Polytechnic Inclusive Classroom Practices

Polytechnic School
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee
Seattle Girls’ School
Beyond the Why and Into the How:
Inclusive Classroom Practices
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://tiny.cc/rosettalee)
Handout: tiny.cc/classroompractices

About Seattle Girls’ School

Agenda
 Experience Across Difference
 Increasing Inclusivity in the
Classroom and Beyond
 Developmentally Appropriate Work
 Questions and Answers

Dimensions of Identity and Culture
This model of identifiers and culture was created by Karen Bradberry and Johnnie Foreman for NAIS Summer Diversity Institute,
adapted from Loden and Rosener’s Workforce America! (1991) and from Diverse Teams at Work, Gardenswartz & Rowe (SHRM 2003).

The Jones Model of Cultural Competence
Cultural Self-
Awareness
Cultural
Intelligence
Cross-Cultural
Effectiveness
Skills
Countering
Oppression
through
Inclusion

Experiences Across Difference
Internalized Oppression/Dominance
Stereotype Threat
Accumulated Impact/
Microaggressions
Code/Mode Switching
Implicit and Unconscious Bias
Fish Seeing the Water
“Normal” versus “Good”
“Intent” versus “Impact”

What Can We Do
to Increase Inclusion and
Responsiveness?
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee (http://sites.google.com/site/sgsprofessionaloutreach/)
- Increasing Trust
- Distinguishing
Behaviors
- Overcoming History
and Impact
tiny.cc/classroompractices

Do You See Me?
- Representation on the
Walls
- Representation in the
Curriculum
- Interest in Personal
Story (Sharing of
Personal Story)
- Interactions In and Out
of the Classroom
- Demonstration of Care

Do You Hear Me?
- - Incorporation of Prior
Knowledge and Experience
- - Seeking and Responding
to Student Feedback
- - Student Choice in the
Curriculum
- - Empathy Reflex
- - Authoritative Discipline

Will You Treat Me Fairly?
- Clear and High
Expectations
- Equal Discipline and
Rewards
- Support in Struggle and
Push in Success
- Consistent and
Predictable Assessment
- Different Kinds of
Success

- Understanding of
Identity and Experience
- Interruption of Exclusive
or Oppressive Behavior
- Teaching and
Discussing Cultural and
Power Difference
- Encouragement of and
Practice with
Collaboration
Will You Protect Me?

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Process Break
What is interesting,
surprising, or thought
provoking about what you
have learned so far?

Developmentally Appropriate
Diversity Work

Timeline for Early Awareness of
Difference and Oppression
Age Signs
6 months Can discern racial feature differences
3 years Awareness of own and others’ gender.
Beginning awareness of gender roles
5 years Desire to categorize – self, others
Curiosity about meaning of differences
Aware of biases
7 years Can regulate biases versus behaviors
Starting to parrot adult messages
3rd grade Are aware of societal stereotypes
5th grade Have internalized stereotypical messages

When They’re Little
Theme: Trying to Understand the World
 Curiosity based questions about difference
 Find out what they’re actually asking
 Find out why they’re asking
 Answer their questions straightforwardly
 Model and coach humility, delight, and
curiosity about difference
 Be mindful of children’s media – it’s not
always good for kids

Curricular Approaches
 Exposure Base
 Allowing Questions
 Gentle Guidance
 Modeling Comfort With Discussions
 Expanding Definition of What’s Possible
 Fairness, Kindness, and Rightness

Examples
 The Black Santa Story
 The Jackie Robinson Story
 What Makes a Family?
 Alternate Fairy Tales
 Dress-Up Corner
 Guest Speakers That Defy Stereotypes

The Middle Years
Theme: Who Am I? How Do I Have Power?
 “Friendship Extinction Event”
 Identity search through grouping
 Good and bad cliques
 Open their horizons about identity
 Be steady through their rollercoaster
 Coach more, teach less

In the Later Years
Theme: My Future Place in the World
 Gender and sexuality stereotypes
 Power play through social status
 The role of inclusivity in their college,
professional, and personal lives
 Charging them to “practice for the real thing”
 Define values and boundaries, then accept
that they will push
 Be their consultant

Curricular Approaches
 Experiential And Discovery Base
 Facilitating Questions and Discussions
 Media Literacy
 Patterns and Systems
 Values and Actions
 Autonomy and Choice
 Justice and Activism

Examples
 Products of Puberty
 Barbie Math
 Nacirema
 What’s So Funny?
 Video Documentary Project
 Pay It Forward
 Data Manipulations
 Problem-Solving Through Coding
 The Scholar’s Club
 Teaching Younger Youth
 Correlation versus Causation Reasoning

Parents: Partners or Foes?

What Parents Fear and
What We Can Do About It
 “I don’t have any language around this…”
 “I want to protect their innocence…”
 “Are you teaching my kids values?”
 “I don’t want my kid to feel spotlighted…”
 “How will this get my kid into college?”
 Heads Up Communication
 Resources and Language
 Clear Reiteration of Mission and Values
 Research and Your Expertise
 Explicit Communication of Parents’ Roles

Stretching the Inclusive Boundaries

Presenter Information
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee
6th Faculty and
Professional Outreach
Seattle Girls’ School
2706 S Jackson Street
Seattle WA 98144
(206) 805-6562
rlee@seattlegirlsschool.org
http://tiny.cc/rosettalee

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