# data[].attributes.headline
Microaggressions: "Microaggressions Aren't Just Innocent Blunders" 5-7 minute read

# data[].attributes.subject
Microaggressions: "Microaggressions Aren't Just Innocent Blunders" 5-7 minute read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A white man shares publicly that a group of Black Harvard graduates " look like gang members to me" and claims he would have said the same of white people dressed similarly. A white physician mistakes a Black physician for a janitor and says it was an honest mistake. A white woman asks to touch a Black classmate's hair, is scolded for doing so and sulks, " I was just curious."

It's a pattern that recurs countless times, in myriad interactions and contexts, across American society. A white person says something that is experienced as racially biased, is called on it and reacts defensively.

These comments and other such subtle snubs, insults and offenses are known as microaggressions. The concept, introduced in the 1970s by Black psychiatrist Chester Pierce, is now the focus of a fierce debate.

On one side, Black people and a host of others representing multiple diverse communities stand with a wealth of testimonials, lists of different types of microaggressions and compelling scientific evidence documenting how these experiences harm recipients.

Some white people are on board, working to understand, change and join as allies. Still, a cacophony of white voices exists in the public discourse, dismissive, defensive and influential. Their main argument: Microaggressions are innocuous and innocent, not associated with racism at all. Many contend that those who complain about microaggressions are manipulating victimhood and being too sensitive.

Linking bias to microaggressions

Until recently, the majority of research on microaggressions has focused on asking people targeted by microaggressions about their experiences and perspectives, rather than researching the offenders. This previous research is crucial. But with respect to understanding white defensiveness and underlying racial bias, it's akin to researching why baseball pitchers keep hitting batters with pitches by only interviewing batters about how it feels to get hit.

My colleagues and I - a team of Black, white (myself included) and other psychological scientists and students - went directly to the "pitchers" to untangle the relationship between these expressions and racial bias.

We asked white college students in 2020 - one group at a university in the Northwest, another at a campus in the southern Midwest - how likely they are to commit 94 commonly described microaggressions that we identified from research publications and Black students we interviewed. For example, you are meeting a Black woman with braids; how likely are you to ask, "Can I touch your hair?"

We also asked our participants to describe their own racial bias using well-known measures. Then, we asked some participants to come to our laboratory to talk about current events with others. Lab observers rated how many explicitly racially biased statements they made in their interactions.

We found direct support for what recipients of microaggressions have been saying all along: Students who are more likely to say they commit microaggressions are more likely to score higher on measures of racial bias. One's likelihood of microaggressing also predicts how racist one is judged to be by lab observers, as they watch real interactions unfold. We're currently analyzing the same kind of data from a national sample of adults, and the results look similar.

With some microaggressions, like "Can I touch your hair?," the influence of racial bias is real but small. When the white woman who asked to touch the Black woman's hair responds, "I was just curious," she's not necessarily lying about her conscious intentions. She likely is unaware of the subtle racial bias that also influences her behavior. One can demonstrate racial bias and curiosity at the same time.

Even small doses of prejudice, especially when they are confusing or ambiguous, are documented to be psychologically harmful for recipients. Our research suggests that some microaggressions, such as asking "Where are you from?" or staying silent during a debate about racism, may be understood as small doses of racial bias, contaminating otherwise good intentions.

In our studies, other kinds of microaggressions, including those that explicitly deny racism, are strongly and explicitly related to white participants' self-reported levels of racial bias. For instance, the more racial bias a participant says they have, the more likely they are to say, "All lives matter, not just Black lives." These expressions are more than small doses of toxin. Still, even in these cases, racial bias does not explain all of it, leaving ample room for defensiveness and claims that the recipient is being too sensitive.

In our research, participants who agreed with the statement "A lot of minorities are too sensitive these days" showed some of the highest levels of racial bias.

Addressing microaggressions in context

Amidst chronic and widespread racial injustices, including segregated neighborhoods, disparities in health care outcomes, systemic police bias and rising white supremacist violence, a chorus of Black and other voices also have been expressing pain and anger about the stream of subtle microaggressions they endure as part of daily life in the United States.

