Our students need self-advocacy skills to succeed in all areas of their lives!
Lesson Design and Audience: This website provides lesson plans to support the development of self-advocacy skills in high school students with learning disabilities. Many of the activities in these lesson plans are research based and specifically designed to support students in British Columbia, Canada. They can be adapted to meet the needs of teachers and students in other areas around the world.
These lessons are arranged sequentially and include suggestions for using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Additionally, each lesson includes two strategies for incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing and learning.
An Important Note on the Inclusion of Strategies for Supporting Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Learning: Many Canadian educators are endeavouring to be more inclusive of First Peoples’ knowledge and perspectives in their curriculum. This includes using strategies that better support Indigenous learners. While attempts have been made in these lessons to include two culturally-relevant instructional strategies, more research and collaboration are needed with Indigenous peoples to further develop best practices in self-advocacy instruction and education.
In every lesson, the following strategies are suggested:
Acknowledging Territory: Educators can acknowledge that learning is taking place on the territory of a local first nation(s). An example of territory acknowledgement can be found on the School District #48 website called Our Territories. This acknowledgement can be done in a circle process.
Circle Process: Circles are commonly used in many Indigenous cultures and can be used to facilitate dialogue and support belonging. Additionally, circles and other proactive restorative practices have been used successfully in schools to develop social skills, improve connection, and support social-emotional learning. The use of circles can assist Indigenous learners improve their sense of belonging and build connections among all participants. More information on the educational use of circles in education can be found here.
It should be noted that some circle processes have been co-constructed by schools and local Indigenous groups. For example, School District #48 teachers have partnered with Well-Ahead and co-constructed a “circle process” with Indigenous partners, knowledge keepers, and teachers. Further information on this initiative can be found on the Well-Ahead site. Learn Alberta has developed a resource called ‘Talking Together,” which aims to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives in curriculum. It includes a resource called Talking Circles.
How do I Begin? Please visit the Lesson Administration Guide (Read First) to access the lessons. Many of the lessons can also be supplemented with multimedia videos which can be found in the Self-Advocacy: Learning Modules.
Want to share your comments and thoughts on the lessons? Each lesson has a comment section enabled for educators to comment and share ideas. Please feel welcome to register with the site, comment on the lessons, and share your experiences with using the materials.
Self-Advocacy in High School 