{"id":3903,"date":"2019-01-09T16:05:59","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T22:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/?page_id=3903"},"modified":"2022-09-22T12:21:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T17:21:59","slug":"confident-classroom","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.close-button, .close-button:visited, .close-button:hover, .close-button:active {\n   background: white;\n   color: black !important;\n   padding: 1px;\n   margin: 0px;\n   margin-top: -20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"grid-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/academicaffairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2018\/12\/confident.jpg\" alt=\"impacts icon\" width=\"150\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Diversity.edu<\/li>\n<li>Adjunct Academy (contact <a href=\"mailto:lross@maryville.edu\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Laura Ross<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Attend workshops throughout the year<\/li>\n<li>Guest Speakers (Jeanine Capo Crucet recently)<\/li>\n<li>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/center-teaching-learning\/perspectives-week\/new-science-of-learning\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The New Science of Learning and Teaching the Whole Student<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Past Workshops:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Practice What We Preach<\/li>\n<li>Language and Power<\/li>\n<li>Tell Your Race Story<\/li>\n<li>Building Bridges<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<button class=\"small button\" data-open=\"exampleModal1\">Read Blog<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"reveal\" id=\"exampleModal1\" data-reveal>\n<p><strong>Student\/Faculty Dialogues: Building Bridges. Wednesday, February 22, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today, I had the honor of meeting several students who are Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPMulticultural Scholars. Eight students and eleven faculty members met in Gander Hall to discuss the student perspective of Diversity and Inclusion in Maryville\u2019s classrooms (also, they came for free lunch).<\/p>\n<p><strong>An eye-opening experience<\/strong><br \/>\nTo get started, Jesse Kavadlo asked us to form two groups: one faculty group and one student group. We were asked the question, \u201cWhat do you think students need in terms of Diversity and Inclusion in the classroom?\u201d The faculty group developed a list that included:<br \/>\n\u2022 Relatable cultural inclusivity examples<br \/>\n\u2022 A safe space so students feel comfortable reaching out to those outside of their own cultural group<br \/>\n\u2022 Support to underrepresented students so they feel they have a voice<\/p>\n<p>The students shared their list with faculty after we settled back into one large group with faculty and students interspersed.<\/p>\n<p>In describing their needs, the student list was not only more extensive, but their suggestions reflected years of experience and wisdom on the subject.<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nThe student list<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2022 Include current events from around the world in your class, regardless of your area<br \/>\n\u2022 Do not simply stick with the syllabus<br \/>\n\u2022 Get comfortable with being uncomfortable<br \/>\n\u2022 Inform and prepare yourself as a faculty member to have challenging conversations on current events<br \/>\n\u2022 Challenge students directly when something rude or incorrect is said<br \/>\n\u2022 Get past surface level conversation<br \/>\n\u2022 Provide allyship to students who are the underrepresented<br \/>\n\u2022 Be supportive in the moment, not just in an email or pulling aside after class<br \/>\n\u2022 Establish a \u201cbrave\u201d space<\/p>\n<p>To summarize this list, students are looking for <strong>more authentic relationships with their professors including support<\/strong>. They hope that their <strong>professors will form more authentic relationships with world events<\/strong>, and <strong>incorporate conversations and assignments about those events<\/strong> into their classroom.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tools<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter the lists were shared, the students offered suggestions of how to provide the type of support they are seeking. Some were teaching styles they have experienced, and some were helpful ideas:<br \/>\n1. <strong>Set the tone <\/strong>in class on the first day. Decide as a class what is <strong>acceptable and unacceptable language and behavior<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>2. While establishing the tone for your class, announce that your classroom is a <strong>\u201cbrave space\u201d rather than a \u201csafe space.\u201d<\/strong> Everyone in your class will feel uncomfortable at some point in their lives, and your classroom will offer an opportunity for your students to sort through these feelings in a supported environment.<\/p>\n<p>3.<strong> Uncomfortable is not the same as \u201cunsafe.