Consistent with our research, they generally are not insisting that offenders admit to being card-carrying racists. They are asking offenders, despite their conscious intentions, to understand and acknowledge the impacts of their behavior. They are asking for understanding that those offended are not imagining things or just being too sensitive. Mostly, they are asking offenders to improve their awareness, stop engaging in behaviors that create and perpetuate race-based harm themselves and join in fighting against the rest of it.

As a clinical psychologist, I know that, even in the best of circumstances, true self-awareness and behavior change are hard work.

U.S. society provides far from the best of circumstances. At the nation's birth, people found a way to celebrate democracy, freedom and equality while owning slaves and destroying Indigenous populations, and then found ways to erase many of these horrors from the nation's collective memory. Yet, as James Baldwin said of this history, "We carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do."

Science provides validation of the problem of microaggressions: They are real, harmful and associated with racial bias, whether the perpetrator is aware of it or not. Improving awareness of this bias is hard but important work. If Americans want to advance toward a more racially just society, identifying effective ways to reduce microaggressions will be necessary, and this research is just beginning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Microaggressions aren't just innocent blunders - research links them with racial bias

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
White people are often defensive when they're called out for these subtle snubs and insults. But researchers have found that microaggressions correlate with racial bias.

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Tips to Make Any Lesson More Culturally Responsive | Cult of Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Tips to Make Any Lesson More Culturally Responsive | Cult of Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last month, I reviewed Zaretta Hammond's fantastic book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Now I'm proud to have Zaretta here as a guest writer to share some specific strategies with us.

Culturally responsive teaching. Everybody is talking about it. The big question is: How do you actually make lessons culturally responsive? That comes up regularly when I am working with groups of teachers to improve outcomes for diverse students who are struggling. I remember working with a group of sixth grade teachers on improving learning for their at-risk students. These teachers were frustrated that their students, 95 percent of them students of color and English language learners, were not applying themselves to learning.

I suggested that we explore making lessons more culturally relevant in order to accelerate student learning. I remember the reaction of Janice, the science teacher. "I am not going to be rappin' about the periodic table," she said defiantly as she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.

I couldn't blame her. Google "culturally responsive teaching" and you can find a dozen videos of well-meaning teachers leading some call-and-response chant about exponents or rapping about the Boston Tea Party while students sit back and giggle. That's because we usually talk about culturally responsive teaching only as an engagement strategy designed to motivate at-risk students to take learning seriously. Or we try to find a race-based connection to the content to make it "relevant" to minority students.

One of the biggest misconceptions about culturally responsive teaching is thinking you have to tie the lesson's content to African American or Latino students' racial background. The common belief is if you mention Africa, Mexico, or famous black and brown high achievers, it will spark students' attention. Then they will be motivated to participate.

In reality, culturally responsive teaching is less about using racial pride as a motivator and more about mimicking students' cultural learning styles and tools. These are the strategies their moms, dads, grandmas, and other community folks use to teach them life skills and basic concepts long before they come to school and during out-of-school time.

Culturally responsive teaching leverages the brain's memory systems and information processing structures. Why? Many diverse students come from oral cultural traditions. This means their primary ways of knowledge transfer and meaning-making are oral and active. It's a common cultural tradition that cuts across racial groups: African American, Latino, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities all have strong oral cultures. Each of these cultural groups uses the brain's memory systems for turning inert information into useable knowledge. They use memory strategies to make learning sticky, like connecting what needs to be remembered to a rhythm or music (that's why we still know the ABC song) or by reciting it in fun ways like a poem, riddle, or limerick.

I asked Janice what area of learning she wanted to help her kids improve. She said science vocabulary; they weren't learning the weekly words and it was getting in the way of their understanding of key concepts. She was frustrated and at the end of her rope. I asked how she was teaching it. She used the typical approach: On Monday, she listed the words on the board. Students copied them down and were required to look each word up and use it in a sentence. On Wednesday, there was a vocabulary test.

