Education United States Project #624

Making Learning Joyfully Rigorous for Students

by Center for Inspired Teaching

Project Report | Jul 16, 2018
Teacher Feature: Ms. Jones

By Tess Gann | Communications Associate

Asia Jones is a 2016 Inspired Teaching Fellow and 1st grade teacher at Eagle Academy PCS. This spring, she sat down with Inspired Teaching to discuss how she incorporates topics related to social justice into her classroom to help her students become activists.

You’ve implemented social justice curriculum in your classroom; can you share your experience approaching and executing lessons with your students?

When my mentor and I decided to teach activism, we wanted to teach students about black history that is relevant to now. We thought about Black Lives Matter in general and how we could apply those themes to our classroom to make our class a better space for learning and increase the students’ self esteem around their identity. Every student in my class is black. I taught them about historical black activists and about the change they made and their reason for wanting to make change as well as the challenges they faced. We learned about the traits a good activist must posses, so the students could learn about ways they can be an activists in their class and school.

The students were most engaged during whole-class discussions. Students who are usually reluctant to engage in class activities even expressed enjoyment about learning about the figures. Some kids told me, “I like learning about activism.” One student who is normally disengaged in other units was particularly interested, even creating activism artwork in his free time. Students told their parents, grandparents, and families. One student told his grandparents that he was learning about activism and they said, “what’s that?” This was a great example of student as expert and the students are going home and influencing their communities and families.

How have you dealt with the controversial nature of teaching topics related to social justice?

We did have some controversy. When I first put up the bulletin board for the unit, I put up “Black Lives Matter” so the students could commit to the movement and process. I immediately got an email from my principal and I had to defend my position of incorporating Black Lives Matter in my class. The administration was not immediately supportive, but I did get a lot of support from other teachers in the school and community. A lot of parents would stop in and tell me they thought it was cool I was encouraging my students in this way, and some teachers brought their classes by our board to sign their names.

How have you advocated for what you know to be best for your students?

I just stood my ground. I knew this was something I thought was important to teach them so I wasn’t wavering. I was going to find a way to satisfy my principle. So I sent in my plans and said I want to instill self esteem, advocacy, and the “want” to be better in my students and I felt like this could be a learning experience that would yield these outcomes. Then, I went with it. Of course, I informed administration of how the unit aligned with content standards.

As an Inspired Teacher, why do you feel it is so critical to teach these lessons?

It’s important to teach activism to students, young students, so they can think about how they truly can make a difference. Instead of thinking they need to accept society, I wanted to teach activism because my students are imaginative and can really envision themselves as activists. I also wanted to teach it because of the community they live in, because of their backgrounds, and because I wanted them to have more pride in their identities. Those were the main motivators. I taught activism in the context of our school. We named several problems we noticed in the school and then voted on the factor most preventing us from learning, which they identified as disrespectful and disruptive behaviors in the school. We decided to be activists in our community and set out to change, which started by changing their own behavior. Throughout the unit, we really unpacked the characteristics and tactics of the activists we studied to apply that to how they will influence their community. I honestly believe they feel empowered.

How have your students responded? What have been their reactions?

This is going to be something that they remember for a very long time, maybe into adulthood. During our showcase day, they were all able to define activism and define what an activist is. They were also able to list traits that make a good activist, and identify ways they can change their behavior to influence others. They really made the connections I intended for them to. They are really proud of their work – they randomly say the class logo and rap we wrote for the culminating projects because it is that meaningful to them. They want to show their projects to friends in other classes- and I can see their pride and their intrinsic motivation has grown because their proud.

How will you continue to promote social justice in your classroom, this year and beyond?

I always refer to the work we do to reinforce the behaviors I want and to redirect students and I plan to continue teaching this and making adjustments to make it a better unit. I refined the lesson as we progressed, so I’d like to teach it again. I’d also like to connect learning about activism with modern day movements that are relevant to the students’ lives so they can actually understand this is applicable.

What advice would you give another teacher?

Great question! I have a bit of advice.

I think because it is a controversial matter, you have to be aware of your identity teaching social justice and be aware of how people will perceive you and approach your facilitation of the subject based on your identity.
Lesson should be student-led and student driven. Children are going to lead themselves to the answers on their own. Let it be discussion based.
Create a culminating project that the students can see themselves in – like the video our class shot.
Talk to administration about your plans and reasoning. Share your plans with the whole school.

If I were to do this again, I would have chosen more activists for the students to study — perhaps some that are alive today, with similar social issues that the students face now.

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Apr 18, 2018
Inspired Teachers Teach BLM Equity Curriculum

By Tess Gann | Communications Associate

Brittney H. and class read One

Building on their commitment to be changemakers in the classroom, Inspired Teachers incorporated Black Lives Matter curriculum into their classrooms. This article in The Afro highlights how Inspired Teachers engaged their students in important lessons and dialogue about racial justice.

Inspired Teaching Fellow Brittney Henderson (‘13) One Read Aloud

For the DC Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools, Inspired Teaching Fellow Brittney Henderson (‘13) and her kindergarten students at West Education Campus (DCPS) read One by Kathryn Otoshi, a book that addresses the importance of inclusion in a diverse community. Afterwards, the class discussed why everyone must be kind to each other even when people aren’t kind to them, and created posters to demonstrate how to be kind.

One is a favorite book among parents participating in Teaching for Change’s Roving Readers program. Parent readers act out the book with students and emphasize standing together in solidarity against a bully, while also showing compassion for that person.

Brittney incorporates Black Lives Matter into her classroom “to teach her students how to value every person and help them understand that being a good citizen means respecting all voices and valuing all people, regardless of their identities.”

