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A collection of lesson plans from your community.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GHszJzGlHLj3vcp7kskKbaUf1G7kCF1LymyyDhLO3nw/edit?usp=sharing

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Community Builders to Humanize our Classrooms!

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Community Builders to Humanize our Classrooms!

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zpGfzVdNg-Zr1cgoo31Pmecgovy9QOm8UqiV4dYexV0/edit?usp=sharing

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Facing History and Ourselves Teaching Strategies 

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Facing History and Ourselves Teaching Strategies 

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Find compelling classroom resources, learn new teaching methods, meet standards, and make a difference in the lives of your students.

We are grateful to The Hammer Family Foundation for supporting the development of our on-demand learning and teaching resources.

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Find compelling classroom resources, learn new teaching methods, meet standards, and make a difference in the lives of your students. We are grateful to The Hammer Family Foundation for supporting the development of our on-demand learning and teaching resources.

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. We are here to provide tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation.

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Sesame Street: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

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Sesame Street: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

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Race, Ethnicity, and Culture - Sesame Workshop

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Explore free, bilingual resources on race, ethnicity, and culture that families can use to develop children's understanding, curiosity, resilience, and empathy.

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Pedagogías Críticas para la Enseñanza de Lenguas

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Pedagogías Críticas para la Enseñanza de Lenguas

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Presentamos aquí una colección de proyectos educativos que incluyen unidades didácticas y recursos basados en pedagogías críticas para la enseñanza de lenguas. Aquí encontrarás material didáctico como fuente abierta (open source) listo para ser utilizado. El material que aquí ofrecemos está centrado en el estudio de conceptos dentro de la sociolingüística crítica, específicamente dentro de las aproximaciones de Raciolingüística y la Lingüística Sociocultural en la investigación sobre las ideologías de la lengua. Hemos llamado a nuestra propia propuesta el acercamiento de literacidad lingüística sociocultural crítica (CriSoLL) por sus siglas en inglés.

This is a collection of educational projects that include didactic units and resources based on critical pedagogies designed for language teaching. Here you will find open-source didactic units ready to be used in the classroom. In addition, this material introduces students to a range of concepts in critical sociolinguistics, particularly within Raciolinguistics and Sociocultural Linguistics, about research about language ideologies. We have called our own proposal Critical Sociocultural Linguistic Literacy (CriSoLL).

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Pedagogías Críticas para la Enseñanza de Lenguas

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Presentamos aquí una colección de proyectos educativos que incluyen unidades didácticas y recursos basados en pedagogías críticas para la enseñanza de lenguas. Aquí encontrarás material didáctico como fuente abierta (open source) listo para ser utilizado. El material que aquí ofrecemos está centrado en el estudio de conceptos dentro de la sociolingüística crítica, específicamente dentro de las aproximaciones de Raciolingüística y la Lingüística Sociocultural en la investigación sobre las ideologías de la lengua. Hemos llamado a nuestra propia propuesta el acercamiento de literacidad lingüística sociocultural crítica (CriSoLL) por sus siglas en inglés.

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Native American Studies, Cambodian American Studies, Hmong History and Cultural Studies, and Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curricula for K-12 Schools

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Native American Studies, Cambodian American Studies, Hmong History and Cultural Studies, and Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curricula for K-12 Schools

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Note: The guidance herein is not binding on local educational agencies or other entities. Except for the statutes, regulations, and court decisions cited, the content is exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory. (See California Education Code sections 33540.2, 33540.4, 33540.6 and 51226.9)

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Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium 

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Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium 

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LIBERATED ETHNIC STUDIES MODEL CURRICULUM CONSORTIUM - LESMCC

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Ethnic Studies units will include lesson plans that center students in their self-identity. 1. cultivate empathy, community actualization, cultural perpetuity, self-worth, self-determination, and the holistic well-being of all participants, especially Native People/s and people of color;

​3. center and place high value on pre-colonial, ancestral, indigenous, diasporic, familial, and marginalized knowledge;

Students will explore and analyze systems of oppression to be able to imagine a better world.4. critique empire and its relationship to white supremacy, racism, patriarchy, cisheteropatriarchy, capitalism, ableism, anthropocentrism, and other forms of power and oppression at the intersections of our society;

​5. challenge imperialist/colonial hegemonic beliefs and practices on the ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized levels;
​

Solidarity-Transformative

Solidarity between the racialized ethnic groups and allies.
7. conceptualize, imagine, and build new possibilities for post-imperial life that promotes collective narratives of transformative resistance, critical hope, and radical healing.