I suggested that we design word study to be more culturally responsive by making it more like the students' own cultural learning process. She was open for trying something different.

I offered her these three tips for transforming any lesson into something that looked and felt more culturally responsive to diverse students, something that would allow them to engage more and process the content effectively.

Games are the power strategy for culturally-grounded learning because they get the brain's attention and require active processing. Attention is the first step in learning. We cannot learn, remember, or understand what we don't first pay attention to. Call and response is just a way to get the brain's attention. Most games employ a lot of the cultural tools you'd find in oral traditions - repetition, solving a puzzle, making connections between things that don't seem to be related (Ever play Taboo or Apples to Apples?).

Organizing learning so that students rely on each other will build on diverse students' communal orientation. This communal orientation can be summed up in the African proverb, "I am because we are." Even making learning slightly competitive in a good-natured way increases students' level of attention and engagement. It's why the T.V. show Survivor has been around for so many years; it's a social-based game.

The brain is wired to remember stories and to use the story structure to make sense of the world. That's why every culture has creation stories. In oral traditions, stories play a bigger role in teaching lessons about manners, morality, or simply what plants to eat or not eat in the wilderness because it's the way content is remembered. Diverse students (and all students, really) learn content more effectively if they can create a coherent narrative about the topic or process presented. That's the brain's way of weaving it all together. (Bonus: It also offers a great way to check for understanding and correct misconceptions.)

So Janice took her weekly list of science vocabulary and created a variety of sorting and matching games for students. She built a set of simple card games based on Go Fish or Old Maid. In addition she created some team games. Each week students had different active ways to learn the vocabulary. For 10-15 minutes a couple of times during the week, students got to play these learning games rather than look up words in a dictionary. She gave them instructions for making the games at home if they wanted to.

Instead of the traditional weekly vocab test, she asked them to "storify" their understanding of key concept words like metamorphosis, using vocabulary from past weeks.

When I checked in with the group a few weeks later, she was the first one to share. She said student engagement was like night and day. Now all students were participating. She said she knew they were learning the vocabulary at a deeper level because they were actually using the new science terms during discussions and in their writing with no prompting from her.

The big A-ha's for the group that day were that (1) Culturally responsive teaching doesn't have to be some performance the teacher does to entertain students and (2) It doesn't have to mention race or reference culture at all. Instead, what makes a practice culturally responsive is that it mimics students' own cultural learning tools. They all realized that these practices are helpful for all students, not targeted at minority students.

The real trick is to use these strategies regularly as part of your instructional routine rather than doing them randomly every now and then. Consistency is the key. ♦

Learn more about how to improve diverse students' information processing skills and actually grow their brains in Zaretta Hammond's book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students .

Stick around.
Join my mailing list and never miss another post. You'll get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration - in quick, bite-sized packages - all geared toward making your teaching more effective and joyful. To thank you, I'll send you a free copy of my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half. I look forward to getting to know you better!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Tips to Make Any Lesson More Culturally Responsive

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google "culturally responsive teaching" and you can find a dozen videos of well-meaning teachers leading some call-and-response chant about exponents or rapping about the Boston Tea Party while students sit back and giggle.

# data[].attributes.headline
Microaggressions: Video: "Say My Name" 3 mins and 30 seconds

# data[].attributes.subject
Microaggressions: Video: "Say My Name" 3 mins and 30 seconds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Say My Name: How Idris Became Eddie, and Why It Matters

# data[].attributes.headline
Remembrance & Reconciliation Month Choice Board K-2

# data[].attributes.subject
Remembrance & Reconciliation Month Choice Board K-2

# data[].attributes.headline
Remembrance and Reconciliation Month 3-5

# data[].attributes.subject
Remembrance and Reconciliation Month 3-5

# data[].attributes.body
Remembrance & Reconciliation Month Learning

Elementary School Student Directions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about India's biggest holiday of the year.

