Episode 4: Trees and UDL Part One

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SPEAKERS

Teresa Lee, Deb Matthews

Teresa Lee  00:05

Welcome to the UDL Conversation Cafe, Universal Design for Learning podcasts where we hear from people who are designing and implementing strategies with the diverse needs of learners in mind. I'm your host, Teresa Lee. In the last episode we learned from Centennial faculty members and a graduate a number of UDL approaches to make teaching and learning more fun. This episode is the first of four mini episodes where Centennial College faculty Deb Matthews takes us through the importance of UDL and explores each of the three principles of UDL, through an understanding of the uniqueness of trees, and our relationships with our environments, that highlights the benefits we gained by creating rich, diverse educational ecosystems, much in the same way our world creates rich, diverse natural ecosystems. Deb Matthews is a professor in the Child and Youth Care Practitioner program at Centennial College. Deb is a proud graduate of the Centennial College Childcare Worker program, and holds a master's degree in education, an undergraduate degree in Child and Youth Care from Ryerson University. Deb works to promote wellbeing and looks for every opportunity to explore our relationship with nature.

Deb Matthews  01:39

Hi, everyone, welcome to Trees and Universal Design for Learning. My name is Deb Matthews. And today we're going to talk about how understanding trees will help us to understand Universal Design for Learning. And so I wanted to start off by maybe sharing a little bit about where I am today. So I'm currently sitting in my front yard, and I'm looking around me, and there are a lot of trees, I've got tall trees and short trees, and trees that are really bunched up close with other trees. And the really cool thing is, I can't see any two trees that look exactly the same. There are a couple of trees that are the same, I guess type of tree, they'd have the same name, you know, maybe birch tree, I can see a couple of birch trees right there. And although they have the same name, they don't really look anything alike. You know, there's some similarity in the bark, but they're different heights, and definitely different sizes. And so when I look around at trees, what I realize is, even though we call them trees, there really aren't any two trees that are the same. And so we're going to use that concept of trees as a foundation to really understand Universal Design for Learning. So what we're going to think about is, imagine if you were asked to pick the perfect tree, you know, the best tree, the perfect type of tree that you would want to have everywhere. I struggle to think that any one of us could say that there is one perfect tree, we might see a particularly pretty tree, I mean I I can see I have a couple of nice big apple trees that are in flower right now. And not only do they look beautiful, absolutely gorgeous, with big, soft pink flowers, but they are abuzz with bees right now that are just feeding on that generous nectar. And I see Orioles at the top of the tree. And I haven't quite figured out if they're hopping down and drinking some of the nectar, which is my guess, or maybe feeding on some of the little bugs that are also getting nourished from the tree. But regardless, what I realize is that there are just so many different trees here. So if we were trying to pick the perfect tree, I don't think I could say my apple tree is perfect. It's gorgeous right now, and it's going to produce fruit later. And I love the big juicy apple macintosh apples I get from that tree. But I only get a handful because it also feeds the squirrels and helps to replenish all the soil underneath the tree. But I also really enjoy the shade of the big oak tree I can see off to my left. And so if someone asked me to pick the perfect tree, I'm not sure I could really do that. And I suspect that most of us are the same. So imagine for a moment, if we did focus all of our energy on growing just one type of tree. If we just fed and nourished what we consider to be the perfect tree. I think most of us realize it wouldn't work. We know in fact that we need a diverse ecosystem to really create the magic of our planet. We know that each of the trees serves a purpose and in fact, the trees are what feed the bees and the squirrels and, and create that richness of diversity. And so, you know, good gardeners will say the more variety you have, the richer the soil, the better the air, you know, so many benefits from diversity in our ecosystems. And so we're going to use that concept of diversity and ecosystems and the uniqueness of all of these trees as a foundation to better understand universal design. So universal design is really about optimizing learning in a way that it's going to meet everyone's needs. So for newbies, when you read about universal design, what you're going to read is that that's pretty much what everyone says. They say, we're trying to optimize learning for everyone that's in your learning ecosystem. And for our UDL junkies, you're going to realize that as you start to dig into UDL, what you understand is that there are just so many opportunities to embrace that diversity in our educational ecosystems. So really, this podcast is for everyone. So hopefully, when we finish today, what you'll, what you'll have is a richer understanding of how UDL not only fits in our learning environments, but in fact, is absolutely required if we're going to have those rich, nutritious, diverse educational ecosystems.  