Day 3.0: Evaluating and Supporting Change (Weaving in Critical Reflection and Critical Consciousness for Praxis and Equity)

By kelan on June 7, 2019 in Articles

On Day 3, teams moved to new tables and engaged in dynamic discussions with their own team and another college team as they moved forward to evaluating and supporting change. Much of the day’s focus was on weaving critical consciousness for equity and praxis.

We were thrilled to honor the birthdays of Mary Ann and Venus. Venus blessed us with her amazing poem “Perfect Time” which Mary Ann recorded.

Presentation Peer Review

Using the Change Presentation Peer Response exercise protocol, participants completed peer reviews of each others’ presentations as paired campus teams:

Praxis and Equity

Lauren Servais led us in a serial testimony activity:

We began with a reflection:

Then, as teams, we engaged in serial testimony:

There were some ground rules:

Several participants shared that this powerful exercise brought them closer as a team as it led to greater understanding of each other’s journeys.

We then watched Dorinda Carter Andrews’ Tedx Talk, “The consciousness gap in education – an equity imperative,” paying attention to windows (offer a view into another perspective) and mirrors (reflect back to confirm and acknowledge your experience, practice, and/or ideas):

This led to a rich, reflective discussion.

We then moved forward to a knowledge-building text set activity in which participants chose to read either Chapter 1 of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain or “Race-Conscious Student Engagement Practices and the Equitable Distribution of Enriching Educational Experiences.”

After completing readings, teams discussed how equity is woven into their projects as well as what still needs to be.

Following lunch, we reflected on our experience of difference:

We then read Kim Costino’s “Equity-Minded Faculty Development: An Intersectional Identity-Conscious Community of Practice Model for Faculty Learning,” pulling out strong lines and making connections to campus initiatives and the 3CSN inquiry areas.

Weaving Critical Reflection and Critical Consciousness for Praxis and Equity

We started off by completing an important reflection choosing one of two prompts:

We then continued our knowledge building with a praxis text set, making note of what praxis is and how it can help us engage in meaningful inquiry in support of our SSI. We moved forward to a final reflection:

This was followed by serial testimony with our teams and a group debrief that surfaced powerful reflection.

After this amazing day of reflection and work, it was time for our annual BSILI midterm break from 3pm to 8pm!

When we returned from break, Deborah surprised Jessica and Kelan, who were leaving the following morning to attend an orientation for the MaYA Paris trip, with a special performance! Rebecca and the BSILIs (Devon and Diana) performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and, as Deborah aptly puts it, Rebecca “took us to church” with her unforgettable rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Not a dry eye in the house!

The evening ended with a working session that opened with a reminder of the many supports available through 3CSN including core events, BSILI inquiry, and PL Hub plans.