*If this is your first time doing a BARWE discussion group, we recommend starting with the August 2018 materials. If this is your first year doing this series, we recommend that you follow the 2018-19 Inquiry Series 1 Discussion Guides. Here is this month’s guide from Inquiry Series 1.
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Overview
Implicit bias is something that all people have. We get messages from all areas of society about who is smart, who is good, and who to be afraid of. It is important that educators explore their own implicit biases and work to challenge them in the classroom. As part of this inquiry series, we are particularly focused on how implicit bias ingrained in White educators contributes to anti-Black racism in classrooms and schools. The first step of this process is recognition of our biases, and through critical reflection, over time and with support, we can work to change our actions to make our classrooms more just.
This month’s reading is a website put together by the MIT Teaching Systems Lab. We encourage participants to read the website before meeting in order to think about why bias matters, how bias can surface in teaching, and how schools and educators can improve. We suggest you use the video created by Race Forward (about a third of the way down on the site) to start off your group inquiry meeting this month. In the video, young Black high school students describe their experiences dealing with implicit bias from their teachers and schools. Note, the video ends with the students asking what they can do to foster change. We believe the answer lies not with the students' behaviors but with our own thoughts and actions that are affecting their educational opportunities and experiences.
This month’s reading is a website put together by the MIT Teaching Systems Lab. We encourage participants to read the website before meeting in order to think about why bias matters, how bias can surface in teaching, and how schools and educators can improve. We suggest you use the video created by Race Forward (about a third of the way down on the site) to start off your group inquiry meeting this month. In the video, young Black high school students describe their experiences dealing with implicit bias from their teachers and schools. Note, the video ends with the students asking what they can do to foster change. We believe the answer lies not with the students' behaviors but with our own thoughts and actions that are affecting their educational opportunities and experiences.
Primary Articles
- Primary Video: Race Forward video
- Primary Article: Unconscious Bias in Teaching
Guiding Questions
- How do our implicit biases affect our students?
- What racist ideas lie behind our implicit biases?
- How does implicit bias play out in your school or work setting?
- How can we identify and challenge implicit biases in our own practices?
Additional Readings
Facilitation Information
- Set a day and time for your group to meet - during lunch, before school, after school, whatever works best for participants. Make sure to send reminders. Also, snacks are always a good idea!
- Send this month’s Primary Article to your group. You could even send this to a broader group of your colleagues - maybe it will pique someone’s interest! Also look through the additional readings to see if there is another reading that might be better suited to your group and its interests.
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol. Choose the protocol that works best for your group in this month. If you have a large group, maybe ask a colleague to help facilitate.
- Pass the Hat at the end of your discussion and collect donations for Journey 4 Justice this month.
- Complete the Feedback Form.
- Prepare yourself for November by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on November 1st.
Feedback Form
We want to know who is using these resources, what they find useful, and any recommendations for improvements in the future. We hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.
Here are a few takeaways from previous meetings:
Thank you all for you feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Here are a few takeaways from previous meetings:
- “Always such thought-provoking readings that pack a punch”
- "I'm...working this year on creating a more positive and empowered classroom environment where we all work together to hold one another accountable for exploring systems of privilege and power in U.S. History without shutting down/giving into white fragility."
- “We're really feeling our 7th Agreement--making commitments to take outside of the space that lead to anti-racist changes in our lives and at school!”
Thank you all for you feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass the Hat
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month, we encourage you to donate to Journey 4 Justice, an organization founded and run by Black educators and organizers which aims to create more racially just school systems.
If you are looking to buy refreshments for your session, we recommend supporting businesses owned by people of color, especially Black-owned businesses, if at all possible. In Philly, we recommend Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Franny Lou’s Porch, and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month, we encourage you to donate to Journey 4 Justice, an organization founded and run by Black educators and organizers which aims to create more racially just school systems.
If you are looking to buy refreshments for your session, we recommend supporting businesses owned by people of color, especially Black-owned businesses, if at all possible. In Philly, we recommend Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Franny Lou’s Porch, and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
