigm to College Instruction. Journal of Postsecondary Education and
Disability, 19(2), 124-134.
Rose, D. H., Harbour, W. S., Johnston, C. S., Daley, S. G., & Abarbanell, L. (2006). Universal
Design for Learning in Postsecondary Education: Reflections on Principles and their
Application. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 19(2), 135-151.
Reid, D.K. and Knight, M.G. (2006) Disability justifies exclusion of minority students: A critical
history grounded in disability studies. Educational Researcher 35(6), 18-23
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Immigration, Racism and Belonging

From Theory to Practice
Peggy McIntosh (1983) introduced the Interactive Phase Theory (IPT) over 20 years ago
to critique curricula through a traditional feminist lens. Her work later expanded to include a
more broad range of marginalized or underprivileged groups which included different cultures.
McIntoshs IPT exposes cultural assumptions which can be embedded in the curricula. She
maintains that in order for curricula to be accessible, it must fall along an inclusive and equitable
continuum ranging from mono-cultural curriculum to an inclusive and socially just curriculum
(Bernacchio, Ross, Robinson, Whitney & Wood, 2007). McIntosh points out that we must move
away from viewing curriculum in a mono-cultural light and take action to recognize group
identities and that individuals are influenced by complex cultural circumstances (Bernacchio et
al., 2007). We as the dominant culture, often oblivious to the fact that norms, attitudes, and
beliefs in other cultures may be contradictory to and even oppressive to those in marginalized
groups. How can we become more conscious and present of our students varying needs?
Bernacchio et al. (2007) believes that reflective practice is a great start. According to
Schons (1983) theory of action, reflective practice can help teachers examine their own beliefs
and assumptions so they can start making sense of certain behaviors in the classroom. I have
found reflective practice to be extremely helpful to grow as a teacher. I have participated in
individual and group practices but by far find that a small Community of Practice (CoP) to be the
most effective for me to challenge my own assumptions and perceptions. I taught a diversity
course to new faculty last year and I learned way more from their stories and experiences than
they learned from me. One topic of discussion was international students. We discussed how it
can be very challenging for both international student and teacher to create egalitarian

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relationships with students who come from a culture where this is taboo. We also discussed the
culture shock many students go through their first few months in Canada.
The greatest part of our discussions was the discovery that we shared commonalities in
our experiences. We had created a culture of trust where we felt safe sharing our assumptions and
perceptions. We learned from each other and I know that I started to look at culture and
belonging through more of a critical lens. McIntoshs IPT really resonates with the continuum I
saw our group move along during our time together. In order to understand others, we must first
have a true understanding of ourselves.
Video: An international student provides an honest yet humorous take on his experiences at
Columbia University and the culture shock he experienced when arriving.
International Student Experience Part 1: Culture Shock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPfB6GIjM9Q
References
Bernacchio, C., Ross, F., Washburn, K. R., Whitney, J., & Wood, D. R. (2007). Faculty
collaboration to improve equity, access, and inclusion in higher education. Equity &
Excellence in Education, 40(1), 56-66.
McIntosh, P. (1983). Interactive phases of curricular re-vision: A feminist perspective (Paper
#124). Wellesley, MA.

Schon, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York:
Basic Books.

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