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Copyright © 2017 Arizona Board of Regents, All rights reserved • SanfordInspireProgram.org For a complete list of references, refer to the On-Demand Module ‘Affirming Difference and Valuing Background Knowledge.’

Affirming Difference & Valuing Background Knowledge Transcript

Chapter 1: Introduction

Bird's-Eye View

Transcript: This is a module on affirming difference and valuing student background knowledge.

It is one module in a six-part series on culturally responsive pedagogy, or CRP. If you have not done so already, we suggest you begin by watching a short video called “An Introduction to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.” If you have already seen this introduction, you may continue on to chapter two.

The first three modules in this series - including this one - focus on mindsets needed to enact culturally responsive instruction. The latter three focus on the outcomes of CRP, and corresponding instructional actions.

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Introduction to CRP

What is it?

Transcript: Culturally responsive pedagogy is using “the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students” in order to teach them more effectively (Gay, 2002, p. 106).

It is a pedagogical perspective that places students’ social and cultural identities at the center of one’s teaching.

It is oriented toward social justice, and works toward the outcomes of student academic achievement, cultural competence, and critical consciousness (Bennett, 2012; Irizarry, 2007; Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2009).

Student Diversity

Transcript: Why is culturally responsive pedagogy important, and why does it matter for 21st century teachers and students?

With each passing day, the U.S. student population becomes more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse. The teaching force, however, does not.

The U.S. teaching force is approximately 87% White, while the student population is only 49.8% White (Griner & Stewart, 2012; Klein, 2015).

Twenty-one percent of U.S. schoolchildren primarily speak a language other than English at home, while the

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teaching force is overwhelmingly made up of monolingual English speakers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013).

Cultural difference between teachers and students can cause students to experience a tension between their cultural identity - or, who they are outside of school - and their academic identity - or, who they are expected to be inside of school (Gay, 2002; Nasir, McLaughlin, & Jones, 2009).

Racial/Ethnic Disparities

Transcript: This disconnect is one factor that contributes to ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in academic achievement, dropout rate, school discipline, and referral for special education services (Cochran-Smith, 2004). Click on each card for statistical information about these disparities.

CRP Role in Change

Transcript: Culturally responsive pedagogy, or CRP, seeks to address the current and historical trends responsible for inequities like these. Teachers seek to make their instruction responsive to the lives and experiences of students, and bring students’ academic identities into harmony with their cultural identities.

There is no single right way to “do” culturally responsive pedagogy. Rather, it is a way of thinking about and approaching work with students, families, and communities (Ladson-Billings, 2011).

This series of modules is intended to develop the key mindsets, dispositions, and instructional actions needed to enact CRP in your life and in your classroom.

Before we continue, a word on cognitive dissonance.

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It is impossible to talk about CRP without talking about things like race, racism, privilege, inequity, and oppression.

As you work through the modules in this series, you may experience some cognitive dissonance. This is when you hear information that seems to challenge or contradict a belief you have.

When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, a common response is to shut down, or reject the new information out of hand because it creates mental discomfort.

Instead, consider creating a space for two contradictory thoughts to exist in your mind at the same time. Think about them, then talk about them with others. Working through cognitive dissonance is how we expand our consciousness, and a high level of consciousness is necessary for CRP (Bennett, 2012; DiAngelo, 2012; Gay, 2002).

Chapter 2: What it Means

Module Purpose

Transcript: In order to create a classroom environment in which all students feel safe, welcome, and valued, teachers must affirm difference.

This module is about developing an affirmative attitude toward difference. It describes a mindset - or, a way of orienting yourself to the work of teaching. At its end, you’ll be introduced to a few strategies for operationalizing this mindset by building on student background knowledge.

This module will touch on a variety of topics that may feel socially or personally sensitive to you. However, they are necessary to explore in order to place the concept of affirming difference in context. With that in mind, let’s continue.

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Affirm Difference

Transcript: Affirming difference means acknowledging that there are many valid ways of thinking, talking, behaving, and learning. It also means viewing all students as learners who already know a great deal, and have experiences and background knowledge that can be built upon (Villegas & Lucas, 2002).

