Equitable Access for All

What do we mean when we say educators must provide equitable access for all students?

When first asked “what do we mean when we say that educators must provide equitable access for all students?” my mind went blank. After reading the question once more I realized that it was asking how educators are going ensure that each students learns what they need to learn in order to succeed in life. Therefore in order to help students learn more information, and truly understand that information too, it is the crucial for teachers to provide the help and support that each student needs to learn. In the article “30+ tools for Diverse Learners” by Luis Perez and Kendra Grant, there are many different forms of online tools that can be used by different students who need help. For example, students that are easily distracted by the ads or pictures on the sides of articles found online, can use the Safari Reader, which “allows learners to remove the navigation, ads and other visual clutter from a web page to better focus on the content.” By providing tools such as this, and multiple others, the playing field is equalled out and now some students who were behind before, now have a better opportunity to succeed. By creating equal learning opportunities for students, teachers are able to prepare them for further schooling and learning. These learning opportunities essentially all come together to aim towards what Sal Kahn calls “mastery learning”. As I talked about last week, mastery learning is when a student is able to progressively move through school, based on when they have mastered a certain topic. By providing equal access for all students to learn and grow in their understanding, students will eventually be able to master concepts faster, and progress through mastery learning. Going back to mastery learning being like building a house, if a student is not given equal access to learning opportunities as other students are, then that student’s “house” is going to crumble before any of the walls are put up. However by giving that extra, and necessary, support the student’s house will have a firm and strong base where they can safely build on top of, at their own pace. I believe that providing equal opportunities and access to all students is essential for any working classroom, but I don’t believe it always makes its way into every classroom. Do you think that there are plenty of opportunities for students to learn in multiple different ways? Do you think that there is enough support behind each and every student that allows them to learning and understand material in a safe and supportive environment? Finally, do you think that there are more ways to help students, if so what?

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Sources:

“Let’s Teach for Mastery” by Sal Khan on TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MTRxRO5SRA

“30+ tools for Diverse Learners” by Luis Perez and Kendra Grant: https://www.iste.org/explore/Toolbox/30%20-tools-for-diverse-learners