Читать книгу Leading Equity - Sheldon L. Eakins - Страница 17
Steps to Building Relationships
ОглавлениеHow can you develop meaningful relationships with students who don't look like you? When we can become more aware of our biases, we can start to improve upon our interactions with others, decrease our sense of discomfort in interacting with social groups different than our groups, and ultimately make better decisions. Use the following guide as a starting point for developing authentic relationships with students from diverse backgrounds.
| My Students… | Try This! |
|---|---|
| …have a different ethnic or racial background than me. | Celebrate your students' rich cultural heritage. One simple way to do this is by expressing a genuine interest in their backgrounds. Invite students to incorporate their culture into the learning artifacts they produce. Another way to celebrate students' racial and ethnic backgrounds is to show your appreciation by representing individuals from those backgrounds in your classroom resources and curriculum. |
| …speak a different language than me. | Students who speak a language other than English as their first language are often viewed through a deficit lens. Value your students' linguistic diversity as enriching, not limiting. Try incorporating content-specific vocabulary in multiple languages into your lessons. This will position you as a learner right alongside your students! |
| …have different cultural norms than my norms. | Many students subscribe to a different set of cultural norms at home than the dominant norms imposed at school. Seek to understand and respect your students' cultural norms, especially in the process of creating your own classroom procedures or community agreements. Invite students to be equal partners in this process as you construct a learning environment that supports the safety and success of all. |
| …are much younger than me. | Individuals across generations often have shared interests—you just must discover them! Discuss your interests with your students and allow them to share their interests with you. You may be surprised by what you find! Try to make an intentional effort to incorporate your students' interests in your classroom learning activities. |
| …dress differently than me. | Be aware of your implicit biases and take steps to mitigate them. Focus on each student as an individual learner with unique strengths and talents. Incorporate strategies such as student interest surveys or classroom circles to get to know each student beyond the surface level. |