# data[].attributes.headline
10 Tips on Talking to Kids About Race and Racism -PBS Education   5-6 minute read

# data[].attributes.subject
10 Tips on Talking to Kids About Race and Racism -PBS Education   5-6 minute read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As children, many of us recall being shushed or scolded by adults whenever we pointed out people's differences such as skin and hair color. Or, we may recall a teacher abruptly ending the conversation when a question regarding race or racism was brought up in the classroom. From these interactions, we likely learned that talking about race was wrong. When teachers and parents avoid talking about the questions and concerns kids have around race and racism, it can further perpetuate misunderstandings, biases, and racial injustice.

Engage in open, honest discussions about race and racism.
As trusted educators, caregivers, and parents, we need to engage in open and honest conversations with children about race and racism. To begin, we must fully understand our country's legacy of slavery and how systemic racism maintains and feeds racial inequity in the United States. For white teachers and parents especially, this might evoke some anxiety. Much of this initial anxiety can be managed by examining your own understanding of race by reading books about race and racism, talking with and listening to experts, watching documentaries, and learning how (and committing) to address anti-racist policies and actions within your own community.

Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.
I find that many parents and teachers are worried about saying the "wrong" thing or not having the "right" answers. This is common. The first step in getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is to increase your own knowledge. By learning more, you'll be better prepared to raise and teach socially conscious and conscientious kids.

Children are observant and complex thinkers. They look to people around them including parents, teachers, and other children, to make sense of who they are and learn how people who look and don't look like them are treated. Research shows children as young as two can begin to articulate ideas about racial differences and develop judgments on what those differences might mean.

Encouraging the conversation at a very young age.
From as early as three years old, many children begin to verbalize what they notice about differences including skin color, hair, visible disabilities, and gender. Children also want to talk to you about what they notice! As any parent knows, these observations or questions come up at the most inconvenient and unexpected times - while you are busy getting ready for work, while riding the bus within earshot of many other people, or while waiting in line at the grocery store.

It is important to acknowledge a child's questions and observations, even if you don't have the answers or feel uncomfortable. Some back pocket responses are: "I'm so glad you brought this up, let's talk more about it when we can sit down together," "I love that you are curious about this and I don't have all the answers right now, but we can learn together." and "Hmm.. that's a good observation. I wonder where you came up with that idea. Let's explore."

Social awareness and empathy are learned behaviors.
When we keep the conversation going, we let our children know their observations about the world are important. It helps them develop social awareness and empathy. It helps reaffirm that it is ok to notice differences and to be curious about others. The discussions they have with the trusting adults in their lives are the most influential in shaping how they see themselves and others.

The PBS Let's Talk Series
I recently hosted a PBS Utah show called Let's Talk in which I interviewed 14 parents on their own experiences with race and racism, some of whom are teachers, as well as an elementary school counselor. In each episode, we talk about how they navigate conversations around race and racism with their children. Each episode reveals the triumphs they've experienced, lessons they've learned, vulnerabilities they've felt as well as some of their best tools. To watch each of these interviews visit Let's Talk at PBSUtah.org/letstalk.

Based on these conversations and my own experience as a mother and educator, here are 10 Tips to help you on this journey.

1. Examine your own understanding of race.
If race wasn't discussed in your household growing up, do some research on your own and reflect on what it brings up for you. The more you understand what race means and how it permeates our society, the better equipped you are to teach your children about it. For a list of adult and children's books visit Let's Talkbook list resource page!

2. Become comfortable with terminology and familiar with how certain concepts are used.
For example, race and culture are not synonymous. It's important to be explicit and provide children with accurate terms so they can learn how to apply them.

3. When your child brings up a topic related to race, don't be afraid to keep the conversation going.
This lets children know it is okay to talk about what they notice. Instead of telling kids to keep quiet, refrain from using particular words or make specific observations out loud, talk to them. Ask them what they noticed and discuss it.

4. Find opportunities to ask questions.
For example, when reading a book to or with your child, ask them why someone is being treated a certain way? Is it because of their gender or skin color? Let this lead into a rich conversation.

