Category: Week 8 – Inclusive Pedagogy

Safety and Bravery

I found the chapter  “From Safe Places to Brave Spaces” by Arao and Clemens (2013) to be insightful and thought provoking. This chapter explores the idea that the relatively recent trend toward creating and promoting environments that are comfortable and open to all viewpoints falls short of the need to create environments that promote an openness to vulnerability, discomfort, and appropriate confrontation. While much of this resonates with me (and I see the authors’ points about the shortcomings of “safe spaces,” I also find elements of the “brave space” model to be potentially problematic as well.

One such problem is that not everyone will desire or be ready to participate in a brave space. The authors do address this issue and note that allowing participants to opt out of emotionally difficult conversations may simply allow certain harmful viewpoints to continue without being addressed as such. On the other hand, not everyone is ready to be brave, and I don’t believe that it is usually effective to attempt to force bravery on someone. Some are ready to step out of their comfort zones. Some may need to but are not yet (or maybe ever) willing to do so.

Others may be tired of being brave. In the example given of the group of resident assistants in the “One Step Forward, One Step Backward activity”, we see the resentment and pain that can come from being (or feeling) forced into a situation (yet another) that requires an unchosen confrontation with issues of privilege and discrimination. In this situation, could forced bravery even be considered as retraumatizing?

Despite some possible difficulties with the “brave space” model such as the one referenced above, I certainly do not believe that avoiding these situations and conversations is the answer.  As I initially read I began to wonder whether some type of informed consent process might be a possible solution (or at least a help) to this. Would letting the participants know that they would be challenged in certain ways and encouraged to do their best to participate despite the likelihood of discomfort allow them to engage more fully without defensiveness, retraumatization, etc.? Sure enough, the authors address this very matter stating, “By revising our framework to emphasize the need for courage rather than the illusion of safety, we better position  ourselves  to  accomplish  our  learning  goals  and  more  accurately reflect the nature of genuine dialogue regarding these challenging and controversial topics” (Arao and Clemens, 2013). They go on to note that using the language of “brave space” can help to adjust expectations and serve as an indication that preparation for difficult conversations should begin.

At this point in time, my view is that there is value in brave spaces and value in safe spaces. Maybe there is a time and a place for each, or maybe they simply each have their benefits and shortcomings no matter what the context. Regardless, the consideration of how to create better environments in which these issues can be addressed is essential and adding the idea of “brave spaces” to our vocabulary is a step in the right direction.

Reference

Arao, B., & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces. The art of effective facilitation: Reflections from social justice educators, 135-150.

Implicit Biasses and Inclusive Pedagogy

Until recently, most of my thoughts associated with teaching concerned “what” I am going to teach, I had never consciously thought about “whom” I am going to address. After reading this week’s literatures, I found this blind spot in myself. I had never before reflected upon this fact, that in a classroom, one addresses diverse group of individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, races and religions; that, everyone may not have similar reaction to the teaching practices and discussions; and that just by being aware of this diversity, we can have more inclusive pedagogical practices.

I would like to mention a couple of instances from the scale-up introductory Physics class that I TA for, that made me consciously think about my own implicit biasses:

This is the discussion-based class where we have students sitting in groups in round tables. While grading the free-response questions for their first exam, we found that the group of international students in the class did not perform as good as the rest of the class, in fact their average score was significantly lower that the rest of the class. This reflected poorly on the instructors as well as the TA’s. So the first step for us was to identify the problem. We immediately inferred that language-barrier was one of the major issues that could have led to this disparity. The students chose their own sitting arrangement on the first couple of days of class. One of the corner tables is occupied by 90% international/ non-English speaking students. So, while in-class discussion goes on in each table, this corner table is one of the last that we cover and hence they always get a little less time to interact with us. Except for one or two who are confident English speakers, most of them barely ever participated in discussion. Since then, we have modified our approach to be more inclusive. Having recognized that these students need more attention, we spend more time on their table, we urge them to take part in the discussions. We specifically ask them to come to office hours and recitations where we can spend more time on them individually. The ones among them who are faster at understanding and more confident, we encourage them to help and explain to their friends in their own language.