When teachers affirm difference they view inclusion not as trying to render everyone similar, but as embracing and celebrating the ways we are similar and different (Cammarota, 2011).

Most teachers would probably agree that affirming difference, as we just defined it, is a good thing.

However, pause and think for a moment: Despite our best intentions, why might affirming difference be a difficult thing to do?

Cultural Hegemony

Transcript: There are two forces in education that can impede teachers’ ability to affirm difference, often without them knowing it.

The first is cultural hegemony. Schools are arranged and organized to reflect the values and norms of the dominant culture in a society. In the United States, this is the culture of the White middle class. Norms include the ways of speaking and behaving that are valued in school, the types of background knowledge that are valued, and the perspectives that should be represented in the curriculum. These norms are so pervasive that

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they appear as natural or “normal” – even to those outside of the dominant group (Cochran-Smith, 1991; Gay, 2010; Hammond, 2015; Nieto, 1996; Paris & Alim, 2014).

Since all teachers have been socialized into these norms, they often interpret differences from them as deficits or disadvantages (Allen et al., 2013).

History

Transcript: The second force that stands in the way of affirming difference is the assimilationist history - and current reality - of American schools.

When public schools were first created in the United States, they were designed to serve two main functions. The first was to prepare children for the labor force, specifically by teaching them obedience and respect for authority (Bowles & Gintis, 1977).

The second was to socialize children into “American” culture, which meant forcing them to give up or erase their own cultural identity. This is why, in 1864, Congress declared it illegal for Native American children to be taught in their own languages, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs created boarding schools whose mission was based on the motto, “Kill the Indian, save the man” (Center for Racial Justice Innovation, 2013).

The legacy of assimilationist schooling is still with us. In a variety of ways, from dress code to discipline to the language of instruction, schools still emphasize sameness and conformity. By extension, many teachers view their role as helping students “fit in” to the dominant culture. Or, as Professor Django Paris writes, “helping working class students of color learn how to speak and write like middle-class white ones” (Paris & Alim, 2014, p. 87).

Think about your own background knowledge and experience. What are some modern examples of assimilationist practices in schools?

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Chapter 3: Deficit-Based Thinking Deficit Perspective

Transcript: Together, cultural hegemony and assimilationist schooling often lead teachers to operate with a deficit perspective toward students of color, and to marginalize students’ cultural identities.

A deficit perspective is the conscious or unconscious assumption that the culture of the White middle class is superior or “normal.” Under this assumption, ways of being that differ from the dominant culture are inferior, and students who don’t conform to the dominant culture need to be “fixed.” In other words, differences are problems (Villegas & Lucas, 2002).

Teachers with a deficit perspective define students and families by their perceived weaknesses, and often attribute these weaknesses to low intelligence, poor morals, or cultural deficiency (Hammond, 2015; Nieto, 1996).

To see an illustrated example of how the forces of cultural hegemony and assimilationist schooling contribute to deficit thinking and teaching practices, click “Learn More.”

If you are ready to move on and explore the consequences of operating with a deficit perspective, click “Proceed.”

Optional Example

Transcript: Let’s talk about language.

In U.S. schools, Standard (or some might say, “Dominant”) American English is the accepted norm for academic speaking and writing. It’s not inherently superior to other languages or ways of speaking, but it’s the

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language of the White middle and upper classes (Paris & Alim, 2014; Selvester & Summers, 2012). For that reason, it has quite a bit of power behind it (Lee, 2001). So much so, in fact, that even students from outside this group associate Dominant American English with sounding educated or “smart.” This is cultural hegemony.

School policy directs teachers to help students become proficient in Dominant American English. In an attempt to accomplish this goal, some states prohibit the use of other languages in the classroom. In virtually all states, many teachers treat the use of non-standard dialects - like African-American Vernacular English - as errors that must be corrected (Godley et al., 2007; Wheeler, 2006). This is assimilationist schooling.

