Competencies
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Problem Solving, Analysis, & Decision Making
1.9. Recognize the wider implications of specific knowledge
1.10. Reflectively adapt solutions to suit varied situations
- Instructional Design & Development
2.1. Critically analyze and discuss the implications of personal perspectives and epistemological orientations for the teaching-learning process
- Communication & Interpersonal Skills
4.3. Justify and defend your ideas orally and in writing in meetings, forums, seminars, exams, and other contexts
- Research
5.7, Summarize and synthesize information with a view to pursuing deeper understanding
5.12. Describe and adhere to ethical practices and institutional policies throughout the research process
Socio - Economic Inequality
In 2005, I went to a field school in India with 12 students from Simon Fraser University's Education Department. One of our projects was to work with impoverished migrant children. The children came from large families and were often sent out to beg for money in order to provide for the families. One donor bought all the children brand new shoes, which the parents sold in order to buy food. The little school negotiated with the parents. They promised to provide a meal to the children if they could attend school. The little school suddenly became quite busy,
When we arrived in India, we were asked if we would be willing to be movie extras because they wanted some British-looking people. We agreed and we were each paid $13 for the days' labor which we agreed to pool together and get something for the school. We debated for some time about what to buy. Art supplies? Books? Sports equipment? We were quite wrapped up in what everyone thought the children needed, and then it dawned on us to ask the school. The teachers were elated and said that what they really needed was a new stove. I learned the value of not making assumptions about what people need. This lesson would come in useful for this case study.
Communicating with compassion
I took a couple of courses in Non-Violent Communication. Based on the work of Marshall Rosenburg, it suggests that you go through the following stages when listening to people.
- Observe (without judgment)
- Examine the feelings,
- Assess the needs/values that are being met or unmet,
- Make an appropriate request.
This is an oversimplification of the process, but I find this method useful if I am trying to determine what is going on for someone and what is an appropriate way to connect. I used this formula to try to relate to what was happening for the students.
The artifact
We produced a paper that studied and proposed how to build an inclusive environment within the education system for a diverse student body, many of whom were First Nations and were living with trauma.
By working with a partner who had access to this knowledge, and had a genuine concern for the students, I felt that I had gained some insight into the challenges experienced by First Nations communities.
We also had to lead a discussion in a forum group. One of the questions that we posed was "It is important to reinforce positive student behaviors with appropriate praise and celebration. This can be extremely reinforcing for the students and helps them to serve as role models to their peers. However, in this school context, it may also lead to a sense of exclusion for students that struggle to participate in positive ways and therefore are not celebrated in this way. What does a balance between these two opposing interests look like." (4.3)
Learning together
The student that was assigned as my partner worked in a small Canadian community in the Arctic. I had been very focused on teaching in Asia, but I was wanted to be more connected with the Canadian educational system in order to work from a home base. It was time to come home. My family worried about me and were encouraging me to move home especially with the outbreak of Covid-19.
When we were discussing ideas for the project, we both agreed to look at the issues in his school. One of my fears with doing this project was that my partner could bring more to the table than I could since we would be discussing his lived experience. I had never been in the community where he worked, and I don’t like appearing naïve or unknowledgeable. Plus, I truly think that our role as humans is to contribute and it is only fair that both partners work equally to do a project. In spite of that, my naturally inquisitive nature prevailed, and I was happy to learn more about the situation.
Our first few online meetings felt like I was conducting an interview. In this school, poverty, substance abuse, violence, crime, suicide, and school budget cuts were all issues that needed to be addressed and we wanted to do this with an eye to respectfully maintaining the confidentially of the people involved (5.12). He suggested several online articles where I could read more about the situation (5.7).
Although I had spent over 10 years in Labrador City when I was growing up, parents mainly worked for the local mining company and made a comfortable living. Further, the population was overwhelmingly Caucasian, creating a homogeneous school system where the biggest divide was the religious background. I felt that I knew a little about Northern communities, but this situation was different. When I was growing up, we did not deal with racism, poverty, crime, and substance abuse in the same way.
Most of the students were First Nations and were living with trauma. They were living in poverty and dealing with substance abuse and high crime rates. I was reminded about classism and poverty in India. As Canadians, we like to think that we are egalitarian, but our actions often don’t match our words. Racism, sexism, ableism, and classism are engrained within the school system. I framed the situation loosely using non-violent communication principles. The observations included noticing the circle is symbolic of equality in First Nations culture and questioned the hierarchies that often exist within the current school system.
Team building as the school is encouraged, but students who have shown behavioral issues often do not engage. A student leadership program had been put in place to encourage and support students to "increase students' ownership" but what about the students who didn't feel part of the learning community. We considered that the struggles with violence at home and poverty may just amplify their own perceived shortcomings and promote a lack of confidence. This causes further alienation as they become classified as "other" and do not receive the recognition of the more advantaged students.
Just like the school in India, we had to address their genuine needs of the marginalized groups in Canada (1.9,2.1), and the best way to do that would be to work more closely with the First Nations and ask what was needed. It is essential that they be given the power and respect to create genuine change and not just fit within a Eurocentric system.
When we looked at students' recognition for leadership, we realized that it was often the same people who were recognized as leaders over and over. We re-examined the need to reward excellence. We recognized that students who were dealing with poverty and violence at home must be recognized for self-care and we realized that the students would be better served if we looked at this from a more individual level. (1.10)
Restorative justice is a better approach to helping the students who have been traumatized. Crime, violence, and poverty can impede learning.
Reflections
It is important to have discussions such as the ones that my colleague and I had for this assignment. I learned more from listening, questioning, and brainstorming ideas than I would have from reading an article. Although academic articles have a purpose, sometimes you need to look beyond the studies to understand the struggles and connect on a personal level.
I learned the value of group work and I learned that even though I was not familiar with the situation, and still have so much to learn, I did have something positive to contribute.
Like the students at the school, we can move forward from our current position. Although I was not as familiar with the situation as my partner, I looked at the base that I started from and felt better by acknowledging that what I had learned through this project. With recognizing that the leadership program at the school conceptualized leaders as the people who excelled, we were not noticing that their daily struggles hindered them and for many, overcome these was a huge accomplishment and deserving of credit.
As Canadians, we need to better understand how detrimental poverty can be to children and how prevalent it is in many communities. It is difficult for children to move forward when their basic needs are not met. As with the schools in India, we should not make assumptions about their needs, but rather we should ask and listen (1.10).
The Case Study and Critical Analysis was the most enjoyable and enlightening assignment in the two leadership courses (MDDE 631 and MDDE 632). I found that these courses were theory-based and there is part of me that rebels against laws, rules, and conclusions of the "dead white guys" that are the foundation of traditional education. I think that is part of the reason that education for First Nations communities within a traditional, European, school system feels all wrong.
And so, even as I gravitate toward the teachings of Ken Robinson and Malcolm Rosenburg, I have to check myself and not assume that we are all-knowing about what works for different cultures and, indeed, not generalize about solutions (2.10). We have to take this on as a lifelong quest to continuously improve and better understand.