Social Movements-Resistance

Students will learn the history of social movements in their communities, in California, the United States and Internationally.
6. connect ourselves to past and contemporary resistance movements that struggle for social justice on the global and local levels to ensure a truer democracy; ​
​

Stories- Community Narratives

​in the first person

The community and counter-narrative auto-ethnographical stories will be fostered as part of the LESMC.
2. celebrate and honor Native People/s of the land and communities of color by providing a space to share their stories of struggle and resistance, along with their intellectual and cultural wealth;

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LIBERATED ETHNIC STUDIES MODEL CURRICULUM CONSORTIUM - LESMCC

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​The LESMC purpose is to promote the advancement and implementation of well designed Ethnic Studies courses and programs for the purpose of advancing students' academic achievement, educational...

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The model curriculum was adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) on March 18, 2021.

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Honor Student Experience in your Classroom

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Preparing to Discuss Race in the Classroom

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Preparing to Discuss Race in the Classroom

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What feelings do I experience when we discuss the topic of race in class? What feelings do other students in my class experience?

How can we work together to create a brave, sensitive, and reflective learning community?

Students reflect on feelings around discussing race before working together to create a classroom contract to foster a brave, sensitive and reflective learning environment.

Students and educators bring personal experiences and feelings into discussions about race, particularly those who have been discriminated against on account of their skin colour. This lesson begins with a teacher-facing activity prompting the educator to reflect on their identity and feelings around race, so that they are aware of the perspective that they bring to the classroom and are mindful of creating space for the perspectives the students bring. The student-facing activities give students an opportunity to reflect on the emotions that they and their classmates feel when discussing race, and invite students to create a class contract to help ensure the classroom is a safe and supportive space.

1. Advance Independent Engagement Required
The first set of activities are designed for educators to complete independently before the lesson begins.

2. Classroom-ready PowerPoint Slides
Each lesson in this mini-unit includes a PowerPoint of student-facing slides. The PowerPoints are intended to be used alongside, and not instead of, the lesson plans because the latter include important rationales and context that teachers should familiarise themselves with before teaching each lesson. The PowerPoints include basic content and student-facing prompts from the lesson plans but are minimally designed because we expect teachers to adapt them to fit the needs of their students and class.

This PowerPoint for Lesson 1 of the Discussing Race and Racism in the Classroom mini-unit comes complete with student-facing slides and teaching notes, and is ready to use in the classroom.

1. Start with Yourself
The process of starting with yourself involves reflecting on your individual identity (and considering how this may impact your engagement with certain topics and interactions with students), and then becoming aware of your beliefs, values, biases, politics and emotional responses. This is particularly important when discussing challenging topics like race. When educators start with themselves, they can help develop classroom communities that are centred around relationships and care, and in which students feel safe to discuss challenging issues.

Reflect on your identity using the following questions:

Who am I? What factors make up my identity?

What parts of my identity are visible and what parts are invisible?

How is my identity shaped by power and privilege?

What parts of my identity have the greatest impact on how I interact with my students?

Create an Identity Chart. Notice which identities grant you membership and privileges in certain groups with power, which ones deny you membership, and which ones shift depending on the context.

Next, take some time to independently engage with the topic of race.

Consider the following questions:

How do I feel about discussing race in class?

Complete the following phrase: 'I mostly feel ____________________ when discussing race because ___________________________________.'

Then, consider the following:

How might my emotional response to this topic be similar to or different from my students' emotional responses?

Could my emotional response make it challenging to facilitate a reflective conversation?

How can I respect the perspectives students bring to the conversation?

Then, reflect on Dr Beverly Daniel Tatum's smog analogy:

Cultural racism - the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color - is like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in. None of us introduce ourselves as 'smog-breathers' (and most of us don't want to be described as prejudiced), but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air?

Now, respond to these questions:

What does Dr Tatum's smog analogy suggest about how racism operates in our society?

How does the smog analogy impact how I view my own relationship to racism in our society?

How, if at all, does the smog analogy impact my feelings around discussing race in the classroom?