Because of their mandate to teach students Dominant American English, many teachers come to view students’ native language skills as problems to be overcome, or hindrances to learning English (Godley et al., 2006; Paris & Alim, 2014; Wheeler & Swords, 2004). This is a deficit perspective.

Let’s make something clear. No one is saying that U.S. students should not acquire mastery of Dominant American English. It is the dialect students must master in order to access power and spaces that would otherwise be unavailable to them (Selvester & Summers, 2012). However, they should be able to acquire this mastery as an addition to their linguistic repertoires, and without having their native language denigrated, erased, or treated as a problem.

Consequences of Deficit Perspective

Transcript: When schools and teachers operate with a deficit perspective they can damage student self-concept, inhibit learning, and reproduce unequal outcomes.

Three common, interrelated actions associated with a deficit perspective are: silencing students, committing microaggressions, and removing cultural resources for learning.

Click on any of these terms for a brief explanation. When you are ready to continue, click “Proceed.”

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Chapter 4: Working Against a Deficit Perspective

Learning About Self

Transcript: So, what actions can a teacher take to work against a deficit perspective?

The first is to explore your own relationship with difference (Gay, 2002). How comfortable do you feel thinking, talking about, or acknowledging it? What are some of your attitudes or beliefs about students from dominant and non-dominant groups?

We’ve all been socialized into a culture that’s caused us to develop implicit biases toward different groups of people. These biases can cause us to engage in deficit thinking without even realizing it (Hammond, 2015; Steele, 2010; Wise, 2010). That’s why we have to closely examine our conscious and unconscious beliefs and assumptions, and interrogate them.

If we work toward the mindset that difference is valuable, beautiful, and essential, then our actions will reflect to students that they are valuable, beautiful, and essential.

Important Clarifications

Transcript: At this point, an important clarification must be made. Affirming and valuing difference is not the same thing as labeling students according to their identity markers and categorizing them as “different.”

For example, to affirm difference it is not enough to merely notice that a student is Latino, or that he primarily speaks Spanish at home, or that his parents emigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, or that he lives in a low-income neighborhood.

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Simply labeling a student as “different” from oneself (or other students) can have harmful consequences. It can cause teachers to “otherize” and stereotype students, and think about them in deficit-based ways (Artiles, 2015).

To avoid this misstep, it is not enough for teachers to notice difference; they must learn from and with students and their families. This is the second way that they can work against a deficit orientation.

Learning About Students and Their Families

Transcript: One of the most important ways teachers can affirm students is by taking active steps to learn from them.

Throughout childhood and adolescence, students are in an ongoing process of learning about, defining, and redefining their identities (Nasir, McLaughlin, & Jones, 2008; Paris & Alim, 2014).

Consequently, teachers must explore the question: “How does a student come to be whoever he or she is?” (Hammond, 2015; Kirkland, 2013, p. 13).

Teachers should work to understand students’ social and family lives outside of school, their attitudes toward school, and the experiences that have shaped them (Villegas & Lucas, 2002).

Teachers should observe the ways students interact with one another, and the ways they use language (Paris & Alim, 2014). By observing students in the contexts and situations in which they’re most comfortable, we can get ideas on how to bridge the disconnect that many students experience between their social and family lives, and their lives in the classroom (Nasir, McLaughlin, & Jones, 2008).

Valuing Background Knowledge

Transcript:

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When we learn about what students know and are expert on, the next step is to build upon this background knowledge in our instruction.

This is both affirmation, as well as just good teaching. In order for new learning to take place, students must connect to what they already know, and place new concepts within familiar frames of reference (Gay, 2000; Hammond, 2015).

At the same time, by connecting our curriculum to students’ lives, we communicate the message that their background knowledge is valuable and worthwhile (Cholewa et al., 2012; Griner & Stewart, 2012).

Check for Understanding

Transcript: Let’s pause and do a quick check for understanding. Read the scenario onscreen and decide whether the teacher is operating with an affirmative attitude toward difference or a deficit perspective. Place a check next to your answer, then press “Submit” when you are finished.