Inspired Teaching Fellow Jay Banks (‘15) Crossing Bok Chitto Read Aloud

Inspired Teaching Fellow Jay Banks’ 2nd grade classroom at DC Scholars PCS focused on Black Lives Matter by discussing resistance and advocacy. The class read Crossing Bok Chitto by Tim Tingle, the fictional story of the friendship between a young Choctaw girl and and enslaved African boy. The students attentively listened and asked questions about how members of different cultures persevere in the face of discrimination and oppression. After the read aloud, students had the opportunity to write their own stories of time they helped somebody or sparked change in their community.

Through addressing Black Lives Matter in the classroom, Jay has learned that the students have so much to say and giving them the opportunity to discuss these critical topics invigorates them and helps them develop into well-rounded people. Jay chooses to be a part of this movement to help students recognize their agency and help them understand that can make change, even as a young person. Jay believes that engaging students in conversations about Black Lives Matter build empathy and shows each student that “no matter how they identify, they are included.”

Humanities Hub Teacher Topher Kandick #Last Words Lesson

As a part of Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools, SEED Public Charter School educator Topher Kandik did a powerful lesson on the last words of victims of police brutality. Students started out the class by reading the poem “Bell Canto” about Sean Bell by Derrick Weston Brown. Students took turns reading the poem and stopped after each stanza to discuss imagery, tone and meaning of the poem. A student stated that the poem make them think “about exhaustion because [police brutality] is something that happens so often in so many places and people are beyond tired, they are exhausted.” Next, students were given a paper that had the following quotes in boxes:

“Mom, I’m going to college.”

“I don’t want to die young”

“I love you, too”

“I didn’t do nothing.”

“Please don’t let me die”

“What are you following me for?”

“Officers why do you have your guns out?”

“This isn’t real.”

As Mr. Kandik discussed the quotes, he asked students to draw pictures to represent the quotes but didn’t give context as to what the quotes were about. Students were enjoying drawing images and coming up with creative ways to convey the messages of the quotes. When students finished drawing pictures for every quote, Mr. Kandik revealed that those quotes were actually the last words said by people before they were killed. There was a heavy sigh among students, realizing what these images and quotes represented. A student stated he wanted to “redraw the pictures” now that he knew what the quotes meant. The students had a discussion about how they felt re-reading the quotes and expressed reactions of frustration, anger and disappointment thinking about the stories of the victims. Students then looked at the Last Words Project by Shirin Barghi and matched the quotes with the actual victims. Students asked questions and discussed the different scenarios each victim was in when they said their last words. After going through the project a student stated “every person that is victim of police brutality is another chapter in the sad book that is American history.” This was a powerful activity in imagery and poetry. Next, students will write their own poems.

Jay Banks and class read Crossing Bok Chitto

Topher Kandick and class read quotes

Links:

Powerful BLM Week of Action in Schools

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Jan 18, 2018
Teacher Feature - Ms. Chapman

By Tess Gann | Communications Associate

Inspired Teaching spoke with Fellow Richelle Chapman (’15) this September to learn about how she begins the school year an Inspired Teacher and 3^rd grade teacher at Else Whitlow Stokes PCS.

What is the thing you look forward to most about starting a new school year?

Getting to know the children! I love figuring out what type of personalities they have, and what they like to do; what they think is fun. I look forward to watching them grow and seeing how they grow throughout the year. I like forming relationships with people, so I enjoy getting to know my students better.

What is your favorite way to get to know your students?

In my class, we do a lot of activities so the students can express themselves. We do an “all about me” activity, where I get to know who my students are outside of how they relate to their peers. This is an individual assignment where they can just speak about whatever it is they want to speak about—and they can choose one part that they feel comfortable sharing with the class. This assignment gives them the chance to be honest. I learn what types of things make them sad, what they’re most excited about, what worries them. I learn about their family values and traditions; part of the assignment is to share what they don’t believe in – things like ghosts, the tooth fairy – so I get to know a lot about what their parents say to them when I broach these topics.

When students enter your classroom at the beginning of the year, what is the first thing you want them to know?

This is a place where they should feel comfortable sharing without someone making them feel bad for being honest about who they are. The first six weeks of the school year, while the curriculum is still growing, I take the opportunity to address any issues that come up in the classroom and put systems in place that allow students to share and have their voices heard. At the beginning of the year I stop the class for all behavioral issues to make sure it’s clear about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

How do you implement classroom norms as an Inspired Teacher?

By making sure that the student voice is the most important voice in the classroom – relying heavily on student as expert. The students create and vote on the classroom rules. And I ask them “how does that make you feel” and I constantly make sure they are given the tools to solve their own problems. I emphasize the importance of confidence, honesty, and integrity. When my students make norms, they often come up with things that surprise me- “its ok to make mistakes” “have fun.”

How do you view the role of changemaking in your classroom?

Ensuring that the classroom is a safe space for children to grow and be themselves, and holding them to the highest standard of behavior. I give them reasons for everything we do in the classroom so they understand why it’s relevant, and not that we’re doing something just because I’m in a role of power. They are human beings engaging with other human beings and they need to keep that in mind. They need to be careful with their words – they can hurt. They need to understand the weight of interacting with other human beings; it’s a huge responsibility.

How do you encourage and support yourself, as well as your students, to take risks in your classroom?

I think it is important to make sure the classroom is a safe place. To take risks, students must know that people won’t make fun of them, so I try not to be too critical. For myself, I try to be honest with them and talk about what I’m doing when I make a change. For example, last year I did not encourage students to share appreciation for their classmates for shares during morning meeting. This year I told my students that after reflecting, I thought it was important to show appreciation for our classmates when they share. Together, we came up with ways to show appreciation, like silent clapping, snapping, and golf-clapping. At the beginning of the year, it is necessary to set a certain standard in the classroom—I don’t need every system in place yet, but starting the year strong, the way I want to finish it, sets the standard for my students early.

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