Adult Ed SIG Corner

By Joseph Hester

The Adult Ed SIG met on Friday and Saturday during the 2022 Convention, Feb 25 and 26th. The meetings were well attended on both days.
 
Friday’s topic about UDL (Universal Design for Learning) included 2 videos and a discussion. The first video, entitled “The Myth of the Average,” is about fighter jet cockpit design and how designing for the average person doesn’t work because there is no average person. Instead, flexible designing for people on the margins such as big and small people (e.g., using an adjustable seat) has been shown to be a much more effective approach. The video discussed applications for the education field. There is no average student and when we try to design for the average student, we serve no one. Rather, learning environments need to be flexible. For example, when we design for students on the margins (e.g., the hearing impaired) by using subtitles, it is also good for language learners and a variety of other groups. The second video is about UDL principles, which include backward design (starting with the goal or thing you want students to be able to do in mind), eliminating barriers, and providing multiple ways to display learning, practice, and present. Then, we broke into groups and discussed applications for our classroom. You can access the powerpoint using this link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1d0VMLo92M9oYPt5CTNdpkCYLNuMMjq3mPxWgHEXeKDo/edit?usp=sharing
 
On Saturday, we presented “Free Tech Tools for Learning” (e.g., Commonlit, Quill, Mentimeter, Nearpod) and how they could be used to benefit our students. Other useful websites and resources for teachers (e.g., QR codes) were given. Then, participants discussed the free tech tools they use in their classrooms and how they integrate tech tools in their online and face-to-face classes. Here is the link for the powerpoint: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FqubnReqsVOA5icOmwkaLwwnouXSe9cChs8INBBJFCM/edit?usp=sharing
 
The slides, videos, and discussion were enriching to all those who attended, and at the end of both days, we had a raffle. We are thankful to all those who showed up and participated. It was a great time!
 
We look forward to serving you. Please feel free to reach out with any suggestions or questions regarding the Adult Education SIG. We hope to see you at our next event!
Marcia Luptak mluptak@itbe.org
Joseph Hester jhester@itbe.org