Professional Development for High School Educators
There is widespread recognition that education has an important role to play in building inclusive and equitable societies that are resilient to intolerance, exclusion and hate. Responding to this, and grounded in our evidence-based Learning Framework, this training, “Teaching for Belonging: Advancing Pluralism in the Classroom” comprises six weeks of moderated, interactive online sessions.
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It incorporates three challenges that teachers face when it comes to respecting diversity in the classroom:
- The persistence of one-sided historical narratives that can perpetuate group-based conflicts and limit students’ ideas of who belongs and who should hold power in their societies.
- The need for dialogue facilitation training so that teachers can create spaces for discussions that explore controversial issues related to diversity.
- The increase of fear and hate-based narratives around difference that come from student’s often uncritical engagement with social media, thus the need for digital literacy.
With this in mind, this six-week training (including asynchronous modules on Canvas and live Zoom sessions) will equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to foster a pluralistic classroom—a classroom in which the dignity of each student is recognized, and each student feels like they belong.
Outline of the training:
MODULE 1: Identity, Diversity and Inclusion
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Describe the key components of Educating for Pluralism
- Apply a worldview framework to their personal and social identities
- Assess different forms of exclusion in their contexts
MODULE 2: Historical Narratives and Belonging
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Explain how historical narratives influence a person’s sense of belonging in the present
- Analyze multiple perspectives of a single historical event
- Apply historical thinking skills to their teaching and learning environment
MODULE 3: Exploring Dialogue: Purpose and Practice
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Describe the key components of dialogue
- Explain the role of dialogue in advancing pluralism
- Develop a teaching tool on dialogue
MODULE 4: Facilitating Dialogue: The Role of Educators
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Explain the principles and benefits of facilitated dialogue
- Design a brave space and set ground rules for dialogue
- Formulate follow-up questions that deepen thinking
- Create a lesson plan that incorporates meaningful dialogue practices
MODULE 5: Digital Pluralism: Respectful and Inclusive Online Spaces
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Describe the concept of digital pluralism
- Recognize how online information may be filtered, monitored or manipulated
- Develop a strategy to incorporate digital pluralism into their teaching
MODULE 6: Pluralism in Practice
By the end of this module, learners should be able to:
- Identify the multiple ways that exclusion can be experienced and reinforced in a school setting
- Evaluate the challenges of addressing exclusion in their school community
- Create an action plan to address one example of exclusion in their school community
PROJECT TRAJECTORY
We are piloting Teaching for Belonging: Advancing Pluralism in the Classroom in 2022.
To learn more about this training, contact the Education team at [email protected]
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