How, if at all, does the smog analogy impact how I will engage with the topic of race in the classroom?

Note: What follows are teacher-facing instructions for the activities. Find student-facing instructions in the PowerPoint for this lesson.

2. Establish a Safe Space
We believe that conversations about race should be conducted in a safe space. The following activities are designed to create that space in your classroom.

Start with a journal prompt: Students will respond to the same prompt that teachers reflected upon above. Tell students that the following writing exercise is a private journal entry that they will not be asked to share with anyone, so they should feel free to write their most honest reflection. Have students take several minutes to complete this sentence:

'I mostly feel ____________ when discussing race because _________.'

Now that students have gathered their thoughts, tell them you are going to do a group brainstorm. They should not make 'I' statements or share how they feel or what they wrote.

Tell students: Let's put words on the board that represent the feelings that we think may be in the room when we discuss race. At this point, we will just list and not comment on them.

Now look at the list. Ask students:

What do the words have in common? (Students might observe that the words are usually mostly, but maybe not all, negative.)

What else do you notice? (Students might observe that the words are not just surface observations; they are deeply personal feelings.)

Do you have any other important reflections? (Students might observe that the words represent a wide and varied range of responses.)

Which of these feelings are most valid? (Stress that they are all valid. You may want to acknowledge that this is a rhetorical question, but it is important to validate everyone's feelings.)

Where do these feelings come from? (Student responses might include personal experiences, stereotypes, social structures, etc.)

It is important for teachers and students to acknowledge that these feelings are in the room and that they need not be afraid of them. Each person should be allowed to enter this conversation wherever they are without being judged or shut down. Everyone needs to feel free to participate without fear of being called racist or given any other label.

Follow this discussion with the short video How to Tell People They Sound Racist by New York City hip-hop DJ and blogger Jay Smooth. Give students an opportunity to discuss their responses to the questions, in pairs or as a group.

Ask: What does Smooth mean by the 'what they did' conversation? How is that different from the 'what they are' conversation?

Ask: Do you agree with what Smooth suggests when he says people should focus on 'what they did' versus 'what they are'? How is the difference important?

You may also want to share the definition of racism by Dr Beverly Daniel Tatum, or another definition you have used in the classroom, and discuss students' responses.

In her book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, Dr Tatum does not characterise racism as overt discrimination or individual acts of hate. Rather, she defines it as one benefiting from a system of privileges based on race that are subtly ingrained in the surrounding culture, making them difficult to detect. It is possible for people of colour to be prejudiced on the basis of race, but the social system is never in their favour. This is racism. She compares racism to smog: 'Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in.'

Now create a classroom contract. Acknowledging that these complicated feelings are in the room and considering what Jay Smooth said, ask students:

What do we as a community of learners need from each other to have a safe yet courageous conversation about race in this classroom?

You can use our contracting guidelines for creating a classroom contract or another procedure you have used in the past.

Next Lesson

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Preparing to Discuss Race in the Classroom

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What feelings do I experience when we discuss the topic of race in class? What feelings do other students in my class experience? How can we work together to create a brave, sensitive, and reflective learning community? Students reflect on feelings around discussing race before working together to create a classroom contract to foster a brave, sensitive and reflective learning environment.

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Overview

The Social Identity Wheel worksheet is an activity that encourages students to identify social identities and reflect on the various ways those identities become visible or more keenly felt at different times, and how those identities impact the ways others perceive or treat them. The worksheet prompts students to fill in various social identities (such as race, gender, sex, ability disability, sexual orientation, etc.) and further categorize those identities based on which matter most in their self-perception and which matter most in others' perception of them. The Social Identity Wheel can be used in conjunction with the Personal Identity Wheel to encourage students to reflect on the relationships and dissonances between their personal and social identities. The wheels can be used as a prompt for small or large group discussion or reflective writing on identity by using the Spectrum Activity, Questions of Identity.

Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page with your thoughts or experience with this activity and be sure to check out our other resource guides and activity guides to further your knowledge and practice on inclusive teaching!

Activity Goals:

To encourage students to consider their identities critically and how identities are more or less keenly felt in different social contexts. The classroom and the university can be highlighted as a context as a way to approach questions on barriers to inclusion.

To illuminate how privilege operates to normalize some identities over others. For example, a student who speaks English as their first language can reflect on why they rarely need to think about their language as an aspect of their identity while some of their peers may identity language as the aspect of their identity they feel most keenly in the classroom.