Upon reflection, I also realized that I would unconsciously tend to interact more with those students who are already eager and enthusiastic to discuss their answer and thoughts. Similar bias creeps up when I grade their homework. I would tend to be more lenient or more carefully grade the students who are visibly putting an effort and are eager to perform better. However unintentional and natural this behavioral trend may be, I realized this doesn’t serve the goal of being an effective TA. I have since been making a conscious effort to work on these biasses. Now I make sure not to look the names of the students when I am grading. Also, in class I would go and talk the less interactive students sometimes forcing them out of their comfort zone. However, it is surprising to see how these little acts of encouragement have improved some of their performances!

Human brain is not perfect and I am sure there are many more such hidden unconscious biasses within us. For me, the most important assignment from this week’s GEDI prompt was to self-reflect and recognize some of these biases, their origin and how they are affecting the people around us.


Fostering Community in the Classroom

The current shifts in the cultural sector toward social and racial equity have resulted in policy changes, developments in institutional language, funding structures, and a social momentum aimed at addressing inequality and systems of oppression. But these changes are not happening in a vacuum. We are in a moment of the resurgence of activism in the United States through groups like #Blacklivesmatter, DREAMERs, and the renaissance of activism happening on college campuses.

I am reminded of Kara Walker’s Sugar Sphinx “Subtlety”, this work that was so brilliantly critiquing racism. It was literally a monument —a giant sphinx with the head of “mammy,” naked and exposed, made entirely of sugar and molasses in the old Domino sugar factory in gentrifying Brooklyn. It was pushing the needle of commentary on the history of slavery as it related to the sugar trade and the vulnerability of black women’s bodies and on and on. Yet, I found myself in a room full of people with art history degrees who said it was perfectly valid for people to pose in sexually suggestive poses with it, lick it, and post it to Instagram. It was like they had no idea of the racist history Walker was engaging or how contemporary audiences were complicit in it.

As an arts administrator, I have sought out a variety of frameworks for thinking across cultural differences in order to foster a community of inclusion and engagement. While much of this research has been aimed at audience development and I feel in no-way that I have yet grasped an expertise in these areas. I have aimed to create a practice of approaching this work with an incisive mind, open heart and fearless gratitude when thinking of the challenges and extreme polarities we as a society are facing today. In the readings for this week I realized to what degree this research can also have impact in the classroom and I hope to bring these practices with me into the classroom.

A reading which was particularly inspiring was From Safe to Brave Spaces by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens for the ways it helped foster dialogue through reframing ground rules I have read and often felt put more onus on long time silenced and marginalized voices had to continue to interpret what was being expressed by those that herald more privilege. It provided me with language tools I can instill into classrooms that continue to focus on finding and expressing authenticity through respect, civility, and owning your intentions, as well as your impact.

John C Maxwell notes that “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” Statements uplifted such as these too often place unrealistic expectations on instructors and leaders to offer “answers”.  Instead I seek to offer complications, make gestures, and pose questions that lead to a more complex understanding of how inclusion should be carried out in cultural institutions and classrooms. This dialogue is rooted in the belief that this conversation is part of a continuum, and we are merely presenting a moment in that continuum.

We make better decisions when we approach our problems and challenges with questions (“What if we…?”) and curiosity. When we allow space for play, curiosity, and creative thinking. We must also in turn value listening to, and holding each other up, particularly the voices of those who are affected by systems of oppression. We can then take comfort in the fact that no single one of us knows everything, but together we hold immense knowledge, immense creativity, and immense potential.

Blog#3 Inclusive Pedagogy – It all starts in Kindergarten.