5. Let children take the lead.
While I recommend that parents intentionally initiate conversations about race and racism, children will often bring up these thoughts on their own too. It's important to spend time on what they've noticed. Validate their questions or observations ("that's such a great observation...") and then move into a discussion. Statements and questions such as, "I'd love to hear more about that," "That's really interesting, what made you think of this?" or "How did that make you feel when that happened?" are helpful ways to deepen your conversations.

6. Involve your children in activities to help them learn about their own cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds.
This will help them develop a greater sense of who they are, which will then enable them to create more positive interactions across various racial-ethnic groups.

7. Help your children to think critically. It is common for children to focus on concrete and visible features to describe others, such as skin color or assumed gender. Challenge them to think about other important personal dimensions. For example, if your child refers to a friend as "my white friend" or "my brown friend," ask them to tell you more about their friend (e.g., "What does your friend like to do?" and "What kinds of things do you play together?").

8. Recognize your child's limits and know when to stop.
Depending on age and attention spans, conversations with children about these topics may only last a minute or two.

9. Initiate a book club or conversation group with other parents who are interested in learning how to talk with their children about race.
Sharing challenges you encounter will normalize the difficulty in talking about socially charged topics.

10. It's OK to make mistakes!
Many parents did not grow up discussing race or racism, so there is quite a steep learning curve. You will stumble over your words and may share wrong information. Let your child know you are still figuring out how to talk about these important topics too, that learning is a life long process which you are committed to and that you are so happy you get to have these conversations together.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
10 tips on talking to kids about race and racism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Tips on Talking to Kids About Race and Racism | PBS Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your source for teaching inspiration, blogs, and online professional events.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to Talk to Kids About Racism: An Age-by-Age Guide - Today's Parent  7 minute read

# data[].attributes.subject
How to Talk to Kids About Racism: An Age-by-Age Guide - Today's Parent  7 minute read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Explaining race and racism to kids can feel like a minefield for parents, but it doesn't have to. Here's our age-by-age guide to handling this topic.

Photo: iStockphoto

Have you talked to your kids about race and racism? Maybe you think they're still too young or that a specific conversation isn't really necessary?

They're never too young, and an ongoing dialogue about race and racism is a really good idea, says Rachel Berman, graduate program director of the School of Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson University in Toronto and a researcher on a project called Can We Talk About Race? Confronting Colour-Blindness in Early Childhood Settings. "Children need adults to help them develop respect for and acceptance of others," she says. "Not talking about race and racism sends a message to children that this is a taboo topic, no matter what their age." What's more, she adds, kids who may be targets of racism may need help negotiating their feelings and figuring out how to respond to what they're experiencing.

But how do you start the conversation? Each age group has different needs. Read on for ways to broach the subject with your child.

Infants and toddlers Babies are born blank slates, but studies show that they react differently to racial differences, even by six months of age, notes Berman. "The idea that talking openly to children about race and racism isn't appropriate because children are too young and innocent or because it will 'create racism' (or perhaps you'll say the wrong thing) is just not the case," she explains.

To counteract any prejudicial messages kids might receive, create an environment where they can learn about the differences and similarities between people of different races, cultures and religions at an early age, says Karen Mock, an educational psychologist and human rights consultant in Toronto. Read them picture books and show them TV shows and movies that celebrate kids of all colours, cultures and religions, but include examples of these kids doing everyday things so that they won't see difference as exotic. Role-model interracial and interfaith interactions, and actively seek out diverse playgroups and child care, says Annette Henry, the David Lam Chair in Multicultural Education and a professor in the department of language and literacy education at the University of British Columbia.

Also, be ready to answer questions. "Children as young as two or three may start asking about differences, such as disabilities, gender and physical characteristics like skin colour and hair," explains Berman. What's the best way to respond to their curiosity? Henry recalls an experience that left her impressed with the mother's response to her daughter's observation. "I was at a supermarket and this little girl, who must have been about three years old, said to her mom, 'Mommy, look at the brown lady.' They were white. Her mom said, 'Oh, yes, and isn't she beautiful?' I thought, that's a smart mom, celebrating difference instead of calling it out and saying 'Isn't it wonderful that we're all different?'"