Okay, so when we think about universal design, what we're really talking about is having multiple ways for students to really engage with the information. And I'm going to make a comparison to these gorgeous trees I can see in front of me. You know, I've got some trees that are tucked in beautifully under other trees, because they need a bit of shade. But I have other trees that are just tall, as though they're reaching up to try and grab the sun. And so the trees that I can see in front of me have multiple ways of engaging with light. You know, they don't all do that, in the same way, in exactly the same way that our students don't engage with the learning in exactly the same way. Next, perceiving. So we need multiple ways for our students to perceive what they're experiencing, and really, our trees are the same. So I was reading this really cool article out of the Smithsonian Magazine, and they were talking about how trees communicate. And I've heard this before, but it was so interesting for me to kind of reread and rethink about that information in the context of an educational experience. And what we realize is that trees are communal, they actually form alliances, right, so they work cooperatively they share communication, and they share intelligence. And so in the same way that trees, you know, sort of perceive the world in different ways, some of them will experience information on their leaves, you know, they take the knowledge from the air of when is the perfect time to come into bud and start producing leaves and, and working on production of fruit. And others will draw that knowledge through the incredible structure of root system underground, communicating with each other, and, and being aware of potential threats in their environment. You know, is there an infestation of bugs this year that everybody kind of needs a heads up about? So we know that trees perceive the world around them in different ways in exactly the same way our students do, they all will experience that information that we're sharing together in different ways. And then finally, you know, in the same way, again, I go back to my fruit tree because it's magical right now. But in the same way that that fruit, that tree is going to produce fruit as a way of expressing its place, its gift to us. You know, I have other trees that will produce nuts, and some will produce these massive branches that provide shade and just gift us with cool summer days under a tree. And so in the same way, our trees express themselves differently. So in fact, do our students, and they need multiple ways to be able to communicate what they've learned and what they've experienced in those, those learning environments. So, when you think about trees, when you think about the richness that we all enjoy, when we have the privilege of walking through a nice cool forest, and seeing and smelling and hearing all of the different experiences that a unique blend of tree trees bring, that is the same experience that we have collectively, when each of our students in our classroom has the opportunity to engage, perceive and express in their own unique ways, which means we are not trying to grow the perfect student, we are not trying to grow a typical student, we in fact, are collectively creating a rich, diverse ecosystem of learning that provides opportunities for every student to feel they are in the right place, they belong, and this learning is going to work for them. And that's the magic of understanding trees. I think when we look at trees, we intuitively know that we need all of them, they all have a purpose. And we've seen the benefits of trees, that, that support our our ecosystem. When we wrap our head around trees, and UDL, what we realize, it's a game changer, is that when each of your students knows that they can be fully productive, they can be fully immersed in your educational ecosystem, in our educational ecosystem. What those students bring to that is their own communication support ideas, their wisdom, their knowledge, becomes part of the rich ecosystem of learning.  And so, as you think about that interconnection, of trees, you know, think about all those roots underground, and how they all spread out, some dig really deep, so that they can draw water, some spread out wide. But what we know, and that was the gift of my Smithsonian Magazine read, what we know is, in fact, those trees are communicating with each other, all of those roots stretch out, they stretch out to feed students, and they stretch out to communicate. And what happens is, in fact, our students do the same. When we create a rich, diverse learning ecosystem, our students reach out, they communicate, they share, they support, and they work together. And in fact, when that begins to happen, everyone does better. So not only does that individual student begin to experience or continue to experience the richness of great learning, everyone does that together. And so I'd encourage all of us the next time you're out for a walk, look at that tree. And just imagine the ways in which you can create the same opportunities to thrive, that we know are critical. When we're thinking about trees. They're just as important when we're thinking about our students. So hopefully, you will join us next time for the next podcast in this series. And you, when you, when you're out for a walk and you see a tree, you will think UDL. Have a great day.

Teresa Lee  13:22

Thank you for joining our UDL Conversation Cafe. Are you with Centennial faculty or staff? If you would like to join the host of our podcast episodes and other colleagues from the college for a deeper and live conversation on UDL, join us at UDL Conversation Cafe monthly virtual circles. Find more information in the COLT calendar, or the upcoming World Compendium. We invite you to listen and subscribe to the Centennial College podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

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