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Pedagogical Stance: Critical Inclusivity

As a special educator, I commit to a stance of Critical Inclusivity.

This translates into rejecting "bell curve thinking" and questioning the very concept of 'normal'. 

To value difference rather than fear it. 

My work is a "project not of assimilation, but of transformation." (Oyler, 24)

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The Neurodiversity Philosophy & Movement

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Why?

There is No Wrong Way to Have a Body or a Brain

"Neurodiversity as a philosophy and as a movement advocates for acceptance of all types of people's brains and minds as valuable and worthy. And it does not mean contrary to many people's misconceptions of neurodiversity that we accept that all people's brains are always good and fun, because there are many ways that people's brains work that might be distressing or painful or frustrating...and to talk about accepting people for who they are, does not mean depriving or denying people of access to supports and accommodation and in ways that make sense for them and what they want." Lydia X.Z.Brown 17:17:21

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Each Human Being is on their Own Journey.

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 Why?

This Understanding Builds the Respect and Empathy that Guides My Teaching. 

“We cannot correct historic oppressions and structural inequality that has occurred to all the bodies of the people who come into our classroom. (We) can’t fix the history of those, the legacy of that, the trauma of that, but we can start to unwind some of it by the very questions we ask.” Celia Oyler, 2017, 4:05 

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Building Internal Goodness

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 Why?

It is the Way to Build Alternate Decision Making Skills and Change Outcomes.

“In this time when we think a lot about resistance to accountability movements and resistance to authoritarian state structures, resistance to white supremacy, we have to think about not just resisting the outside badness but building the inside alternative goodness that are very building of alternative ways of making decisions. Alternative ways of valuing human difference. It is constructive resistance that changes the outcome for all people involved.” Celia Oyler, 2017, 6:03

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Man Reaching Star

Neurodiversity philosophy and movement.

The instant we accept the inherent value of human difference, it becomes abundantly clear that teaching tools like UDL, Assistive Technology, Accommodations and Compensation are not only buzzwords but essential to the practice of teaching and learning. 

The value of community building, cultural reciprocity and a constructivist approach become essential to the existence of an honest classroom. 

In Self Practice:

 

Commitment to Critical Inclusivity by always supporting a neurodiversity philosophy in my approach to students, peers and all people. 

Every person is on their own journey.

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Understand this at a fundamental level, I am here to ensure my students

have every support to be their best selves.

In Self Practice:

 

Keeping up with research and understanding and asking questions about where certain teaching methodologies originated.

I chose to create a digital resource to track the history of, and understand what Autism means. This is a highly relevant subject for all educators looking to create critically inclusive classrooms. 

Commitment to SEL and Mindfulness practices.

 

Building resilience and fortitude both in ourselves and our students.

Constructivist resistance results in students who can make decisions that consider the collective and focus on how to reduce harm in the choices they make. An outcome of internal resilience and fortitude leading to becoming responsible, mindful and productive citizens of the world.  

 

This comes from providing our children with not only an education in academics, but also an education in social and emotional skill development. 


This work only comes from BOTH knowing how to mediate conflict as a collective part of society, and being able to regulate our individual emotions when faced with conflict. Understanding that the individual cannot exist without the collective and vice a versa. 

This work is complex and is influenced by many factors, such as, the society we live in, where we come from and what we intrinsically believe.
If the end goal is to be able to have meaningful relationships and lives that are identified by empathy, ability to manage anger and problem solve, then we must see the value in both the socio-emotional and contemplative practices. 

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In Self Practice & Classroom Practice:

Oyler, C. (2017, October 22). Dr. Celia Oyler on Critical Inclusivity. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0dyvAby9S4&feature=youtu.be
Oyler, C. (2020). Ch. 2: Inclusive Practices in Schools. In 1120093013 845684074 A. Howley (Author), Inclusive education: A systematic perspective (pp. 21-38). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Brown, L. X. (2020, September 02). Autistic Self-Advocacy, Neurodiversity, and Disability Culture. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from https://disabilitystudies.nyu.edu/event/autistic-self-advocacy-neurodiversity-and-disability-culture/
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