PreschoolersAt around age three, kids start to use race, among other things, to make decisions about who to play with, says Berman. They do so thanks to biases they've unconsciously developed or because they reason that people who look like them are more like them. Kids this age may also make hurtful statements that parents need to be prepared to respond to. "If a child makes a comment about another child, like 'Her skin looks dirty,' don't quiet her or change the subject," says Berman. "Instead, ask your child why she thinks that and explain that darker skin isn't dirty. Take your child's comments and questions seriously." Parents should be very careful about passing on their own biases and prejudices before kids even understand the concept of racism, says Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist and medical director of child and youth mental health for Vancouver Coastal Health's community programs.

School-aged kidsWhen kids start school, their circle of exposure widens, which means that they may need more explicit guidance about race and racism. Kids this age are already getting subtle, often unspoken messages from TV, movies and politicians about who has power and who is valued in our society, says Berman. We must start teaching them to be critical readers and viewers. One way to do so is by asking them questions like "Are there certain groups who never get to be the hero in comic books and movies?" and "Who gets to be considered 'pretty'?"

One book that Berman recommends for kids in grades one to five is Let's Talk About Race by Julius Lester. It delves into our differences and similarities, and it's the latter that resonates with kids this age, she explains.

This is also a time when we can begin to teach kids ways to combat racism and prejudice. But to do so, parents may have to first introduce them to the idea that some people get treated unfairly based on their skin colour, culture or religion. Henry suggests telling them about Viola Desmond, a black woman who challenged racial segregation in Nova Scotia in 1946 and who will be the first Canadian woman to be featured on a $10 bill. Desmond's story bolsters the idea that people can make a change based on their actions-something that Kang says is important to emphasize when talking to kids about injustice so that they feel empowered to make a change.

It's important to keep details age-appropriate, says Berman. For example, we can tell kids about the injustice faced by indigenous peoples who were forced into residential schools and explain that their hair was cut against their will and they weren't allowed to speak their own languages, but we don't need to mention the sexual abuse many of them faced.

It's necessary to help kids realize that racism and prejudice aren't confined to the past. When it comes to current events, Kang suggests that you tell kids the truth, giving them age-appropriate information, but let them lead the conversation. "Ask your kids about what they are interested in knowing about the story," she recommends. "They may not want to know all of the details. And reassure them because kids' first thing is fear."

Henry notes that parents are on a wide spectrum when it comes to their comfort and knowledge in talking to kids about racism and prejudice, but we must approach this subject head-on if we want to change the world. "This is a moment when we have to help our kids understand what their role is going to be as future adult Canadians," she says, "and it starts now."

Tweens and teens Older kids can have more in-depth conversations around issues of racism and prejudice and the role they may play in supporting them. At this age, you can have more sophisticated discussions on topics such as Black Lives Matter and racial profiling, says Henry. Your tween or teen may also be spending time online, which increases their risk of getting incorrect facts. "Parents have to be in tune with where their children are getting their information," notes Kang. "It's very easy to end up on a Twitter stream where there's a lot of hate. But it is desensitizing, so parents of older kids should really watch out for extreme views." Parents should encourage their kids to think critically about any source and, if you believe your children's views are extreme, try to correct any myths they have.

This article was originally published on Feb 09, 2017

Weekly Newsletter

Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest parenting content and receive special offers from our partners

© Copyright 2023 SJC Media.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to talk to kids about racism: An age-by-age guide - Today's Parent

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explaining race and racism can feel like a minefield for parents, but it doesn't have to. Here's our age-by-age guide on how to talk to kids about racism.

