An interesting issue that sometimes arises in the classroom if that of fairness as it relates to accommodations and assistive technologies. It is not uncommon for a teacher to be faced with the comment that differential treatment of students is not fair. In this circumstance, it is important to remember the difference between fair and equal. It is perfectly acceptable to treat students as individuals and likewise address their needs in an individual way. There is nothing unfair about this.
Although all students are unique and will have their own individual learning needs, with some students this is more apparent. Some students, for example, require the use of specific assistive technology to allow them to better reach their potential. Is this unfair? No. It is necessary. If a technology can be provided for a student to help them learn, this is an opportunity that should be accessed! Likely, the question of fairness will not come up often in this type of scenario. If it does, however, it is possible to point out that the technology is useful for the student for which it is being used while it would add little or nothing to the learning of other students. You wouldn’t give glasses to a child with no vision impairments or a hearing aid to a child with perfect hearing. Yet, we do not question whether this is fair. Similarly, we should not question whether providing assistive technology is fair.
In addition to assistive technology, some students may benefit from (or even require) other forms of accommodation. This could include many things such as different access to important notes, variation in means of presentation and assessment, or additional time on assignments and/or tests. For some reason, it is these types of accommodations that more frequently are questioned in light of fairness. As teachers (as well as fellow students) we should remember that the purpose of education is to have students learn, develop, and demonstrate what they know. In order to do this effectively, some may require specific accommodations so that they are not unnecessarily held back.
In some cases, specific accommodations could be generalized by providing it as an option to the entire class. For example, if a number of students would benefit from completing an oral assignment as opposed to a written one, this option could be given to every student. With certain accommodations, however, this is not practical. In these circumstances, it is especially important to remain focused on the purpose of education and the difference between fairness and equality.
Although all students are unique and will have their own individual learning needs, with some students this is more apparent. Some students, for example, require the use of specific assistive technology to allow them to better reach their potential. Is this unfair? No. It is necessary. If a technology can be provided for a student to help them learn, this is an opportunity that should be accessed! Likely, the question of fairness will not come up often in this type of scenario. If it does, however, it is possible to point out that the technology is useful for the student for which it is being used while it would add little or nothing to the learning of other students. You wouldn’t give glasses to a child with no vision impairments or a hearing aid to a child with perfect hearing. Yet, we do not question whether this is fair. Similarly, we should not question whether providing assistive technology is fair.
In addition to assistive technology, some students may benefit from (or even require) other forms of accommodation. This could include many things such as different access to important notes, variation in means of presentation and assessment, or additional time on assignments and/or tests. For some reason, it is these types of accommodations that more frequently are questioned in light of fairness. As teachers (as well as fellow students) we should remember that the purpose of education is to have students learn, develop, and demonstrate what they know. In order to do this effectively, some may require specific accommodations so that they are not unnecessarily held back.
In some cases, specific accommodations could be generalized by providing it as an option to the entire class. For example, if a number of students would benefit from completing an oral assignment as opposed to a written one, this option could be given to every student. With certain accommodations, however, this is not practical. In these circumstances, it is especially important to remain focused on the purpose of education and the difference between fairness and equality.
No comments:
Post a Comment