Feedback

Transcript:

The teacher’s actions in this scenario reflect an affirmative attitude toward difference. She uses students’ background knowledge, experiences, and storytelling abilities as assets for building and practicing literacy skills. Her actions communicate to students that their lives and stories are important and have a place in school.

An example of actions informed by a deficit perspective might be one where a teacher is only able to focus on

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her first graders’ perceived lack of formal reading skills. As a result, she centers her reading instruction on decontextualized phonics activities, rather than tapping into her students’ background knowledge and existing literacies.

Chapter 5: Building on Background Knowledge

Strategy: Student Expertise

Transcript: To build on background knowledge, take the time to learn about what your students are “expert” in (Ladson-Billings, 2009; Moll, 2010). What do they already know a lot about, and how can you connect it to the academic content of your class?

Take it a step further. In what ways do they already use and practice the academic skills you’re trying to teach in the context of their own lives?

For example, students might use the scientific method to diagnose and fix problems with their electronic devices. They might identify and analyze literary allusions in the lyrics of their favorite songs. They might analyze historical cause and effect when they talk about the histories of their own families. They might use fractions and percents to calculate field goal or free throw rates in basketball (Lee, 2001).

By positioning students as knowledgeable experts, we validate their experiences and make it easier for them to master new content.

Strategy: Relevant Examples and Content

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Transcript: The next strategy for building on student background knowledge has to do with relevance.

How can teachers make their content relevant?

One way is by using familiar examples to illustrate new or abstract concepts (Gay, 2000).

Another way to make content relevant is to ground a lesson or unit in a topic that is of interest or concern to your students.

One note of caution. Make sure that your conception of relevance is based on what you learn about (and from) your students, rather than what you assume is relevant to them.

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Strategy: Comparing Rather than Correcting

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Transcript: The last strategy that we will discuss here can apply to many situations, but specifically to students’ use of language.

When teachers seek to “correct” students’ language use by pointing out errors and prohibiting the use of vernacular expressions, they can send the message that students’ language practices are inferior or “wrong” (Godley et al., 2007). The same thing happens when students are forbidden or discouraged from speaking languages other than English in class.

As an alternative, teachers could focus on comparing different forms of language use rather than correcting them. Rather than trying to correct the words and sentences students write and speak, position students to contrast them with conventions in Standard American English, and the academic vocabulary of your content area (Wheeler, 2006).

The module resource contains a supplement entitled “A Brief Introduction to Contrastive Analysis” that contains guidance on how to do this.

Summary

Transcript: Here’s a summary of some initial steps we can take to affirm difference. We’re going to close this section with some words from a culturally responsive high school teacher. In this clip, he speaks to the importance of resisting – and standing up to – deficit-based thinking about students.

Video Transcript: John: I’ve always viewed that every student can – with proper support that I can offer here at home. I mean, here at school. I know that we only have ‘em for six hours a day, and I have no control over what happens at their homes. So I try to make their time here, in this environment, as structured, and as caring, and as

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accepting as possible. With that being said, I know of teachers – I’ve worked with teachers – who teach from that perspective. That…deficit-based learning. And I’ve heard teachers in the lunchroom say, “That kid can’t because he doesn’t have. She can’t because she doesn’t have. Well, they don’t know because they don’t…” What we who don’t view things that way can do, when we hear teachers talk like that, we need to speak up. If you truly believe that even though your student might be low-achieving, he or she can improve in what he or she is doing, we’ve gotta speak up on their behalf. For as frustrating as a student may be for you, you’ve gotta speak up on their behalf. Because, if we don’t stop that, that’s gonna continue. And if I’m real about that, the students who will lose out the most are students of color. Because in my early teaching days in South Central L.A., the majority of the teaching staff was not of color, and I would hear them say things like, “God, these kids don’t have anything. They can’t do…”

Even as a young teacher, I would say to some of my older colleagues, “Is it that student’s fault that he or she doesn’t have? What can we do in the classroom to alleviate what he or she doesn’t have?” And then they would tell me, “Ah, shut up Prothro. You’re just a young teacher, Prothro. You don’t know. You don’t know.” Well, I know I can do my best to help that student. And maybe you can do the same thing.