To sensitize students to their shared identities with their classmates as well as the diversity of identities in the classroom, building community and encouraging empathy.

Application in a STEM Course:

Fostering a sense of community in your classroom can create a sense of belonging. According to a CRLT study on retention in STEM courses, "students reported that classroom climate (including their anxiety levels, how welcome they felt in class...and instructor rapport with students) significantly influenced their decisions to stay in or leave STEM disciplines." If students feel that they are part of a community, they will feel more comfortable engaging and participating in the classroom. In another study, peer interactions and support in STEM courses led to gains both academically and socially. The Social Identity Wheel is a great way for students to engage with each other on a personal level, creating connections that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. Taking the time to complete this activity at the start of the semester will help students form meaningful bonds, allowing them to better collaborate and support each other throughout the semester.

Application in a Large Course:

Cooperative learning and small group approaches in a large course can greatly benefit student learning, engagement, and overall sense of community. Research has shown that leveraging such approaches can lead to the development of key skills such as active listening, empathy, consensus building, leadership, constructive conflict management and resolution as well as decreasing racial prejudice while increasing interracial tolerance. This activity allows students in your large course to learn from and about each other and to reduce the feeling of anonymity that can be pervasive in a large course setting. By making your large course feel smaller through this activity, you are actively working toward making a more inclusive space for all students.

Citation: Cooper, J.L. and Robinson, P. (2000), The Argument for Making Large Classes Seem Small. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2000: 5-16. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1002/tl.8101

Application in an Online Course:

Online learning can feel impersonal and disconnected, but there are inclusive teaching practices you can leverage to build community and connection in your online course. Taking the time to get to know each other's identities through this activity can help build trust between students, which is a key indicator of whether or not students feel comfortable participating. In one study, researchers asked the question, "what did graduate students who were enrolled in an online course about teaching online find most valuable about online moderation and community building?" From the study, students stated that Student Needs and Community Building were essential components to online learning. Regarding Student Needs, one student stated, "It is necessary that everyone feels safe, comfortable, and welcomed before they will fully engage, enabling them to make personal connections and grow from each other." Regarding Community Building, another student stated, "Learning communities often develop naturally in a traditional classroom environment, but in an online course, the instructor must make that happen."

Social Identity Wheel Activity Guide:

Related Posts:

Facilitating the Social Identity Wheel in Your Classroom:

Social Identity Wheel starts at the 6:46 mark

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In this activity, students will identity social identities (race, gender, sex, socio-economic status, etc.) and reflect on the various ways those identities impact their lives and perceptions.

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Nine Things Everyone Should Know About Race

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Nine Things Everyone Should Know About Race

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How Systemic Racism Infiltrates Education

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How Systemic Racism Infiltrates Education

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October 23, 2023

For 50+ years, the Workhouse jail in St. Louis represented much of what is wrong with the criminal legal system. Here's how activists and community leaders shut it down and turned it into a beacon of progress and hope.

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How Systemic Racism Infiltrates Education

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Getting a good education has proven to be one of the best ways to start on the road to success. But people of color face roadblocks to advancement that most whites never think, or worry, about.

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How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?

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How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?

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Race and racism are important topics to bring into your classroom. Because race is part of our public conversation and integrated into so many aspects of our world, young people want to and should be part of that conversation, no matter their race. White students in predominantly white classrooms should be discussing race for those reasons and because they are members of a multicultural society and world. Sometimes teachers feel reluctant to raise the topic of race especially if they are teaching in an all or predominantly white community. Teachers may be concerned that students bring their own assumptions and stereotypes, will hold back for fear of saying the "wrong" thing or bias will emerge and will be hard to facilitate and contain. Also, teachers may fear pushback from administrators and parents who feel they shouldn't talk about it at all.

Below are tips and strategies to consider when teaching predominantly white students about race and racism.

