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Kristian Tuerke, Julia Augurusa, and Danesha Jeeva

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Kristian Tuerke, Julia Augurusa, and Danesha Jeeva

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Educators sometimes hesitate to raise these topics; what are some suggestions and strategies for having productive classroom discussions with students about race and racism?

We have created 7 strategies that can be implemented into any classroom environment. This will encourage a safe space where students can prompt questions and discuss any inquiries about race and racism.

1. Set up and implement a safe learning conducive and encouraging classroom environment

2. Understand and respect all (reasonable/logical) opinions and perspectives

3. Consider the racial and cultural make-up of your classroom

4. Teach students to be critical about media

5. Discuss structural racism with regards to content and context

6. Define significant terms and explain important concepts

7. Encourage empathy to inspire social justice

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Group 5 -Marilu Potestio, Sabrina Porreta, Carrie (Yae) Lee

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Group 5 -Marilu Potestio, Sabrina Porreta, Carrie (Yae) Lee

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Question: If racism is evident in our classroom or school environment, what insightful resources can educators access to create meaningful discussions and lessons on such an important issue?

Being aware of students’ background and the community experience to connect with them. Making extra effort to learn about the community and investing in the relationships with students allows educators to further connect with students which could build up to a big difference. Furthermore, inviting guest speakers, and student parents to allow them to share their own experience. Also, an abundance of resources help to act on due diligence to look for own growth and development. Discussing about the topic and allowing students to do their own research to take more reasonability and actively search on their learning.

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Question: How can non-POC educators, promote an allied stance that supports the educational transformation required to bring about effective change for students of colour and their learning?

- Choosing novels, stories, resources form a variety of perspectives that are not always from a hegemonic point of view.
- Having open discussion with your class. Get comfortable being uncomfortable, we will only learn from each other when we allow each other to speak and be heard from our own lived experiences. Be transparent, understanding and create an environment of respect.
- Be aware of our own (un)conscious biases and be open to learning how to dismantle these opinions based on the lived experiences of others
- Introducing guest speakers to talk about specific topics. We want to be able to support and listen from those in minoritized, racialized, religious, etc. groups without speaking over their experiences or acting as if we directly know or relate to their struggles and experiences.

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism?

Teachers would benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism because once they are able to self reflect and become aware of their own biases, stereotypes they practice, white privilege they have (if they are white) and the systematic racism that is carried out through the entire education system, then they will more easily be able to point out these same issues in their own classroom, with their students and create strategies to overcome these issues to create a safe, inclusive environment.

Different ways teachers can practice self reflection is that they can purchase or create anti-racism resource kits, which help them learn and identify their own biases they hold. This also provides students and teachers the resources they need to practice self awareness (Safe&School). Another strategy would be for teachers to keep personal journals which sparks ongoing learning, so when they see incidents occur they can reflect and see what went wrong, how, and ways to create a solution.

“we learn about ourselves through learning from our students”

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism? -Shormeh, Matthew, Nadia

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism? -Shormeh, Matthew, Nadia

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Most of these resources talk about how reflection is important for the students, but how would teacher benefit from self-reflection?

One lesson plan in the Queen's resource gives these examples for students to reflect on:
-personal location: how many factors you have as an individual that are different from the dominant identity;
-representation: who we are/ are not as a group;
-the relationship between and among different forms of oppression;
-the process at work to establish dominance of a particular identity.
While these are meant for students, I think that it's good for teachers to reflect in the same ways. Teachers should reflect on their own positions, relationships, etc., before teaching about racism.

The goal of the Anti-Racism Resource Kit is to provide teachers and students with the self-awareness, knowledge and tools to discuss, understand and address issues of racism in classrooms and communities. This kit is grounded on the belief that schools, families and communities must be involved to address this critical issue. Therefore, in order for teachers to be able to take an active role in combating this issue, it is important that individual self-reflections and work is done around race and racism.

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Stephanie Emmanouil, Laura B, Christina Giovannoni 

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Stephanie Emmanouil, Laura B, Christina Giovannoni 

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What anti-oppressive practices are most effective among a group of diverse students? How can we be sure they are successful?