Chapter 6: Case Studies

View the Resource

Transcript: This is the Affirming Difference and Valuing Background Knowledge Resource. It is a tool intended to guide your reflection, as well as action planning in your classroom. Take a few moments to review it.

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Purpose

Transcript: We have gathered interviews from three practicing teachers who spent some time using the Affirming Difference and Valuing Background Knowledge Resource.

Here is a little bit about each teacher’s background. We’ve provided some information about each teacher’s level of experience thinking and talking some of the major topics of this module. We’ve also indicated the sections from the resource that he or she will be answering questions from.

Think about the teacher whose responses you’d like to explore, then select that case study by choosing from the side menu or by clicking on his or her picture.

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Erin

Introduction

Transcript: Meet Erin. Erin teaches language arts at a Title I high school with a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse population of students. In this clip, you’ll see her respond to the following question from Section I of the resource: How comfortable do you feel thinking and talking about difference? Video Transcript: Erin: I think originally, when I first read the question, my answer to that would have been “Very comfortable. I’m very comfortable thinking and talking about difference.” In creating content for world literature I was always like, “Oh, the perspectives…” and things like that. But the more I really delve deeper into my own thinking - and thinking about my identity, in things that I really identify with - the more I realize how uncomfortable I am talking about differences in the classroom. And differences in…my thinking, and how that might be different from my students’ thinking.

INTERVIEWER: Where do you think that discomfort comes from?

Erin: I think part of it comes from my feelings of being in a vulnerable spot, where I’m not gonna know how to respond to a student. Being in a place where…if I ever was making somebody feel bad, if I was ever in a spot where I was making somebody feel like their opinion wasn’t valued, I would be heartbroken. I would never want to portray that in any way. I think there was a fear, for me, of thinking that something I would do would create an uncomfortable environment for me and for students. So again, topics that would have come up - maybe about race - I would have been able to comfortably talk about those differences in generalities, but would never have been able to get explicit or have deeper conversation about it. I would have - in previous classrooms - I would have really limited conversation and directed conversation to other topics or directions so that I still felt comfortable. That we talked about “the differences” in generalities, so we did that, but nothing that would hit close to home. And nothing that maybe would even value the experiences that students actually had been having, or had encountered, or their parents had encountered. So, nothing that would have allowed for conversation - deeper conversation that would allow students to really start thinking about themselves, their world, and the way that other people might view the same world.

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Highlights

Transcript: Though many things may have stood out to you in Erin’s response, here are a few comments we’d like to highlight.

Click “Proceed” when you are ready to continue.

Using the Resource

Video Transcript: Erin: I had already moved away as a classroom teacher from the “Day 1 Survey,” you know, that we can very neatly copy and put on a student desk as they walk into the room, and they can fill out quietly because it gives them something to do while I figure out names, or attendance, or I do anything for those day one procedures. And that document - which, often I asked questions that I didn’t care about or I don’t think impacted my knowledge about that student, and then sometimes just flipped straight through. I’d already moved away from something like that to incorporating within my first unit of study - really within that first three weeks of school - a student personal timeline project. They have to incorporate five events, look at three people who impacted their lives. So, five events within their life that they felt like had a significant impact in their life, three people, and one idea. And I think in looking at the tool, this has given me an idea of how I can incorporate other components - maybe impacting their lives - that I had not necessarily thought about. So, in looking maybe at language and social life, while some of their events might impact that, I think I could incorporate that as some of the components that they need to be thinking about. So, giving them criteria for things to think about that they think are important, and then allow them to incorporate that within the personal timeline so that then, again, as they do their presentations - I have small-group presentations - I can then really look at “What is it that I’m learning

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from these students?” The way they display it also tells me something about them. So, everything they’ll have within that will tell me things I think will help me move forward as a teacher to best choose the content, to best look at the discussions that we need to have, and how I can help that student move forward.

Classroom Applications

Transcript: In this video, Erin described a personal timeline project she plans to use at the beginning of the school year to learn about her students - and allow them to learn about one another.

