ADCET Webinar: Unmasking literacies - A model for developing academic literacy in the neurodiverse enabling classroom

Thu 5 Sep 2024 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm AEST

Online

Event details

Pre-university enabling programs (also known as bridging or pathway programs) are part of a widening participation strategy in higher education to provide people from under-represented backgrounds entry to university. Their goal is to develop students’ academic literacy and efficacy for a smooth transition to undergraduate studies.

Typically, the enabling student cohort is diverse in age; a history of disrupted or negative educational experiences; often first-in-family to attend university and/or from low socio-economic backgrounds (Lisciandro & Gibbs, 2016). Enabling students also often commence their educational journey with mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression (Crawford & Johns, 2018), and the disclosure of neurodivergence is now growing within the cohort (Jones, 2023).

This presentation shares a nuanced understanding of literacy to transform learning in the neurodiverse classroom, acknowledging that ‘people make meanings around literacies in different ways’ (Bailey, 2023). It explores critical approaches to new literacy studies, with a particular focus on the importance of neurodivergent literacies.

Bailey argues that “neurodivergent literacies, as a conjunction of the ideological model of literacy and the concept of neurodiversity, provides literacy researchers and practitioners with another lens on social justice” (2023, p.122). Informed by Bailey’s research and using an action research methodology, this presentation shares the process for developing a pedagogical approach to developing academic literacies and skills in a neurodiverse enabling education classroom. It demonstrates how understanding neurodivergent literacies can be used to unmask and develop academic literacies beyond neurotypical conceptions. Additionally, this presentation offers educators approaches to embracing “the Brainbow” (Jones 2023) of neurodiversity and offers a teaching toolkit for inclusive practice.

Audience: Inclusive practitioners, enabling educators, teachers, academics

Presenter

Dr Angela Jones is a Senior Lecturer Access and Equity and Course Coordinator of the UniPrep enabling program at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia and Executive member of the NAEEA. Angela has designed, delivered enabling curriculum across as suite of Access Programs at ECU and Murdoch University since 2014. Her focus is on social justice education and creating inclusive educational experiences that enable students to flourish. 

The webinar is free to attend, and it will be live-captioned.

Registrations for this webinar are now open

ADCET is hosted by the University of Tasmania

Contact details

Event website
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s7CIREG4Svu0gEvS3HlzLA

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