1. Set up group guidelines.

Students, and in particular white students, sometimes don't participate in discussions about race because they feel inadequate, worry they'll be mocked, are embarrassed by their lack of knowledge or concerned that strong feelings will arise. Many may think the topic isn't relevant to them. When engaging in any conversations about tough topics, it is critical to set up group guidelines or agreements to promote a classroom environment that is safe and respectful. Do this collaboratively with students and make sure that the following areas are discussed: listening and interrupting, how to deal with strong emotions, establishing trust, confidentiality, sharing "air time" and dealing with differences or disagreements. Further, from the beginning establish an environment that allows for mistakes. Because we are products of a biased society, students may not be cognizant that everyone has biases and holds stereotypes. This should be explained to them explicitly. Assume good will and convey to students that they should do the same. Find ways to inspire students to challenge themselves and their assumptions by asking open-ended questions.

2. Help students accept discomfort and uncertainty.

A safe learning environment doesn't mean you and your students will or should be comfortable with every discussion. Be prepared for these conversations to potentially be messy and complicated. They may not end as you expect they will. You can remind yourself of this and share that understanding with your students so you manage everyone's expectations. It is helpful to remember and share with students that often deep learning, the kind that is lasting and long-term, comes when things are uncomfortable or "sticky" and you are able to work through those things. That's the "aha" or epiphany moment. It may also be helpful to explain to students that often when things are complicated or when there is a conflict, if things are handled well, there can be a higher understanding or improved relationships on the other side.

3. Clarify that the goal is not to be "colorblind."

The goal of teaching about race and racism is to help students understand the historical context and current manifestations of racism in the U.S. There are many white people who believe the best way to eliminate racism is to not talk about it and not notice racial differences at all (i.e. be "colorblind"). They may want to tell young people not to notice differences because they conflate noticing differences with having bias. It may also be a way to avoid dealing with discussions of race because they are uncomfortable. It is completely natural to notice race and other physical characteristics; telling children not to see it is incorrect and confusing. Let students know that noticing differences does not promote bias-judging and discriminating based on race does. Further, it's important to acknowledge that white is a racial identity and even explore with students what being white means to them. You may also want to share with parents that you are talking about these issues because some white parents may believe that talking about race makes them or their children racist.

4. Acknowledge that learning about race and racism is a process.

It is often the case that white people who have always been in the majority do not think about their own racial identity the way that people of color often do. Recognize that learning about race and racism is a process because many white students may not have had the opportunity to reflect on and discuss it. They will come with bias and misinformation, as we all do, and it will take time for them to develop their own understanding and insights. Make it clear that this can be a lifelong process and that one is always learning, including yourself, and that you will be learning together. Introduce less complex topics at first and from the beginning, present and use accurate terminology. At the same time, don't sugarcoat or simplify language or concepts. Defining words and the language of race and bias can be one of the first things you do which can include differentiating prejudice, bias, discrimination, racism and implicit bias. In the beginning, establish the fact that we all have a race, and they are included in that. Sometimes white students think that race doesn't apply to them and includes only people of color.

5. Provide opportunities to learn about others and foster empathy.

Regardless of whether or not the racial diversity of our larger society is represented in your school, it is important to bring diverse voices and perspectives into the classroom in other ways besides personal sharing. This is particularly true if you have a predominantly white school and you are talking about race. Use children's books, short videos, movies, literature, stories by teens, or arrange for a video chat to expose students to other voices on race as this fifth grade teacher did. As the goal is to dispel stereotypes-not perpetuate them-be sure to review these resources in advance. Exposing white students to people who represent different racial groups can also build empathy as they learn and better understand others' lives, experiences, perspectives and feelings.

6. Address white privilege in non-defensive ways.

The term "white privilege" is one that often produces anxiety and defensiveness among white people, including students. At the same time, if students are going to engage in conversations about race, privilege has to be on the table. The goal of a discussion about white privilege is not to make anyone feel guilty for who they are or defensive about their lot in life. The goal should be to help students understand and analyze issues of power and privilege as they relate to racism. One way to start the conversation is to talk with students about the ways bias manifests in institutions (i.e. discrimination). Explain that bias can impact people in two ways: by discriminating against some or advantaging others, depending on race or other aspects of identity.

Define white privilege as: "unearned and often unseen or unrecognized advantages, benefits or rights conferred upon people based on their membership in a dominant group (e.g. white people, heterosexual people, men, able-bodied, etc.) beyond what is commonly experienced by members of the non-dominant group."

