With students entering our classrooms with increasingly diverse stories, backgrounds and learning profiles, the ongoing work of building inclusive learning spaces becomes increasingly difficult. To make sure that all students feel known, supported and set up for success, schools and teachers are compelled to grow and diversify their toolbox of instructional practices and strategies.
Unfortunately, some educators consider it “extra work” to implement those strategies or accommodations for certain students, particularly those with learning differences. Others might see these accommodations as cutting corners for students or “cheating.” Both of these approaches impede the effective implementation of equity practices that ensure the success of all students.
One way to counteract these mindsets is to provide windows into the lives of students who may have different identities and backgrounds from their teachers or from the majority of the school community. While it is impossible to fully understand the experiences of another person, a variety of simulations and resources can be used to help cultivate educators’ empathy.
A recent CNN article explains how developer Victor Widell used code to create scrambled text that, when read, simulates the experience of reading felt by many people with dyslexia. While there are different forms of dyslexia, the experience for those who don’t have it and try to read the scrambled text is powerful. When our faculty reviewed this article, many of them expressed their frustration with trying to read the jumbled words, and they could better appreciate how hard students with any form of dyslexia must work compared to their peers. Moreover, my colleagues realized that, while most students with dyslexia need extra time to read, some might not take that time because the act of reading is so draining and exhausting.
Another simulation I’ve participated in had faculty take on the roles of students in a mock lecture class. Each faculty member was randomly assigned a different learning profile to give them a window into the learner’s experience during class. One profile required “students” to wait eight seconds after a teacher asked a question before raising their hands, simulating slower processing speeds. Another profile had students write with their non-dominant hands to simulate dysgraphia, a condition that causes trouble with writing.
In another activity, students had to pick a card from an envelope every time the PowerPoint slide changed. Each card described an attention-drawing task for the student to do, such as count the number of boys in the classroom or find all the students with a blue shirt. To top it off, one student received all the answers to quiz questions ahead of time. In a 25-minute class, frustrations mounted as participants found their attention pulled in multiple directions and their patience tested as they had to exert extra effort to learn. In the debrief, the group agreed that having to watch a student with all the answers get called on constantly was particularly frustrating and caused anxiety in the mock classroom.
The reality is that none of these simulations can ever provide teachers with the full experiences students face on a daily basis. However, the simulations do foster empathy that can lead teachers to reflect more on their own instructional practices. Understanding that instances of perceived lack of effort may actually be the opposite can be transformative for an educator—and a classroom!—when the educator no longer sees giving certain students extra support as either a burden or an unfair advantage. These efforts, instead, become essential to making an inclusive classroom and committing to help all students thrive.
Editor’s note: This blog centers on using simulations with educators, but special care should be taken when using simulations with students. Simulations can trigger memories of humiliation or trauma, and can be emotionally harmful if not done properly.
Bhat is the head of the middle school at St. Anne's Episcopal School in Denver, Colorado, where he also co-chairs the school's Multiculturalism and Inclusion Committee.
