creating a call-in culture for deepening equity · 2017-09-01 · creating a call-in culture for...
TRANSCRIPT
SANTA MONICA COLLEGE
Creating a Call-in Culture For
Deepening Equity Grounding Our Community of Discourse
Facilitated By Veronica Neal, Ed.D. | [email protected]
7/31/2017
In this workshop we will explore the importance of building authentic communities where we can explore the challenges and opportunities of our equity
work by applying the tools of a “calling in” culture.
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WELCOME AND OVERVIEW
Workshop Objectives/Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
Articulate the difference between call-in and call-out culture
Identify barriers to “true” community
Begin identifying approaches to creating a call-in culture
Practice calling-in
Facilitator Starting Assumptions:
• There will be more questions than answers
• This is an ongoing learning process
• We are equals/peers in this learning space, working together for student success
• Our values, cultural identities, and past experiences matter … They are in the room!
• Conflict is always possible; expect intrapersonal discomfort.
• We are all prejudiced; prejudice is learned and can be unlearned.
• We are here to learn from each other
Four-Fold Way:
Summarized by Michael Welp, Ph.D., www.equalvoice.com
1. Show up, or choose to be present.
2. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.
3. Tell the truth without blame or judgment.
4. Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.
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PERSONAL CONTRACTING
I, _____________________________________________________
Understand that it is okay to be imperfect with regard to my understanding of people who are different
from me.
I give myself permission to reveal ignorance and misunderstanding.
I give myself permission to struggle with these issues and to be open and honest about my feelings.
I am a product of my culture, upbringing, environment, and experiences, and “I am who I am” – perfectly
imperfect. I do not have to feel guilty about what I believe, but do take responsibility for:
__ Letting go of my role of teacher in this space and opening to my role as learner,
__ Accepting as much new information and knowledge as I can, and
__ Challenging myself to examine my assumptions and beliefs.
__ I grant myself permission to accept and appreciate the other members of the group as they also
struggle with these issues and to be open and honest about their feelings.
__ I agree to respect the confidentiality of all the personal information shared in both our small and large
group work.
___ Today, I am committed to working on the following areas:
___________________________________ _______________________________________
_____________________________________Signature
Adapted with permission for educational use only from Professional Development Group, Inc. 1993 ©
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NAME STORIES ACTIVITY
◦ What is the story of your first, middle, or last name?
◦ Who gave you your name? Why?
◦ What is the ethnic origin of your name?
◦ What are your nicknames, if any?
◦ What do you prefer to be called?
Pavilion; retrieved: January 29, 2013;
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/name.html
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CREATING SHARED LANGUAGE
Diversity:
Equity:
Equality:
Social Justice:
Inclusion:
Socially Justice Inclusion:
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DEEPENING PERSONAL EQUITY
Equity Literacy Abilities (Adapted from Gorski, 2014)
Instructions: On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “poor” and 5 being “excellent,” how would you rate
your equity literacy skills? Please explain your responses.
Ability to RECOGNIZE biases and inequities, including subtle biases and inequities in self,
others, curriculum, and school practices.
Ability to RESPOND to micro-aggressions, biases and inequities in the immediate term.
Ability to REDRESS biases and inequities in the long-term.
Ability to CREATE and SUSTAIN a bias-free and equitable learning environment.
Ability to APPLY an equity cognitive-frame to individual and institutional practices.
” Equity Pedagogy intends to challenge fundamental societal
structures of inequity by equipping students [and employees] with
basic skills [i.e., equity literacy abilities] which will help them
be facilitators for social change
[as well as collective and individual success].”
Adapted from Reference: http://educ533group3equitypedagogy.weebly.com/
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INTRA, INTER, AND INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMIC THAT DISRUPT
EQUITABLE INCLUSION
Unconscious Bias
“Unconscious bias applies to how we perceive other people. We are all biased and
becoming aware of our biases will help us mitigate them in our work [with
students].” – NX Leaders (2012)
Unconscious Bias
Personal Example:
Micro-aggressions (vebal/explicit): Micro-insults, Micro-assaults, and Micro-invalidations
Personal Examples:
Micro-messages (often nonverbal/implicit): Micro-inequities and Micro-affirmations
Personal Examples:
MICRO-MESSAGES (ROWE, 2008)
Characteristics: Small, often unconscious, unspoken, actions, which are constantly sent and received.
Micro-Inequities: Micro-inequities have a powerful impact on the target and create a sense of exclusion,
disrespect and a feeling of being unwanted whereas micro-affirmations do the reverse.
Examples of Micro-inequities: Eye rolling, looking away during an important point, ignoring someone,
not greeting someone, interrupting, disregarding, discounting, etc.
Micro-affirmations communicate inclusion, trust, respect, genuine willingness to see another’s
perspective and contributions.
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COGNITIVE FRAMES SHAPE OUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS… HOW?
