Episode 58: A New Vision for Rigorous Classrooms

“Today’s episode argues that traditional notions of rigor in education often exclude students with diverse learning styles, particularly autistic students, Long-Term English Learners, and Gestalt Language Processors. Dr. Jaime Hoerricks challenges the idea that high-stakes testing and fast-paced lessons are effective in fostering deep learning and instead advocates for a new vision of rigor that prioritises accessibility, emotional safety, and meaningful engagement. They propose strategies such as breaking down tasks into smaller steps, using visual aids and multimodal instruction, and incorporating culturally relevant examples to make learning more accessible and engaging for all students. Dr. Hoerricks emphasises the importance of lowering the affective filter, which is the emotional barrier to learning, to create an environment where students feel safe to take risks and embrace challenges. Their personal experiences as an autistic student and a teacher provide a powerful perspective on the need to redefine rigor in education.”

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/rethinking-rigor-creating-autistic

Let me know what you think.