Session 51: Applying Our Knowledge Debrief
21 minutes
discussion-based
Purpose
Previously, participants spent time considering how identity and unconscious bias impact their classroom and teaching practice. This scenario is intended to provide participants with a space to apply their learning about bias, identity, and inclusion to an every day classroom scenario.
Objectives
- Participants can describe how their identity, experiences, and beliefs shape how they see their role as a computer science teacher.
- Participants can describe the influence they have over culture and student success in a computer science classroom.
Supplies & Prep
Room Setup:
- Full Cohort
Facilitator Supplies and Prep:
Teacher Materials:
- Computer
- Journal
Agenda
Identity and Classroom Scenario (21 minutes)
Facilitation Guide
Identity and Classroom Scenario (21 minutes)
Facilitator Tip
Remind participants that the phrase “I need more information” is not allowed in this conversation at this point. They should interpret the scene with the information they do have. You might need to remind participants of this frequently during these conversations.
(3 minutes) Activity
Remarks
You began reading a classroom scenario during the last asynchronous session. We are going to continue the scenario now.
As a reminder, the students are: James: James is a white male Senior who you had last year in pre-calc. In your class last year James earned high grades and mostly turned in his work on time. He tended to be a bit more of a “follower” when it came to group work in pre-calc. Simone: Simone is a Black female student who is also a Senior. You just met her this year. * Miranda: Miranda is Latina female student and a Junior. You coached her on the track team for the last two years and finally convinced her to take CSP. You don’t know her much as a student in the classroom, but on the track team she is one of your fastest runners and someone the team looks up to.
Let us continue:
(2 minutes) The conversation continues
Again, allow participants time to read this interaction silently.
- Miranda (to James): Where did 2 come from?
- Simone: The directions say we are supposed to list them out.
- Miranda: That is what the directions say, I think we should start with all circles like we did when we just had two places. Miranda draws three circles on the first line of her paper.
- Simone: Puts aside the manipulatives and draws three circles on her paper.
- Simone: Then we can do all squares next, like we did before with two shapes.
- Miranda: That sounds right. Both Miranda and Simone draw out all squares on the next line
- James: Writes down the numbers 1-16 on the paper and starts filling in rows with shapes. You notice he is on row 8.
- Miranda: I guess we can do two squares and one circle next…
- Simone: Sure. Then two circles and one square…
(18 minutes) Facilitator-Led Debrief
| Question | Discussion Goal |
|---|---|
| (2 minutes) Would you as the teacher intervene in this situation at all? If no:
(7 minutes) Full group share out |
The goal here is to consider what power the teacher has to influence classroom culture. Once again, as a teacher you make split-second decisions in the classroom. The point here is to slow down this decision making process and think about how and why teachers are making decisions. In reality, we know no teacher spends 2 minutes deciding to intervene or not. Again, our identities and experiences will influence our decisions in the classroom - this is one type of decision that may be impacted by our identities and experiences. |
(2 minutes) Think back to the aspects of your identity you shared earlier and how those identities shaped your experiences as a learner and as a person.
(6 minutes) Full group share out. |
This is designated time to focus on the relationship between identity and experiences to our understanding of our classrooms and our decisions we make in classrooms. We want to hear that different participants made different decisions or drew different conclusions because, in part, they had different experiences and identities that informed their perceptions of the scenario. |
Facilitator Tip
It may be helpful to model how participants answer these questions as well as model what vulnerability looks like. For example, you might say “I saw this interaction as insert adjective, because as a insert an aspect of your identity here who has experienced insert an experience here.”
Remarks
(1 minute) As a teacher, you are making many choices simultaneously. Sometimes those choices are based on the misconceptions students might have about the content and other times it might be purely based on a classroom management decision. In this scenario, we wanted to slow down the everyday decisions you make and take an equity lens to these decisions. We know in reality you would never spend this much time deciding to intervene in a class and examine how identity and bias might play a role in this decision. But that’s why we wanted to practice taking this lens to this every day situation together. It is important to recognize that you do have a responsibility and a role in creating an inclusive classroom culture. Likewise, it is important to understand that your identities and experiences inform your understanding of the interactions in your classroom.