Courageous Conversations That Promote Achievement

Summer 2017

Instructor Information

Instructor / Email / Cell Phone
Heather Fleming / / 314-477-4059

General Information

Description

In the diverse climates that are our classrooms and schools, we may experience difficulty facilitating conversations around hot topics such as race and religion. This course is intended to take a direct look at the barriers to productive and courageous conversations that lead to understanding, reconciliation and personal growth for educators and students.

Expectations and Goals

Participants will examine those obstacles that prevent individuals from having the courage to have difficult conversations around issues of race, religion and other hot topics. They will be given tools, techniques, and background knowledge necessary to facilitate these types of discussions. Through this learning, educators will examine how these conversations can contribute to better relationships with students, parents, and colleagues, as well as the creation of a more socially-just learning environment.

Essential Questions:

  • How do shame, fragility and lack of historical perspective contribute to ineffective communication and understanding of current issues of race, discrimination, and oppression?
  • What strategies and techniques can I use to facilitate effective dialogue around issues of race, oppression and discrimination?
  • How can I model critical thinking for my students and colleagues which leads to informed decision-making about and understanding of these complicated issues?
  • What is my role in creating an equitable school environment?
  • How would an equitable school environment impact our students’ achievement?

Enduring Understanding:

  • Participants will know that they have a responsibility to create a socially-just environment for their students, parents, and colleagues.
  • Participants will understand that in order to create a socially-just environment, educators must develop an understanding of the historical and sociological factors that contribute to oppression, as well as examine their own role, feeling and position on these issues.
  • Participants will develop a tool kit of techniques and strategies that will contribute to effectively communicating with other around sensitive issue, and allow educators to confidently facilitate these courageous conversations.

Course Materials

Required Text

You will be provided with the following books for this class.

Can We Talk About Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregationby Beverly Daniel Tatum

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

Optional Materials

We will supplement the reading with additional articles and materials for thought and discussion.

Course Schedule

Week / Topic / Exercises
Class 1 / Introduction to Concepts and Terminology
*Prior to the first class, please read the introduction and chapters 1-4 of Daring Greatly. You will also write a reflective essay over these chapters. I will provide the prompt via Google Classroom. /
  • Essential Questions
  • Four Agreements
  • Common Terminology
  • Scarcity
  • Vulnerability
  • Shame
  • Guilt
  • Jigsaw
  • Racism
  • Institutionalized Racism
  • Anti-racism
  • Equity
HW: Read the remainder ofDaring Greatly. You will respond to a prompt that I will send you on Google Classroom. You should also create a list of 5-7 discussion questions for next class.
Class 2 / Tools for Holding Courageous Conversations /
  • Process Discussion Questions
  • Tools for Facilitating Courageous Conversations
  • Role Play—Taxi Cab
HW: Read the introduction and chapters 1-2 of Can We Talk About Race? and write a three-page reflection. Also, bring topics/articles that you’d like to discuss.
Class 3 / Conducting Courageous Conversations /
  • Discussion of Chapter 2
  • Small Group Discussion of your topics/articles.
  • Activity: Applying it to the classroom.
HW: Read Chapters 3 and 4 of Can We Talk About Race? Prepare discussion questions to help in processing the reading. You will also keep a 2-day journal of your observations of issues related to the –isms. From these observations, you will write a response that weighs how experiences like the one you observed might impact your students and colleagues.
Class 4 / Extending the Conversation /
  • Discussion of Chapters 3 and 4.
  • Proposals for School Principals—Where Do We Go From Here?

Additional Information and Resources

Singleton, Glenn E. and Curtis Linton. Courageous Conversations About Race. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2006. Print.

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