Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom

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Past Workshops:

  • Practice What We Preach
  • Language and Power
  • Tell Your Race Story
  • Building Bridges
     

    Student/Faculty Dialogues: Building Bridges. Wednesday, February 22, 2017

    今天，我很荣幸地会见了几位玛丽维尔多元文化学者. 8名学生和11名教师在甘德大厅会面，讨论学生对玛丽维尔教室多样性和包容性的看法, they came for free lunch).

    An eye-opening experience
    首先，杰西·卡瓦德洛让主页分成两组:一组是教师组，一组是学生组. We were asked the question, “你认为学生在课堂上需要什么多样性和包容性??” The faculty group developed a list that included:
    • Relatable cultural inclusivity examples
    •一个安全的空间，让学生感到舒适地接触到自己文化群体之外的人
    • Support to underrepresented students so they feel they have a voice

    在主页回到一个教师和学生穿插的大小组后，学生们与老师们分享了他们的名单.

    In describing their needs, the student list was not only more extensive, 但他们的建议反映了多年来在这个问题上的经验和智慧.

    The student list
    •在你的课堂上包括来自世界各地的时事，无论你所在的地区如何
    • Do not simply stick with the syllabus
    • Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
    •告知并准备好自己作为一名教师，就当前事件进行具有挑战性的对话
    • Challenge students directly when something rude or incorrect is said
    • Get past surface level conversation
    • Provide allyship to students who are the underrepresented
    •在那一刻给予支持，而不仅仅是在电子邮件中或课后靠边
    • Establish a “brave” space

    To summarize this list, students are looking for more authentic relationships with their professors including support. They hope that their professors will form more authentic relationships with world events, and incorporate conversations and assignments about those events into their classroom.

    Tools
    After the lists were shared, 学生们就如何提供他们所寻求的支持提出了建议. 有些是他们经历过的教学方式，有些是有用的想法:
    1. Set the tone in class on the first day. Decide as a class what is acceptable and unacceptable language and behavior.

    2. 在为你的课堂建立基调的同时，宣布你的课堂是一个 “brave space” rather than a “safe space.” 你班上的每个人都会在生活中的某个时刻感到不舒服, 你的课堂将为你的学生提供一个机会，让他们在一个支持的环境中整理这些感受.

    3. Uncomfortable is not the same as “unsafe.”

    4. Professors should be prepared to correct rude, discriminatory, and factually incorrect comments in class. 这种方法与主页校长Dr. Mark Lombardi:
    “… I can assure our international students, Muslim students, Jewish and Christian students and all others regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, 等等，玛丽维尔将是一个安全可靠的地方，可以表达你的观点，过你的生活. 主页不会容忍任何企图违反这一原则的人，他们的言行显然是为了贬低或恐吓人们的身份和人性. Should you believe that such intimidation is occurring, please contact the multitude of resources available to you in Student Life, Academic Success and Academic Affairs including, but not limited to, our Office of Diversity and Inclusion, 主页的国际学生服务中心和公民参与与民主中心等等.”

    5. 当玛丽维尔以外的事情直接影响到他们的文化或种族群体时(例如:对穆斯林国家公民的旅行禁令)，学生希望得到教授的支持。. Breaking the ice, 把大象带出房间，为那些可能因特定事件而担心自己安全的学生提供了一种支持感.

    6. 而学生们并不想成为他们特定种族的“代表”, cultural, or religious group, the students agreed that acknowledgement is support. Remember that acknowledging that a student may be the “only” privately is generally considered supportive, not “singling out.”

    7. Encourage all students to prepare themselves on controversial issues before class time 因此，在这个话题上受过更多教育的学生不会一直试图教其他学生.

    8. 当进行对学生和/或教师来说似乎具有挑战性的对话时， deal in facts. 为情感提供空间和时间，但为了对话，把两者分开. 给学生提供可以从不同角度解释当前事件的背景和例子(例如:用电子游戏类比来解释系统性的种族主义——白人男性是最低难度的设置)。

    9. 如果你知道你将要讨论的话题可能是针对某个特定群体的(例如:平权法案和非裔美国学生), pull the student(s) in your class aside who may be underrepresented, and let them know that this may come up.

    10. 当被问及因为学生的肤色而接近他们是否会被认为是麻木不仁时, the answer was, “除非这是你和那个学生的第一次或唯一一次互动. Establish trust with all students in your class first, 学生们也会感激有机会为课堂上可能出现的尴尬对话做准备.”

    11. Diversity and Inclusion is for everyone; being surrounded by a diverse student body is one of the perks of going to college! Encourage your students to attend Diversity and Inclusion events so they can take advantage of the college experience. 这句话似乎超出了你的预期范围:“我怎么知道发生了什么事?? Student Engagement is not my responsibility.“如果学生对自己的多元化和包容性教育负责，教师们害怕在课堂上进行的不舒服的谈话就会减少到最低限度。. Perhaps you can offer extra credit for students who organize an outing, or announce campus events at the beginning of class.

    教师小组指出，失去对教室的控制，说一些冒犯或错误的话是非常真实的恐惧. “这是主页可能对一个问题保持沉默的原因之一，”一位教员指出. 另一位教职员工指出，在当前的政治话题中，她非常情绪化, that she could not imagine opening up the door for the conversation. The students were understanding but not sympathetic. They feel that silence and avoidance are the same as lack of support. 我把他们的话理解为:教师仍然是教室里的权威人物, 主页有责任找出有意义地整合和讨论世界事件的方法. Avoiding topics should not be an option.

    The students during the “Faculty/Student Dialogues: Building Bridges” were so impressive and open; the faculty members were entirely engaged and ready to learn what these young people wanted to share.

    Additional Reading:
    • http://www.tolerance.org/article/racism-and-white-privilege
    • http://www.tolerance.org/blog/when-educators-understand-race-and-racism
    • http://www.intergroupresources.com/rc/Definitions%20of%20Racism.pdf
    • http://www.ajeforum.com/the-difference-between-educational-equality-equityand-justice-and-why-it-matters-by-joseph-levitan/
    • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-owens/4-problematic-statements-whitepeople-make-about-race_b_9212864.html
    • http://www.debbyirving.com/the-book/ (the CTL will reimburse you for this
    book)

  • Diversity and Inclusion Task Force sessions
     
    Learn More
  • REAL 2018
  • Perspectives Week 2018