# data[].attributes.headline
Instructional Routines ("Which One Doesn't Belong?" is a great one to start with!)

# data[].attributes.subject
Instructional Routines ("Which One Doesn't Belong?" is a great one to start with!)

# data[].attributes.headline
Parent-Teacher Conference Guidance (click below image)

# data[].attributes.subject
Parent-Teacher Conference Guidance (click below image)

# data[].attributes.body
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J3b5Hyh62GmlNGnxwpUnKCt1GUSYFL-Vn_8SiIesRWQ/edit

# data[].attributes.headline
Microaggressions: The Invisible Discriminator        1 minute and 1 second long

# data[].attributes.subject
Microaggressions: The Invisible Discriminator        1 minute and 1 second long

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FUdrd0Mg_4

# data[].attributes.headline
Supports vs. Modifications: What's the Difference? 3-5 minute read with concrete examples

# data[].attributes.subject
Supports vs. Modifications: What's the Difference? 3-5 minute read with concrete examples

# data[].attributes.body
Suggestions are included in this blog! How are these playing out in your instruction?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Have you ever been to a professional learning session where the topic turns to supporting students and a picture of a construction scaffold is displayed? This analogy equating the support we provide students to a construction scaffold is not new. In fact, we regularly call our instructional supports "scaffolds."

Often, the images that equate instructional support with a construction scaffold include no people. In many cases, as with the one above, the purpose of the scaffold appears to be to shore up or secure the structure. During the unpacking of this analogy, I've been told that as the structure becomes strong, we begin to dismantle the scaffold. With students, we remove the scaffold when they can "stand on their own."

If I may, though, I'd like to expand the analogy and the image in your mind. What if the purpose of the scaffold is to "provide access" rather than to "hold up" the structure or the student? In this expanded analogy, the construction scaffold is used to provide workers access to the work of the day and the instructional scaffold is used to provide students access to the work of the day-access to the grade-level expectations for the day.

dear2627/ Shutterstock

These two conceptualizations of construction scaffolds mirror the distinction between instructional modifications and instructional supports- and the difference between inequitable and equitable instruction. Instructional modifications change the grade-level goals so that students can "stand on their own." Instructional supports (or scaffolds) provide what each student needs to access the work without changing the grade-level goal. They support students' access until they can access the goals with fewer or no scaffolds.

Providing support for our students starts with an asset orientation. We begin by considering what our students already know, their cultural funds of knowledge, and their prior experiences that can support them in the task or text.

Providing support for our students starts with an asset orientation. We begin by considering what our students already know, their cultural funds of knowledge, and their prior experiences that can support them in the task or text. Next, we consider elements of the teaching and learning that are new, unfamiliar or not yet fluent. These add to the "cognitive load" of learning. Providing support for these elements can help to free working memory for planning, comprehension, reasoning, and problem-solving required to engage in the grade-level work.

We can eliminate cognitive load by considering the intricacies in our texts and tasks, including the number of steps and extraneous elements, as well as their novelty or ambiguity. We can also eliminate cognitive load by adjusting the focus and structure of our teaching. That is, we can make the teaching more or less focused by considering the level of explicitness in our teaching, the amount of guidance and feedback provided, and the level of structure added by the graphic organizers, protocols, and procedures we use.

Doing these things support students without modifying the intended, grade-level learning target.

Here are a few examples that may help clarify the distinction between modifications and supports.

When a sixth grade lesson calls for independent reading of a grade-appropriate complex text:

Modification: Watch video of the story
Watch a video segment that aligns with Bud, Not Buddy. Answer the question - "What did Bud do to Todd? Why did he do this?"

Support: Audio text to read along
Listen to an audio version of Chapter 4 as you read along in your own copy of Bud, Not Buddy.

When students aren't yet fluent with fourth-grade multiplication in a sixth grade ratio lesson:

Modification: Below-grade-level problems
During class, students practice multiplying only, so that they can focus on ratios later in the unit.

Support: Provide calculators
During class, students are given calculators so that they may focus on the grade-level goal of understanding ratios

When questions are used to help students understand the reading:

Modification: Questions are altered to focus on the topic or ideas rather than on how those ideas are conveyed in the text.
During the classroom discussion, the questions posed by the teacher can be answered about the text (or the video).

Support: Pairing the questions with chunks of the text so that students reread pertinent passages to use pertinent details from the text to answer the questions.
During the classroom discussion, the teacher often directs students to reread a particular passage before answering.

