Yesterday I finished reading Unlearning: Changing Your Beliefs and Your Classroom with UDL, by Allison Posey and Katie Novak. I highly recommend this book! The book gave me many take-aways and ideas to reinforce my understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In today’s post, I want to focus on expectations and beliefs, as I think these are the key to changing the way we do school…. and key to creating more socially just, inclusive school systems.

As I reflect on Unlearning, connections to The Opportunity Myth are surfacing. The Opportunity Myth synthesized data from five diverse schools systems, nearly 1,000 lessons, and 30,000 student surveys. The report found that 94% of students planned to attend college and that 82% of teachers supported grade-level standards. However, only 44% of teachers believed that their students could meet the demands of grade-level standards:

Beliefs matter.

Posey and Novak write about “Pygmalion in the Classroom: Teacher Expectation and Pupils’ Intellectual Development.” The study, from 1968, was the first study on teacher expectations. Results were that students randomly placed in a “high” group had larger gains than a similar group of control students. The difference? Teachers were told that the “high” group scored higher on one test of academic potential. Jo Boaler has found similar results with students in math (Mathematical Mindsets).

Beliefs matter.

“Sometimes the biggest barrier to achieving expert learning
is our expectations-or the expectations students have of themselves.”
~Posey and Novak

Unlearning provides a number of tools to support designing learning experiences for the unique and variable learners we work with. And more importantly, Unlearning provides the tools for teachers to examine their beliefs about teaching and learning. First, a teacher must understand that every learner has strengths and weaknesses, and that these are based on context. Second, a teacher has to see the impact of designing learning experiences that expect and respect the variable experiences and strengths students bring to the experience. You have to see it to believe it. Ideally a teacher does this as a part of a team, to reflect on practice, give each other feedback, and support each other through change. Third, beliefs change and the practice of designing for variability becomes a habit.

Some of the beliefs teachers reflect on include:

• “I believe every individual can learn.
• I believe how we set expectations influences learner outcomes.
• I believe all learners can benefit from flexible learning pathways.”

Unlearning lists a number of other important reflection points.

By using UDL to design instruction, teachers and students come to understand, expect, and embrace that each of us has a different learner profile. Every learner can be successful when the goal of learning is clear and relevant and when students are empowered to make choices and reflect on choices. I encourage readers to learn more about UDL and look forward to hearing feedback from your experiences, the engagement and excitement your students have as they become expert learners.

Resources:
Unlearning: Changing Your Beliefs and Your Classroom with UDL
The Opportunity Myth
Pygmalion in the Classroom: Teacher Expectation and Pupils’ Intellectual Development, Rosenthal & Jacobson
Mathematical Mindsets