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

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 shared 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 explored 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 shared the process for developing a pedagogical approach to developing academic literacies and skills in a neurodiverse enabling education classroom. It demonstrated how understanding neurodivergent literacies can be used to unmask and develop academic literacies beyond neurotypical conceptions. Additionally, this presentation offered educators approaches to embracing “the Brainbow” (Jones 2023) of neurodiversity and offered a teaching toolkit for inclusive practice.

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. 

(September 2024)

ADCET is hosted by the University of Tasmania