Answer to Question #292454 in Philosophy for sbaa

Question

Explain five (5) aspects which neurodiversity focuses on when applied to

education.

Answer 1

Neurodiversity is a viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits. Neurodiverse people experience, interact with and interpret the world in unique ways. This concept can help reduce stigma around learning and thinking differences.

Neurodiversity focuses on the following five aspects;

a) Having a psychologically safe classroom. A psychologically safe classroom is an environment in which students don’t worry about looking stupid if something doesn’t make sense to them or have to ask questions for clarification. Research shows that students in psychologically safe classroom environments reported greater self-confidence and well-being. This should be the number one priority for educators, as it means removing barriers to participation and learning for neurodivergent students. 

b) Presenting information in small chunks.  it has many benefits:

• It allows students to make connections in their learning
• It allows students to make steady progress
• It allows students to understand why each step is important
• It allows teachers to assess student progress more quickly
• It makes the task more manageable

c) Diversifying your teaching strategies

To make lessons more accessible to neurodivergent students, teachers need to consider utilizing different teaching and learning methods in the classroom. This is because different students will respond to different strategies, depending on how they think and process information.

d) Familiarising yourself with their strengths and weaknesses

Every student has their strengths and weaknesses, and this is the same for neurodivergent students. Research shows that neurodivergent students typically thrive in more creative subjects, but struggle with assessments on the core subjects of Science, English, and Mathematics. On the other hand, students with autism are great with detail and patterns and link things in a way that neurotypical people do not. Therefore, although they’re solving a problem in an unconventional way, that’s not to say their method is any less effective.

e) Having high expectations

It’s also important that teachers make their expectations for the lesson as clear as possible as this consistency and clarity will help those students that struggle with change, pay attention, or need a sense of routine.