Cognitive Frames Are Culturally Bond And Learned Overtime…
Become Embedded In Our Neural Pathways… And Shape Our Thinking
Organize Our Understanding Of Large Amounts Of Information And Experiences
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CONNECTING CONCEPTS:
BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS
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CREATING A CALL-IN CULTURE
Calling Out
Call-out culture refers to the tendency among progressives, radicals, activists, and community
organizers to publicly name instances or patterns of oppressive behavior and language use by
others. People can be called out for statements and actions that are sexist, racist, ableist, and the
list goes on. Because call-outs tend to be public, they can enable a particularly armchair and
academic brand of activism: one in which the act of calling out is seen as an end in itself…
In the context of call-out culture, it is easy to forget that the individual we are calling out is a
human being, and that different human beings in different social locations will be receptive to
different strategies for learning and growing… One action becomes a reason to pass judgment on
someone’s entire being, as if there is no difference between a community member or friend and a
random stranger walking down the street (who is of course also someone’s friend).
Call-out culture can end up mirroring what the prison industrial complex teaches us about crime
and punishment: to banish and dispose of individuals rather than to engage with them as people
with complicated stories and histories…
http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/guide-to-calling-in/
Calling In
“Calling in as a practice of loving each other enough to allow each other to make mistakes; a
practice of loving ourselves enough to know that what we’re trying to do here is a radical
unlearning of everything we have been configured to believe is normal.”- Ngọc Loan Trần
http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2013/12/calling-less-disposable-way-holding-accountable/
by Ngọc Loan Trần; nloantran.com.
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CALLING-IN STARTERS
By Dr. Veronica Neal (2015)
1. Appreciation
“Thank you for sharing that… I am sure that wasn’t easy to say…”
“Thank you for having the courage to sharing a different view…”
“I appreciation your honesty… “
2. Affirmation
“I can see that this really matters to you… “
“I understand that you care deeply for our students; we have that in
common…”
“I am glad you are engaged in this dialogue, which isn’t easy…”
3. Invitation
“I would love to hear more about your perspective on this…”
“Are you open to having a longer conversation?”
“I would like to share my perspective…, are you open to hearing that right
now?”
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CALL IN PROTOCAL
Step 1. Identify if a micro or macro-aggression or micro-message has occurred. Determine how to address the
issue, using the following questions:
1. Who should do the calling-in?
2. Is it target-centered?
3. Have you identified the appropriate balance between addressing the issue as an individual problem and as a
systemic one?
4. Do you have the time and the emotional resources to engage in a dialogue…If not now, when?
5. What are your desired outcomes? Are you comfortable stating them aloud?
Step 2. Consider your personal role, cultural capital, power, and degree of risk. What can you do based on
your positionality?
1. How would you approach the subject with this individual?
2. What would your mindset be?
3. How would you open the conversation?
4. What questions would you ask?
5. How would you communicate your perceptions and how you felt about the specific situation?
6. What outcomes would you expect?
7. How would you communicate your expectations?
8. What type of follow-up will there be?
Step 3. To pursue the ideal outcome, you may want to think about some of the following questions:
1. What does the person(s) harmed need?
2. Are there other community members (such as bystanders or members of the same marginalized group) who
have been impacted? What do they need?
3. In what ways does the culture of this community support this behavior?
4. Does the person harmed feel safe in community with the person who caused harm?
5. Is the person who harmed willing to learn and change their behavior?
Adapted from Things We Need to Consider When Choosing Between Calling Someone Out or Calling Them In; Johnson (2015);
Resource: Activity Developed by the Network Exchange for Women (2012); Things We Need to Consider When Choosing
Between Calling Somone Out or Calling Them In; Johnson (2015).
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RESOURCES
SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND OUR COLLEAGUES
Spend time thinking ahead about how you will react to strong emotions when they arise. Look at the table
below. Add additional emotions you think may emerge, and list potential response strategies.
Brainstorm:
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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS AND BALANCING POWER
Cultural Patters in Racial Discourse
Adapted from “Courageous Conversations About Race” by Singleton, G., & Linton, C. (2006)
White Talk/Dominate Discourse Color Commentary/Marginalized Voices
Verbal
Values placed on expressing oneself and
consciously or unconsciously controlling the
dialogue.
Example: who speaks first, longest, and most
often
Impersonal/Formal
Typically spoken in third person and prone to
explain opinion through use of other people’s
stories/exp.
Example: “I am married to a person of color
who things that…I grew up around Asians and
they said… I studied abroad and found that
culture… ”
Intellectual- Abstract Conceptual
Reasoning/Logic
Dialogue is more abstract and disconnected
from immediate and local reality; Example:
“Statistics say… Does the data really say that it
is because of… I once read that… The research
suggests…”
Task Oriented
Organized around the need “to do” something
and to find solutions may be hold less value in
introspection and storytelling.
Example: “When are we going to get to
action… What do you want me to do… Give
me strategies…”
Nonverbal
Characterized by silent respect for as well as
disconnect from the one talking and/or
positional/cultural authority.
