Fostering Neurodivergent Learners’ Growth

Will Hennessy shares about fostering neurodivergent learners’ growth on episode 499 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, internal and external tics that occur repeatedly in the same way. OCD is a neurological disorder that causes problems with information processing.
-Will Hennessy

I honestly thought that I just wasn’t as smart as my peers, that I just needed to try harder, or that one day, I guess, it would just kinda all click in my brain. Now, obviously, I know that’s not the case now, but that’s kind of where I was at.
-Will Hennessy

I want to create inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent learners and introverts, students like me.
-Will Hennessy

Structure is incredibly important for neurodivergent learners. Even though we’re implementing flexibility and choice, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be a free for all where students can just do whatever they want, that could actually hinder learning.
-Will Hennessy

Neurodivergent learners need structure. All learners need need structure.
-Will Hennessy

• Episode 493 with Maha Bali: Openness as a Way of Being
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Sarah Silverman’s Workshops
• Liz Norell
• TILT Framework
• Michelle Pacansky-Brock
• Remi Kalir on Annotating Your Syllabus
• Good Omens Scene: Crowley Tells His Plants to Grow Better
• The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony with Your Brain, by Todd Zakrajsek