-       Encourage students to identify the problems of the past to better understand inequality/oppression today. It acknowledges how time has changed but also issues still exist. “Connect historical racism with contemporary social problems” (racial Disparities Jigsaw Mini-Unit)

-       Having uncomfortable conversations about race and inequality, biases and assumptions.

-       “Think, pair, share” activities enforce collaboration.

-       We know it’s successful when we see students empowering one another, community-building initiatives, encourage different perspectives, going beyond the classroom. Theory into practice.

-       Students think critically about social justice. Inquiry, active listening, etc.

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How can we as educators teach racism to children from a younger age?

-In order to teach inclusion of all individuals in the classroom the educator can give each student a puzzle piece to create an image. They write their name on the back of the puzzle piece and work together to solve the puzzle. Like each piece all of our students are different, come from different backgrounds and identities and while not every piece will work smoothly, we need to work together to create the bigger picture- a world united as one.

-By taking a look at our own teaching praxis and picking activities that promote inclusivity. Making space for truth in your lesson plans is important. One of the resource from Queen's University titled "Making Space" mentions that teachers already seek to follow classroom management practices that ensure safety and inclusiveness for all students.

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism? - Thanujaa Parameswaran, Megan Stevens, Natalie Pawarroo

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism? - Thanujaa Parameswaran, Megan Stevens, Natalie Pawarroo

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Teachers would benefit from self-reflective personal work around race and racism because it would allow us to find out more about ourselves and figure out if we have biases of our own. Having this knowledge helps us to combat these biases in the classroom and create a safe space for all of our students. We have to know who we are in the classroom because knowing who you are helps you facilitate learning and helps students identify themselves in the classroom as well (Queen's University).

Self-reflection in itself is very beneficial. In order to promote an inclusive environment it is good that we not only encourage our students to engage in self-reflection, but that we do as well. We are putting up an example for our students of how reflection can help us find biases we were not aware of and work through them in order to be more self-aware, and fulfill a community in which equality and equity thrive for everyone, not just a select few. Discussing the benefit of an open and understanding world that is formed through self-reflection and working on one's self is a big part of helping our students and ourselves with growth that exceeds the classroom.

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Why would teachers benefit from doing their own self-reflective personal work around race and racism?
- as teachers reflect on ideas of racism, they become more aware of the diverse experiences their students have
- these lived experiences can be incorporated into the classroom (eg. the books used, the types of tasks assigned, etc.); students can see themselves within the classroom
- teachers become more aware of biases, stereotypes, and prejudices and how it may reflect in their own teaching
- as teachers become aware of these concepts, they can begin to create an inclusive and safe learning environment for students

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Questions we were interested in: How can we as educators teach racism at a young age? Some students come with a predetermined mindset about racism from their households, how can we address those topics?

Looking at the OSSTF Resources:
-looking at children's books, videos, or other resources that represent individuals from different background
-teaching students about power dynamics
-anti-racism resources kit
-Racial Disparities Jigsaw Mini-Unit
Jennifer Holladay – 2007
This mini-unit allows students in Grades 8-12 to investigate racial disparities and their underlying causes and identify steps individuals and society can take to alleviate them.
(tolerance.org)

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How might educators develop ground rules as a class that promotes safety, inclusiveness and respect around these topics?

Collaboration

Should be a discussion

Kids ideas - see what they think and where they at

What do the students want to see reflected in the classroom?

Give the students examples/put in their language for them to understand

Reflect on the ground rules every month or when needed

Shows the Do and Do not in movie clips, books, - Anything that they can understand  - educate the kids. - Tie in social media

Multicultural Books

Celebrate Diversity

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Julia Frank, Sabrina Melillo, Alondra del Carmen

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Julia Frank, Sabrina Melillo, Alondra del Carmen

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Q: What are some effective ways to build lesson plans to integrate, examine, and break down the concerns of racism as sociopolitical systems of oppression?
A: We can start with a community circle to have students feel comfortable in engaging in a more serious conversation
we can include resources from a non dominate group (this can include a youtube video that challenges the dominate narrative)
We can provide students with information about terminology about racism. It is important to provide students with the proper vocabulary for difficult topics.
We would scaffold up to this lesson plan by having a classroom community that values student voice and respects all diversity within the classroom.