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4. Professors should be prepared to <strong>correct rude, discriminatory, and factually incorrect comments in class<\/strong>. This approach is consistent with a recent statement made by Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP President Dr. Mark Lombardi:<br \/>\n\u201c\u2026 I can assure our international students, Muslim students, Jewish and Christian students and all others regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc that Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPwill be a safe and secure place to express your views and live your lives. We will not tolerate anyone who attempts to violate that principle through word or deed that is clearly designed to demean or intimidate people based on their identity and humanity. Should you believe that such intimidation is occurring, please contact the multitude of resources available to you in Student Life, Academic Success and Academic Affairs including, but not limited to, our Office of Diversity and Inclusion, our International Student Services and our Center for Civic Engagement and Democracy among others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>5. Students would like support from professors when something outside of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPaffects people of their cultural or racial group directly (ex: the travel ban on citizens of Muslim countries). <strong>Breaking the ice, and leading the elephant out of the room provides a sense of support for students who may be worried about their safety due to a particular event.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>6. While students do not want to be the \u201crepresentative\u201d of their particular racial, cultural, or religious group, the students agreed that acknowledgement is support. Remember that <strong>acknowledging that a student may be the \u201conly\u201d <u>privately<\/u> is generally considered supportive<\/strong>, not \u201csingling out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>7. Encourage all students to <strong>prepare themselves on controversial issues before class time<\/strong> so students more educated on the topic are not constantly trying to teach other students.<\/p>\n<p>8. When having conversations that may seem challenging for students and\/or faculty, <strong>deal in facts<\/strong>. Provide space and time for emotions, but separate the two for the sake for conversation. Give students context and examples that can explain a current event in a different light (ex: explain systematic racism using a video game analogy \u2013 white male is the lowest difficulty setting)<\/p>\n<p>9. If you know you will be discussing a topic that may be geared toward one particular group (ex: affirmative action and African American students), <strong>pull the student(s) in your class aside who may be underrepresented, and let them know that this may come up<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>10. When asked if approaching a student because of the color of their skin would be considered insensitive, the answer was, \u201cOnly if that is the first and\/or only interaction you have with that student. <strong>Establish trust with all students in your class <\/strong>first, and students will appreciate the opportunity to prepare for potential awkward conversations in class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>11. Diversity and Inclusion is for everyone; being surrounded by a diverse student body is one of the perks of going to college! <strong>Encourage your students to attend Diversity and Inclusion events<\/strong> so they can take advantage of the college experience. This one may seem out of your scope of expectation: \u201cHow can I know what events are going on? Student Engagement is not my responsibility.\u201d The uncomfortable conversations that faculty fear in the classroom would be minimized if students took responsibility for their own Diversity and Inclusion education. Perhaps you can offer extra credit for students who organize an outing, or announce campus events at the beginning of class.<\/p>\n<p>The faculty group pointed out that losing control of the classroom and saying something offensive or wrong are very real fears. \u201cThis is one reason we might stay silent on an issue,\u201d one faculty member pointed out. Another faculty member noted that she was so emotional during a current political topic, that she could not imagine opening up the door for the conversation. The students were understanding but not sympathetic. They feel that <strong>silence and avoidance are the same as lack of support<\/strong>. I interpreted their words to mean: instructors are still the authority figures in the room, and we are responsible for figuring out ways to meaningfully incorporate and discuss world events. Avoiding topics should not be an option.<\/p>\n<p>The students during the \u201cFaculty\/Student Dialogues: Building Bridges\u201d were so impressive and open; the faculty members were entirely engaged and ready to learn what these young people wanted to share.<\/p>\n<p>Additional Reading:<br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tolerance.org\/article\/racism-and-white-privilege\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.tolerance.org\/article\/racism-and-white-privilege<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tolerance.org\/blog\/when-educators-understand-race-and-racism\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.tolerance.org\/blog\/when-educators-understand-race-and-racism<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.intergroupresources.com\/rc\/Definitions%20of%20Racism.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.intergroupresources.com\/rc\/Definitions%20of%20Racism.pdf<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ajeforum.com\/the-difference-between-educational-equality-equityand-justice-and-why-it-matters-by-joseph-levitan\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.ajeforum.com\/the-difference-between-educational-equality-equityand-justice-and-why-it-matters-by-joseph-levitan\/<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/ali-owens\/4-problematic-statements-whitepeople-make-about-race_b_9212864.