Example: Folded arms, silence, sighs, rolling
of the eyes, refusal to offer direct eye contact
Personal
Example: Spoken in first person, value place
upon sharing one’s own story; “The police
pulled me over… As a Chicano, I don’t feel
respected by my peers… People assume that I
will be silent and just agree because I am
Asian
Emotional
Dialogue centered on an immediate and local
racial reality. More value placed on
qualitative analysis and feelings.
Example: “I don’t feel as though you like or
respect me as a Black instructor… I don’t feel
safe or support…
Process Oriented
Organized around the need for respect,
validation, and affirmation. Developing trust
in others occurs through the examination of
racial attitudes and beliefs in public from both
a personal and group perspective.
Example: “How do you feel about this Latino
student? How do you believe students of color
feel about you as a teacher? What is the
impact of having a majority white identified
faculty have on the culture of the campus?
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ENGAGEMENT PEDAGOGIES: KEEPING THE CONVERSATION
GOING
From Teaching Tolerance Let's Talk! Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics With Students;
http://www.tolerance.org/lets-talk
Part of developing skills for facilitating conversations about race and racism with your students is
equipping them with strategies they can use themselves. Some pedagogical approaches can help students
learn to sit with their discomfort and learn to moderate that discomfort over time. Below are two
approaches that Teaching Tolerance recommends:
1. Reiterate. Contemplate. Respire. Communicate. (RCRC). Explain these steps as a method for
communicating while feeling difficult emotions. These steps are not intended to move students away
from their emotions, but instead are tools to help them self-regulate.
Step 1: Reiterate. Restate what you heard. This step will enable students to reflect upon what they
have heard as opposed to what they think they may have heard. Repeating what they have heard
limits miscommunication and misinformation.
Step 2: Contemplate. Count to 10 before responding. Students can think about their responses and
use the time to compose what they want to say. Taking the time to think about their responses
moves students away from immediate emotional responses that can potentially derail the
conversation.
Step 3: Respire. Take a breath to check in with yourself. Suggesting students breathe before
responding may help them settle their thoughts and emotional responses during difficult
conversations. (See below for Peace Meditation as a respire option)
Step 4: Communicate. Speak with compassion and thoughtfulness. Students should do their best
to speak to their peers as they want to be spoken to, assume good intentions and seek
understanding. Explain that, when they disagree with something someone has said, they should
focus on challenging the statement rather than the person who said it.
2. Check in with students. In order to stay on top of students' feelings of safety, risk, trust and comfort, it
is important to monitor the emotional temperature in the classroom and check in with students about how
they are feeling. This awareness will assist you in knowing when to stop and address strong emotions
students may be experiencing.* Checking in nonverbally to gauge students’ comfort levels allows all
students to participate without being singled out or put on the spot. Try some of the following ideas:
Fist-to-Five. You can quickly gauge a number of things—readiness, mood, comprehension—by
asking students to give you a “fist-to-five” signal with their hands:
o Fist: I am very uncomfortable and cannot move on.
o One finger: I am uncomfortable and need some help before I can move on.
o Two fingers: I am a little uncomfortable, but I want to try to move on.
o Three fingers: I am not sure how I’m feeling.
o Four fingers: I am comfortable enough to move on.
o Five fingers: I am ready to move on full steam ahead!
Stoplight. Use the colors of a traffic light to indicate student readiness and comfort. Throughout
the lesson, you can ask students if they are green, yellow or red. Students can also utilize the “red
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light” as a way to request a break or a stop when they are feeling strong emotions or have been
triggered.
o Green: I am ready to proceed.
o Yellow: I can proceed but feel hesitant about moving forward.
o Red: I do not want to move on yet.
*Note: You may not be able to provide complete safety for some students—particularly students who are
members of marginalized, non-dominant or targeted identity groups. It is also true that an overemphasis
on identity risks reducing the diverse realities of our students’ lived experiences in and outside of school.
3. Allow students time and space to debrief: Everyone engaged in an emotionally charged conversation
needs support systems in place to allow for the safe “discharge” of residual emotions. Students may have
thoughts or questions that arise once they have left your classroom. Provide them with the opportunity to
debrief what they are learning and their experience of learning it. Two strategies are listed below:
Talking Circles. Gather in a circle and create, or review, the norms that will help build trust in the
Circle. Select an object of significance to serve as a talking piece that signals participants to
engage equally in the discussion. Whoever holds the talking piece can speak, while the rest of the
Circle listens to and supports the speaker. Pose a question or statement to begin the discussion. It
could be as simple as, “How do you feel about today’s lesson?” As the facilitator or Circle
Keeper, you will participate as an equal member of the group. As students become familiar with
the process, consider inviting them to be Circle Keepers. (Source: Amy Vatne Bintliff, “Talking
Circles for Restorative Justice and Beyond.”)
Journaling. Personal reflection through writing can be extremely effective for debriefing after
difficult conversations. Journaling can help students process their emotions on their own terms
and at their own pace. Journals can be kept private or can serve as a space where you dialogue
with students by writing back and forth.