Projects and activities like these are organic, engaging ways to learn important information about students. They also give students an opportunity to reflect on their lives and identities, and decide which parts of themselves they want to share with their teacher and peers.

Final Reflections

Transcript: In this last clip, Erin shares some final reflections from using the module resource. Click to play, and then let’s help her identify some next steps.

Video Transcript: Erin: I can tell you, moving forward in my classroom - specifically for next school year - I would desperately want to be able to have explicit conversations about differences, and be able to guide students through productive and healthy conversation about differences, and help them recognize the need to share those, and

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really explore those differences in a healthy way - in a safe way, in my classroom. I know that I will still need some more self-reflection to get to a point where we are doing that effectively and as often as I would like to, but I know that I will be able to have planned conversations and start to develop conversation norms that I think will help me to facilitate those conversations in a way that…allows me to do that in a safe way for myself and for students to do it in the same way. And I think setting up those structures and committing to those conversations and committing to those topics for conversations will allow that to happen.

INTERVIEWER: What kinds of norms do you think would be helpful in terms of creating the kind of environment where students are comfortable talking about difference?

Erin: Well, I think that previously, in setting up norms for conversations - because it’s something I’ve incorporated into my classroom prior - but most of my norms revolved around manners, and structures. We sit like this, and the way we share speaking time is like this, via raising hands or whatever else that looks like. So, I think it was about, like, politeness, and manners, and structures. But, in moving forward, the norms that need to be in place are more centered around…when we disagree, knowing the importance of words and knowing how those words have an impact, how is it that we need to make sure that we’re articulating ourselves, articulating our ideas, so that we’re not being hurtful to others. And when we do have moments of disagreement that we first are seeking to understand, knowing that we are looking at this topic from different worldviews, from different backgrounds, from different experiences. I think having those things, those three things incorporated into the norms of conversation will significantly impact how I can help facilitate conversation. So, I don’t need to necessarily be in the conversation - I might be - but in facilitating that, I can help students to work through differences in a productive way.

Establishing Norms

Transcript: In this clip, Erin talks about creating a classroom culture in which discussion around difference is welcomed, and takes place in a respectful and affirming way.

Any activity or discussion that explores difference can make both students and teachers feel very vulnerable, especially if it touches upon topics that feel very personal to the participants.

For that reason, it is important to establish norms that will ensure that your classroom is a safe and respectful space for everyone.

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Example Norms

Transcript:

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Here is a list of possible norms to help make your classroom a safe space for all of your students - especially during discussions or activities that explore topics related to difference.

This list is far from exhaustive, but use it as a reference point to compare the list you came up with.

Obviously, the language of your discussion norms will need to be appropriate for the age and developmental level of the students you teach. Also, norms should be explicitly taught to students before they are expected to follow them.

Silvio

Introduction

Transcript: Meet Silvio. Silvio is a former middle school math and science teacher, and currently an administrator at a Title I elementary school with a large population of Latino students.

In this clip, you’ll see him respond to the following question from Section I of the resource:

How comfortable do you feel thinking and talking about difference?

Video Transcript: Silvio: So, I really like this question because it made me think about so many situations that I have experienced as a teacher, as an administrator, that…have really kind of checked me. And I mean that, like, in the hockey sense - like, just checked me against the boards and been like, “Whoa, I was not expecting that at all” because I thought I was comfortable, and then I had that moment happen, and I found myself not being comfortable because something I thought we had in common was a difference. And when I found that difference, it became…difficult.

As an administrator, I’ve interacted with so many students and so many families, and been into homes and had so many conversations…and again, I found myself saying, “I am comfortable interacting and having a conversations with individuals who I see as significantly different from myself.” And it was a moment where I sat down with a family, and they had a way of seeing learning - seeing reading and math - that was so different to my own, that it became difficult to have that kind of conversation. As a for example, when I would hear things like, “If you don’t do this, then you’re going to be grounded,” and “this” was homework, or learning, or reading, and it was just for the sake of getting it done. And I found myself re-evaluating and evaluating the way I perceive learning, and it was hard for me to hear a student hear that very same conversation because…there’s so much more to learning. There’s so much more to work, there’s so much more to the experience of school than just doing it for getting grounded. I love having conversations with students when they come into my office - for whatever they did around the school - because I do my best to make it a

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conversation. And, it was hard for me to see that it was a situation where a student had a misstep, and we approached this same situation in two very different ways.