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Question: How do we address racist attitudes that our students and/or colleagues directly display?

Students
- Addressing incidents when they happen
- Challenging bias and prejudice
- Learning the history behind the things that students are saying
- Having our students understand their social identity and how it relates to their peers
- Ensuring that what we are teaching is inclusive

Colleagues
- Keeping each other accountable for the way we approach various topics with our students
- Participating in anti-racism seminars or courses
- Ensuring that anti racist practices are standard in every classroom

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What are some effective ways to build lesson plans to integrate, examine, and break down the concerns of racism as sociopolitical systems of oppression?

- use diverse materials from a variety of sources that include multiple perspectives (diversity in culture, gender, race etc.)
- Provide students options and freedom within their own assignments to showcase their own culture, opinions and ideas
- Collaborate with different teachers when creating lesson plans to enhance your own ideas
- Address racism as soon as its brought up instead of pushing it aside.
- Find ways to make your classroom a safe space for students so that they feel comfortable enough to share when they feel that they might be being oppressed.

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USC Rossier's online master's in school counseling program

Speak Up: Opening A Dialogue with Youth About Racism
This resource as to help facilitate discussions about identity, inequality, and education for children of color. In the resource, you'll find six interactive graphs demonstrating the disparities black and brown children face in the world around them, which make it difficult for them to excel in the classroom. In addition, this resource acknowledges the uncertainty some teachers may face when trying to address race in the classroom and highlights four key things teachers should do when beginning this important conversation.
Resource ( https://rossieronline.usc.edu)
USC Rossier's online master's in school counseling program ( https://rossieronline.usc.edu)

10 Ways to Educate for Anti-Racism and to Celebrate Diversity: Ideas for Teachers

50 Multicultural Books Every Child/Teen Should Know

Cooperative Children's Book Centre.
This online annotated bibliography lists recommended multicultural titles for use with students. Includes one list for children and another for teens.
Children's Books ( ccbc.education.wisc.edu)
Teen's Books ( ccbc.education.wisc.edu)

Anti-Racism Resource Kit

Claim It! Creating a Climate of Inclusion Lesson Plan

FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together) Toolkit

Glossary for Racial Equity

Make a Case against Racism: A Guide for Teachers of Grades 4-7

Teacher Resources

Racial Disparities Jigsaw Mini-Unit

Racism in Canada: Elementary Lesson Plans

Racism and the Box: Lesson Plan

Racism Hurts: Lesson Plans

The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario - 2008
These resource materials were developed for elementary school-aged children, enabling teachers to help them learn about racism and its impact, as well as strategies for prevention.
Grade K-3 ( etfo.ca)
Grade 4-6 ( etfo.ca)
Grade 7-8 ( etfo.ca)

Resources on Racism and Oppression

Shadism Documentary

This 20 minute video is an introduction to the issue of shadeism, discrimination that exists between lighter-skinned and darker-skinned members of the same community. Features the stories of 5 young women and would serve as a useful discussion starter on the topic.
( shadeism.com)

Teaching Tolerance: Lesson Plans on Race and Ethnicity

Diversity & Anti-Oppression Exercises

What's Racism Got to Do With Me? How Our History and Context Shape Us and Others

Definitions & Terms

Youth Against Racism - 2003
This web site provides information about terminology for discussion in the area of racism. It is a useful jumping off point for facilitating discussions effectively on this topic.
( yar.ednet.ns.ca)

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Speak Up: Opening A Dialogue with Youth About Racism This resource as to help facilitate discussions about identity, inequality, and education for children of color. In the resource, you'll find six interactive graphs demonstrating the disparities black and brown children face in the world around them, which make it difficult for them to excel in the classroom.