When educators make modifications such as these, they change the nature of the learning. They decrease complexity and expectations. The impact of using such modifications is that we perpetually, and inequitably, keep students in texts and tasks representing below-grade-level expectations.

When educators use supports, we preserve grade-level expectations and foster persistence. We maintain opportunities for all students to read the grade-level texts and engage in the grade-level tasks that prepare them for college and career. This is equitable instruction-instruction that grants all students access to grade-level reading and thinking.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supports vs. Modifications: What's the Difference?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Providing support for our students starts with an asset orientation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Free Learning Resources for Native American Heritage Month -Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.subject
Free Learning Resources for Native American Heritage Month -Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There are estimated to be over 450,000 million Indigenous people around the world. Their lands overlap with over 90 countries, and encompass thousands of languages. Some of the oldest Indigenous cultures stretch back tens of thousands of years.

The sheer depth, breadth, and impact of Indigenous cultures is staggering. And while we may not be able to cover it all, we can offer students the vital history of the land upon which they stand, and how Native and Indigenous people and cultures continue to shape the world.

In that spirit, and with those challenges in mind, we've gathered teaching and learning resources that primarily focus on Native Americans and First Nations people in North America. These resources were predominantly developed by or in partnership with Native people and/or tribal organizations and nations. Many are culturally responsive and meant to include ways of being and knowing rooted in Native and Indigenous traditions and histories. With these tools and resources, students can explore the rich culture and history, values and beliefs, and innovations and contributions of specific nations and tribes.

We've organized resources by approximate grade band, though there's some overlap, so they're all worth a look. Resources touch on every school subject, and many offer novel cross-curricular approaches. There are activities that engage each of the senses and cover topics from math to poetry to gain a deeper understanding of Native people's impact on the world and our future. Weave them into your curriculum all throughout the year, as well as on Indigenous People's Day or during Native American Heritage Month/Indigenous History Month.
Editor's note for all of the YouTube videos in this article: Pressing play on the YouTube video will set third-party cookies controlled by Google if you are logged in to Chrome. See Google's cookie information for details.
Essential Sites and Curricula for All Grades

Lesson, Resource, and Site Collections for All Grades

Focused Resources for All Grades

Activities and Resources for Preschool to Third Grade

The creators of Molly of Denali worked with Alaska Native elders to ensure its authenticity from the ground up, so watching the series is a solid source of information about Alaska Native traditions for little kids. PBS LearningMedia also has classroom resources to accompany episodes of the show like " Grandpa's Drum ."

Audio and Stories for Preschool to Third Grade

Videos for Preschool to Third Grade

Hands-On Activities for Preschool to Third Grade

Activities and Resources for Third to Fifth Grade

Audio for Third to Fifth Grade

The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation inhabiting over 1.5 million acres in northeastern Arizona. Take a look at these activities from the that help illustrate the Hopi's rich connection with the environment, through place names , , and traditional dance and song . Before any of these activities, be sure to check out some background about the Hopi.

Videos for Third to Fifth Grade

Hands-On Activities for Third to Fifth Grade

Games for Third to Fifth Grade

Activities and Resources for Sixth to Eighth Grade

This lesson about Montana tribes and their names includes a of Native American students introducing themselves in their own languages. Students can then complete an interactive activity where they match tribal names with their English-language counterparts.

Where Words Touch Earth is a PBS video collection on climate change that features interviews from tribal college students, elders, and other community members. Interviews cover topics from changes in snowfall to adopting sustainable food practices .

Audio for Sixth to Eighth Grade

Videos for Sixth to Eighth Grade

Hands-On Activities for Sixth to Eighth Grade

Activities and Resources for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

Audio for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

Videos for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

Have students play through When Rivers Were Trails . It's a choose-your-own-adventure game that tells the story of forced relocation from an Indigenous perspective. While it's an emotionally difficult experience, it offers an important anti-colonialist perspective, rich with cultural meaning and history not often encountered in textbooks.

Hands-On Activities for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

Games for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free Learning Resources for Native American Heritage Month | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deepen your discussions around indigenous peoples of America with these resources.