Affirming Difference Despite Conflict

Transcript: Now, listen to Silvio explain how he attempts to affirm difference even in situations of disagreement or conflict.

Video Transcript: Silvio: I think one of the ways that I’ve done my best to do that this past year - and that I want to do moving forward - is asking more questions of families and students. Because it would be wrong of me to assume where that question is coming from… and I think that’s where my misstep comes from, is assuming the source of the question, or the consequence, or whatever I’m seeing in those situations. So the way I have stayed true to myself - or at least, I’ve tried to - is walking away from those conversations and remembering what my intent is with my students. And that’s, you know, making sure they understand that different isn’t “bad.” And although the kind of conversation we may have in my office may sound different than the one they may have at home, that doesn’t make the one they have at home or in the office better or worse; they’re different. And it’s combining those conversations that will lead to an understanding that I don’t even have. And I think in this coming year I want to be better about coming back to those students, coming back to my families who might say certain things or do certain things that I may not be comfortable with…coming back to them and asking how things are going. Asking how those consequences may have played out with that student. And sharing with them some of the things that I have seen as well at school.

INTERVIEWER: Like, sharing your perspectives?

Silvio: Absolutely.

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Relationship Building

Transcript: Throughout our interview with him, Silvio talked about the importance of relationship-building, and learning as much as possible from students and their families.

In this clip he talks about his time as a math teacher, and using knowledge of students to make content accessible to them.

Video Transcript: Silvio: My first year of teaching I had a student who was a struggle behaviorally, and we had a tough time together. And when I learned he had a passion for architecture and the idea of design - the idea of putting something together - I remember bringing that in to measurement, and the idea of teaching the importance of measurement – and using him as an expert in the classroom in talking about the importance of this lesson. And that wouldn’t have come to pass if I hadn’t had that conversation with him about what is his passion and what does he want to be down the road. That would be one, and I’d say the second would be with tutoring – having students who really struggle with multiplication, but who could – as my students and I would say – they could “ball” on the court. So we would talk about how they would know if they made three baskets inside the three-point line that was six points, but if they made three baskets behind the three-point line, it was nine points. Why is that the case? Because each of those baskets has a different value when you’re in a certain space. So once we saw that, we could then connect multiplication to something that’s important to them. And what was nice was showing them that there are other ways of seeing that very same thing using mathematical terms and using mathematical representations. Instead of using baskets, buckets, and lines, we could talk about cubes, bricks, blocks, whatever. So that when they got to a certain test that showed multiplication in a certain way, they wouldn’t be blindsided.

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Alisha

Introduction

Transcript: Meet Alisha. Alisha teaches a self-contained 8th grade class at a Title I elementary school with a large population of Latino students. She has decided to respond to this question from Section I of the resource:

How often do you reflect on biases you may possess, and the way they influence your perceptions of (and actions toward) others? Video Transcript: Alisha: The reason I chose that one is because it’s something that I’ve been hesitant to do because I think, at first, acknowledging you have weaknesses is kind of a scary thing when you’re trying to be in a pathway where you have to show confidence all the time - you have to exude it, right? If you’re in front of a class, in front of students…the general understanding of what a teacher is, like, the “knowledge holder” - the person that knows everything. They’re the one that can almost never be wrong, and when they’re wrong, it’s like this huge thing, it’s a big deal. So, I think that I obviously came in with, like, a little bit of that perception, and so even though I wanted to say, “It’s okay to make mistakes; it’s okay that I wasn’t right” - I’ve been told, it’s okay to say that, it’s okay to be human - there’s still a part of you that wants to pretend like you know what’s right, you know what’s best. So, I think it’s been the most challenging thing for me - to like, go back. I can sit there and acknowledge somebody else’s biases and archetypes - the ways that they’re struggling - but to acknowledge yourself, it’s definitely critical thinking on yourself. So, that was probably the area I’ve struggled the most as a teacher is like, acknowledging that I make mistakes. Not just that I make mistakes, but that they come from somewhere deeper than just, “Oh, I made a mistake in a conversation.” Or, I said something I shouldn’t have said. Or, like for example, I say “Hispanic” sometimes, and I don’t think about the fact that that’s deeply hurtful for some people. And there’s a reason - like a historical reason why it’s deeply painful and it hurts people, and I didn’t have that conversation with my students about why. And so I’ve started to think, “I need to have that conversation, I need to be engaged in that,” and have a way to know that it’s okay that I made that mistake. That I need to acknowledge it, and go from there. If I don’t reflect on that or acknowledge it or say it, then I’m not gonna change. I’m not gonna actually think about things in a deeper way. And I think that people are afraid to make mistakes, and people are afraid to be wrong because it might mean that there’s something deeply internal that they’ve got to change, and that’s a very difficult thing to do.