I love the timing of this week’s blog readings.  My faculty meeting on 3-6-19 centered on incorporating inclusive pedagogy to reach our students of color.  My faculty is all white ( I would love some diversity and I have personally tried to recruit teachers of color – this is my 2nd year at this school and there has been little turnover).  Our central office is also advocating for a more diverse group of educators as evidenced by an email stating this just last week.  I believe the first step in advancing inclusive pedagogy is to be self-aware as educators and this is what my meeting focused on.  In the Hidden Brain article, the author talks about the unconscious message we give to children.  Awareness is needed so we avoid this.  I’ve always been a believer in heterogenous groups and the research supports this type of grouping.  I was surprised about how MUCH of a difference a diverse group makes.  The statistic of $42 million increase in firm value related to female presence says it all.  Another article we read related having a sense of belonging to improve academic success.  As an educator, I definitely want all students to feel like they belong.  For my meeting, I presented the need and benefits of inclusivity, discussed strategies I had researched, and shared videos from some experts on the topic.  I also reached out to a  principal of color to get her advice.  She was positive about my plans and gave me some additional resources.  My staff was engaged during the meeting and receptive to the strategies.  My next step is to invite some guest speakers in to gain their insight.  I also plan on reaching out to a parent of color who has been an excellent role model for his son.    Here’s some of the items I shared with my staff:    Subgroup Focus: Strategies for teaching black students: The Right Mindset – believe in their ability to learn. Positive Racial Identity – books, video clips, people who have contributed, High Expectations, High support, Much Love Character Education, Social Justice (older.maybe), Learner of Culture Money – match to grades/working hard in school Video (5.23): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4vSsZYIOk Why Black Males are failing academically. Video (4.22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1POE0XHF7Ks Principal Kafele –Attitude of the Teacher – Favorite Quote – He who cannot dance will blame the drum. Video 19.11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc&t=122s

Why Black Males are failing academically. Video (4.22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1POE0XHF7Ks Principal Kafele –Attitude of the Teacher – Favorite Quote – He who cannot dance will blame the drum. Video 19.11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX78iKhInsc&t=122s

 

  

Social Diversity, Implicit Bias and Inclusive Pedagogy

I come from India which is home to people from different religions, cultures, race, ethnicity etc. There are around 1600 languages in India. It is hard to find another person with a similar set of thoughts, looks, language etc. in India. Even with so much of social diversity, there are instances of bias based on diversity everywhere all the time. I want to cite a few I have seen or heard in India since my childhood. It is common for men to do engineering in India and for women to become a doctor. One does not expect women to do civil engineering for example. One does not expect women to reach higher levels in a corporate job. Men in India feel women are meant to be housewives. This is obviously changing but is still prevalent.

One will think there won’t be any racial bias in India since we are all Brown. Well, you are wrong. It is very common for parents to find a relatively fair girl for their son for marriage. People in India mostly think that someone with relatively darker skin is not well off and not educated. Now, since we are talking about bias, it’s not limited to India. I think it has nothing to do with the country or place. It is prevalent everywhere around the world all the time. It has to do with the wiring in the Brain I think. Shankar beautifully describes the human mind having 2 modes – conscious (pilot) and unconscious (autopilot). The unconscious mind very quickly thinks of something and makes a judgment. It does not process the thought. For example – One does not see many women in an engineering college in India. So, the human mind thinks maybe women can’t do good in engineering.

Let us think of this in a classroom setting. Let us suppose you are an instructor and see two raised hands in the class. Instinctively, your mind chooses one of them. One does not think of it as bias at that time but it is biased in a way. If you allow a man before a woman or a white person over a black person, you are being biased. You also find biases when you are asked to make a group for a group project in a class. Most of the people look for known people or people with similar background. Why? Why does one do that? Because it is bound to happen. Because there is no perfect society. Until there is inequality across all the spheres in life, the bias will stay. Question is how to tackle it? How to counter them?

There are many strategies (Strategies). First of all, avoid assuming and judging on the basis of partial or no knowledge. It is better to know a new person or understand a new situation before making any comment or coming to a conclusion. In a classroom, it is better to know every student individually if possible.  It is important to give every student an equal chance and not let any bias come in mind while correcting exams or assignments. It is impossible to remove all the bias since some of it is related to the society in general but at least working on own biases is the first step. It is good to work in a diverse environment. A plus point of a diverse classroom is that it makes you more creative, hardworking and diligent. In a diverse setting, people are bound to work harder in solving problems in spite of differences. There is research backing this (Diversity Makes You Smarter). Do try the Implicit Bias Test. It is fun.

Were there any incidents involving biases in your life? Do you think biases are to stay forever? Do you think we can get away with them using some of the strategies? Let me know what you think.

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