Another angle to discuss privilege is to talk with your students about the ways they feel disempowered or discriminated against as young people, often through ageism directed towards them. These can include things like not being allowed to do certain things they think they should be allowed to do; assumptions adults make about them; or discriminatory acts that target them. Students can reflect on the ways that they, as young people, lack privilege in these situations. This discussion will help them understand the concept of privilege without getting defensive and will help to foster empathy. You can then make the connection to white privilege and since you've set the groundwork, hopefully the leap to white privilege isn't too far a reach for them. It will be important to identify dominant identities (i.e. being white) because students may not accept that they have white privilege by saying they belong to another marginalized group ("but I'm gay, poor, female"). While that may be true, it doesn't erase their white identity.

7. Connect to ally behavior and engage in social justice.

As your students discuss race, some of them may be interested in addressing the racism they have learned about, both in their interpersonal relationships and in society. Helping your students understand what it means to act as an ally and learning the different ways to engage in ally behavior is an important next step. White people can act as allies by identifying racism when they see it, calling it out and challenging it in a myriad of ways. You can help to facilitate this process by giving students an opportunity to explore how to act as an ally and practice different strategies-both interpersonal or on a larger stage by getting involved in activism. There a wide variety of ways to do this including educating others, online activism, advocating for legislation, protesting, creating public awareness, etc. Convey a message of critical hope that when people work together-in the past and in modern times-they can make a difference and improve our society and world.

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How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?

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Race and racism are important topics to bring into your classroom. Because race is part of our public conversation and integrated into so many aspects of our world, young people want to and should be part of that conversation, no matter their race.

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CRE Stories: Race Conversations in the Classroom

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CRE Stories: Race Conversations in the Classroom

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Jillian McRae and Sam North co-facilitate a course about classism, sexism, and racism at Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York that creates space for students to have courageous conversations and make intentional choices about their involvement in their communities.
How do students react when the conversation centers institutional structures rather than individual acts?

What happens when high school students frame their examination of systems around those who benefit the most from them, and are encouraged to have honest discussions about the "isms" these systems create with their peers?

Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) connects curriculum and teaching to students' experiences, perspectives, histories & cultures. It advances students' academic achievement and sense of themselves as agents for change; and it helps students sustain their connection to their own language, culture and identity while also developing skills to succeed in the dominant culture.

CRE is a method of rigorous, student-centered learning that cultivates critical thinking instead of just test-taking skills; relates academic study to contemporary issues and students' experiences; fosters positive academic, racial and cultural identities; develops students' ability to connect across cultures; empowers students and inspires them to fall in love with learning.
Richard Gray and his team from the NYU Metro Center is partnering with Manauvaskar Kublall, MediaSutra, to tell 9 stories of culturally responsive education from the perspectives of teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and parents. Resources:

Media Gallery Main Page

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Watch CRE Stories: Race Conversations in the Classroom

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Jillian McRae and Sam North co-facilitate a course about classism, sexism, and racism at Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York that creates space for students to have courageous conversations and make intentional choices about their involvement in their communities. How do students react when the conversation centers institutional structures rather than individual acts?

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SPEAK UP: RACIAL (IN)JUSTICE IN EDUCATIONLet’s Talk About Race

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SPEAK UP: RACIAL (IN)JUSTICE IN EDUCATIONLet’s Talk About Race

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SPEAK UP: Racial (In)Justice in Education

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As Black Lives Matter protests rage across the world, many of us are motivated to learn more about racism, and talk to our students and children in ways that can facilitate change.

Education is a powerful tool for creating change. So, it's important teachers don't shy away from difficult conversations in the classroom, even if they may feel daunting.

Here are some things teachers can consider to help them discuss racism with their students.

1. Provide accurate, historical context

Understanding and coming to terms with past racist practices is essential to an anti-racist education.

When historical oppression is denied, omitted or whitewashed - as when Prime Minister Scott Morrison incorrectly claimed Australia didn't have a history of slavery - it is difficult to explain how racism still affects black, Indigenous and people of colour today.

Read more: Was there slavery in Australia? Yes. It shouldn't even be up for debate

A teacher can take students to visit memorials and museums, or ask them to research place names. Do names in your local community, for example, hark back to racist practices? In some towns, " Boundary Road " recalls a line Indigenous Australians could not cross after curfew.

Teachers can encourage students to critically reflect on whose stories are celebrated in public memory, and brainstorm what would better represent the contributions and experiences of all members of the community.