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/ali-owens\/4-problematic-statements-whitepeople-make-about-race_b_9212864.html<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.debbyirving.com\/the-book\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.debbyirving.com\/the-book\/<\/a> (the CTL will reimburse you for this<br \/>\nbook)<\/p>\n<p>  <button class=\"close-button\" data-close aria-label=\"Close modal\" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n    <span aria-hidden=\"true\">&times;<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>Diversity and Inclusion Task Force sessions<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<a class=\"small button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/center-teaching-learning\/perspectives-week\/diversity-and-inclusion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn More<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/center-teaching-learning\/faculty-learn\/real-week\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">REAL 2018<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/center-teaching-learning\/perspectives-week\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Perspectives Week 2018<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sharing-default-minimal post-bottom\"><div class=\"nectar-social default\" data-position=\"\" data-rm-love=\"0\" data-color-override=\"override\"><div class=\"nectar-social-inner\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"nectar-love\" id=\"nectar-love-3903\" title=\"Love this\"> <i class=\"icon-salient-heart-2\"><\/i><span class=\"love-text\">Love<\/span><span class=\"total_loves\"><span class=\"nectar-love-count\">0<\/span><\/span><\/a><a class='facebook-share nectar-sharing' href="#" title='Share this'> <i class='fa fa-facebook'><\/i> <span class='social-text'>Share<\/span> <\/a><a class='twitter-share nectar-sharing' href="#" title='Tweet this'> <i class='fa fa-twitter'><\/i> <span class='social-text'>Tweet<\/span> <\/a><a class='linkedin-share nectar-sharing' href="#" title='Share this'> <i class='fa fa-linkedin'><\/i> <span class='social-text'>Share<\/span> <\/a><a class='pinterest-share nectar-sharing' href="#" title='Pin this'> <i class='fa fa-pinterest'><\/i> <span class='social-text'>Pin<\/span> <\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diversity.edu Adjunct Academy (contact Laura Ross) Attend workshops throughout the year Guest Speakers (Jeanine Capo Crucet recently) Learn more about The New Science of Learning and Teaching the Whole Student &nbsp; Past Workshops: Practice What We Preach Language and Power Tell Your Race Story Building Bridges &nbsp; Read Blog Student\/Faculty Dialogues: Building Bridges. Wednesday, February<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\">&#8230; read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1495,"featured_media":0,"parent":3761,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-full-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3903","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.1 (Yoast SEO v24.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom - Academic Affairs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Diversity.edu Adjunct Academy (contact Laura Ross) Attend workshops throughout the year Guest Speakers (Jeanine Capo Crucet recently) Learn more about The New Science of Learning and Teaching the Whole Student &nbsp; Past Workshops: Practice What We Preach Language and Power Tell Your Race Story Building Bridges &nbsp; Read Blog Student\/Faculty Dialogues: Building Bridges. Wednesday, February... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Academic Affairs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-22T17:21:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\",\"name\":\"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom - Academic Affairs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-09T22:05:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-22T17:21:59+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Diversity &#038; Inclusion\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/\",\"name\":\"Academic Affairs\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom - Academic Affairs","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom","og_description":"Diversity.edu Adjunct Academy (contact Laura Ross) Attend workshops throughout the year Guest Speakers (Jeanine Capo Crucet recently) Learn more about The New Science of Learning and Teaching the Whole Student &nbsp; Past Workshops: Practice What We Preach Language and Power Tell Your Race Story Building Bridges &nbsp; Read Blog Student\/Faculty Dialogues: Building Bridges. Wednesday, February... read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/","og_site_name":"Academic Affairs","article_modified_time":"2022-09-22T17:21:59+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/","url":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/","name":"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom - Academic Affairs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-01-09T22:05:59+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-22T17:21:59+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/confident-classroom\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Diversity &#038; Inclusion","item":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/diversity-inclusion\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Become more confident in facilitating discourse in the classroom"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/","name":"Academic Affairs","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1495"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3903"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4964,"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3903\/revisions\/4964"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/academicaffairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}