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Biases

Transcript: In her response, Alisha makes some powerful points about biases.

So, identifying and confronting one’s own biases is necessary, but it’s difficult to do.

Consider this question: How can we begin to identify our own biases, especially when they are often unconscious?

Pause and think, then click “Proceed” to hear Alisha’s response.

Video Transcript: Alisha: It definitely usually is unconscious, right? We don’t know that we’re doing something in the moment, and I think it’s being able to, like, acknowledge that if a student questions you, or somebody questions you, or reacts in a certain way, there might be something that you said. I think that coming from the perspective of, like, acknowledging that it might be something you did - even if, at first, your gut reaction’s like, “No, so-and-so did something that affected me.” Or, like, “This student behaved in this way and it affected me this way.” Or like, we always want to assert actions onto other people. I think it’s…to stop yourself in the moment and go, “Did I do something that caused this?” You may not have done anything that caused it, but if you can sit there and stop yourself - and, it can be exhausting - but each time think for a while, like, “Did I do something? Was there something I said? Was there some action I did that might have asserted something?” So, for example, I took a student outside one time that I was having issues with. And we were having a conversation, and the student was looking down at the ground. And I said, “Can you please look at me?” Like, look me in the eye. I already knew, though, that amongst, like, a lot of Latino populations that’s actually a sign of respect when you’re not looking somebody in the eye. And I just sat there and asserted my own view of what respect was - which is looking somebody in the eye - as the only way to show respect. And so, I had to stop myself in that moment and be, like, “I’m really sorry.” You know, “Do you think you were showing me respect?” and their response was, “Yes, of course.” So it’s acknowledging that in that moment I was actually asserting dominance on somebody, and like, doing a line of power on that person, and that’s not acceptable. Like, that was my fault. It didn’t matter that that student and I had a disagreement in the classroom. In that moment, the problem was on me.

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Chapter 7: Conclusion

Recap

Transcript: Let’s recap where we’ve been in this module.

You’ve learned what it means to operate with an affirmative attitude toward difference. You learned about the impact of cultural hegemony and assimilationist schooling, and how these and other forces can cause teachers to operate with a deficit perspective towards students and families. Finally, you learned how to reject a deficit perspective and affirm difference by reflecting on your own attitudes, learning about students, and building on background knowledge.

Final Words

Transcript: As you leave this module, we’d like to leave you with some final words from Alisha, one of the three interviewees.

Video Transcript: Alisha: I have really good relationships with my students, and it’s because I acknowledge them, I validate them, and I acknowledge that they have something to teach me as well as I have something to teach them. That it’s, like, both ways. And I think when you acknowledge that they have something powerful that they’re bringing to the table, as well as you have something powerful you’re bringing to the table, that becomes a relationship where it’s like, give. It’s mutualism. It’s not, like, one person dominates, one person tells you, one person

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controls things. You’re not there to control anything. You don’t need to control your students or their behavior. If you have a good, deep, authentic relationship with your students they are going to show you the same respect that you showed them.

affirming difference & valuing ... - sanford inspire · it is oriented toward social justice,...

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