2. Explain racism is not just done by 'bad people'

Racism should be taught as a system of racial hierarchy that is sustained consciously and unconsciously by the idea that one group of people is superior. Because of this presumed superiority the ideas, books, voices and expertise of one group are seen as the "norm".

Read more: Bias starts early - most books in childcare centres have white, middle-class heroes

Racial discrimination today is often referred to as " soft" or " new" racism, often expressed through covert microagressions.

Categorising racism as something only "bad" people do means the "good" ones are denied the opportunity to examine how their everyday thoughts and actions may be sustaining society's racial hierarchy structure.

The below video of the blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment (in which kids are told brown-eyed people are superior to blue-eyed people and vice versa), is a good way to show students how unconscious behaviours emerge and how quickly prejudice can form.

3. Show the impacts of unintended harm

People commonly assume their good intentions bear more weight than their unintended consequences. Just because someone did not intend to be racist, does not lessen the impact on the person experiencing it. You can use metaphors to illustrate this.

For example, if you accidentally pour hot coffee on someone, the natural response is not to say "why are you upset when it wasn't my intention to pour a hot drink on you?".

The more appropriate response is to acknowledge your mistake, apologise to the other person and move more carefully in future.

The insidiousness of "new" racism is that people who do not consider themselves racist might actually be perpetuating racism without being aware of it.

4. Encourage students to be brave in calling out racist behaviour

Being silent after observing racist behaviour is being complicit in racism. Teachers need to practise giving constructive feedback on racist speech and behaviour, and support students in being resilient about taking on board anti-racist feedback.

Read more: Explainer: what is casual racism?

Actively anti-racist teachers are quicker to notice and respond to racial micro-aggressions when they occur in the classroom, such as teaching students not to use racial nicknames or stereotypes.

5. Explain there are hierarchies within racism

Experiences of racism are magnified when different forms of discrimination combine to create a more intensified exclusionary experience for people, based on intersections between their multiple marginalised identities.

Experiences of racism for young black men, for example, may vary a lot from the experiences for young black women. Explain to students it is possible to experience oppression in one identity category but be privileged in another.

6. Be aware of students' racial trauma

Teachers sometimes strive to teach about racism, without considering that it is the lived experience of some of their students.

Racialised trauma is passed across generations, and can include indirect and direct experiences of interpersonal and systemic racism.

We need to support people who have been traumatised by racism, not just challenge those who instigate it.

Teachers should also be sensitive about the way anti-racist teaching is delivered. If you are going to discuss sensitive topics, you can provide trigger warnings in advance to the class. This way students can prepare or raise concerns in advance.

Be aware of who is in your class and avoid using potentially re-traumatising images, examples or videos.

7. Model inclusive behaviour

Teachers should model anti-racist behaviour in their classroom. For example, they should not mock or say inappropriate things about other people's cultural and racial backgrounds. Teachers should encourage students to think of the various cultures as different and not superior to, or better than, others.

Read more: Growing Up African in Australia: racism, resilience and the right to belong

You can also model an understanding of relevant cultural protocols, including through Acknowledgements of Country, or avoiding the use of names and images of Indigenous people who have passed away.

8. Ensure diversity in the curriculum

A consequence of colonialism has been the centring of white experiences and knowledge, and erasure of other ways of knowing and being.

We can challenge the historic and continued silencing of alternative voices by integrating diverse voices into our curriculum.

As a teacher, you can select readings, videos, and other classroom resources that are informed by diverse knowledge and experiences.

You can use a racial Bechdel test to check the diversity of resources.

9. Focus on change, not blame or shame

Discomfort is often an essential part of any learning process, more so for sensitive topics. Anti-racist education should be compassionate and aim to move through discomfort to produce change, rather than instilling shame or blame.

Anti-racist and decolonial education is often just as much about unlearning, as it is about learning.

We may have to challenge ourselves to unlearn inaccurate history and stereotypes, question our own deeply ingrained thoughts and habits, and practise different ways of listening to, and working with, people from different backgrounds.

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9 tips teachers can use when talking about racism

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As Black Lives Matter protests rage across the world, many of us are motivated to learn more about racism, and talk to our students and children in ways that can facilitate change. Education is a powerful tool for creating change. So, it's important teachers don't shy away from difficult conversations in the classroom, even if they may feel daunting.