Building Social Capital Through Inclusivity: Reconstructing the Classroom’s Racialized Space

1. Building Social Capital Through Inclusivity: Reconstructing the Classroom’s Racialized Space John A. Duerk, Ph.D. Teaching and Learning Center Lone Star College—CyFair April 13, 2018 Image source

2. Objectives • Explain the concept of social capital and how it relates to education and schools; • Examine the issues of race and ethnicity as they relate to the classroom experience; • Explore the different ways we can ensure that all students feel they have a place and voice here at the college, in general, and in our classrooms, in particular.

3. Questions: Have you ever had your thoughts or opinions invalidated by someone? How did it make you feel? Why do you think the person acted that way?

4. Quote Interpretation “Throughout my career as a democratic educator, I have known many brilliant students who seek education, who dream of service in the cause of freedom, who despair or become fundamentally dismayed because colleges and universities are structured in ways that dehumanize, that lead them away from the spirit of community in which they long to live their lives.” –Taken from Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope by Bell Hooks, (2003), p. 48

5. Social Capital (An Antidote) • Social capital… • …refers to connections among individuals—social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them • Trustworthiness lubricates social life • Frequent interaction among a diverse set of people tends to produce a norm of generalized reciprocity • …has both an individual and a collective aspect—a private and a public face • …that is, social networks and the associated norms of reciprocity—comes in many different shapes and sizes with many different uses (e.g. extended family, civic organizations) (Putnam 2000, p. 19-21)

6. Positive Consequences of Social Capital Institutional Effectiveness Cooperation Trust Mutual Support (Putnam 2000, p. 22) Click here for image source.

7. Democratic Education • We have to work to find ways to teach and share knowledge in a manner that does not reinforce existing structures of domination (those of race, gender, class, or religious hierarchies) we may unwittingly collude • Commitment to “radical openness”  will to explore different perspectives and change one’s mind as new information is presented (Hooks 2003, p. 45, 48)

8. Quote Interpretation “A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. The extension in space of the number of individuals who participate in an interest so that each has to refer his own action to that of others, and to consider the action of others to give point and direction to his own, is equivalent to the breaking down of those barriers of class, race, and national territory which kept men from perceiving the full import of their activity.” –Taken from Democracy and Education by John Dewey, 2012, p. 94

9. Reimagining Critical Race Theory in Education • Researchers do not adequately examine the role that race plays in producing anxiety, trauma, and general unpleasantness in students of color engaging in high–pressure academic work • Grit is presented as a racially neutral construct that does not impact all demographics equally; emotional and psychological trauma that African Americans experience in navigating white spaces and their structural foundations is under-acknowledged (McGee and Stovall 2015)

10. Continued • Racially discriminatory experiences are multidimensional in nature; CRT’s, i.e. Critical Race Theory’s, multidimensional framework can help in identifying and highlighting the relationship between race and mental health (McGee and Stovall 2015)

11. Quote Interpretation “Being connected to the larger community can give students a greater sense of purpose, provide them with opportunities to forge important relationships, and help them develop the skills to bring about social change.” (McGee and Stovall 2015, p. 510) Click here for image source.

12. The Discourse on Race Needs to Go Somewhere • Meaningful discussion requires exploration and processing what people share • Race is a complex issue  history, identity, and experience • Our individual biases create and/or perpetuate unjust conditions • Past: disenfranchisement; restrictive covenants • Present: racial profiling • We all have a social responsibility  learning opportunity (Duerk, 2013 July 31)

13. Power is About Making a Difference in the World Principle 1 Power is about altering the states of others Principle 2 Power is part of every relationship and interaction Principle 3 Power is found in everyday actions Principle 4 Power comes from empowering others in social networks (Keltner 2016, p. 23)

14. How Teachers Can Support Students of Color • Teach them to love themselves • Provide opportunities for them to celebrate their unique identity • Create a space where students know that their school values their experiences • Disrupt the single narrative of students of color • Equip them with the skills to tell their stories  so they have a voice • Teachers need to reflect  perpetuating a stereotype? • Context  talk about the strengths of students, then talk about their challenges (Simmons 2017)

15. Shared Inquiry and Dialogue Openness to new ideas and collective learning Build and exercise skills: Listening Respect Voice Humility Trust (Teaching Tolerance 2016, p. 10-11)

16. Teacher Leadership • Speaking Up and Responding to Prejudice, Bias, and Stereotypes • Finding the courage to be an “upstander” in any context  if one group or individual dominating discourse • Challenging negative assumptions or comments • Building Alliances • Working together, giving and receiving support and creating a sounding board  space to discuss critical practices (colleagues, outside networks) • Critical mass of support can help forward the agenda in the face of resistance (Teaching Tolerance 2016, p. 20-21)

17. My Suggestions for Instructors • View all students as community members and stakeholders, not customers • Ask questions, as opposed to make comments • Facilitate, as opposed to direct • Dialogue, as opposed to monologue • Tactfully incorporate materials that acknowledge social, political, and economic challenges, do not deny them • Solicit thoughtful opinions from students to understand their life experiences, do not forget, ignore, or dismiss them

18. References Dewey, J. (2012). Democracy and Education. Hollywood, FL: Simon and Brown. Duerk, J. A. (2013, July 31). “Honest discussion of race is needed,” Today’s News-Herald, p. 4. Keltner, D. (2016). The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence. New York, NY: Penguin Random House. Hooks, B. (2003). Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope. New York, NY: Routledge.

19. References Continued McGee, E. O., Stoval, D. (2015). Reimagining critical race theory in education: mental health, healing, and the pathway to liberatory praxis. Educational Theory, 65(5), p. 491-511. Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Simmons, D. (2017, March 12). How teachers can support students of color. Transcript of an interview on The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast, Episode 64. Retrieved from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/episode-64/ Teaching Tolerance. (2016). Critical practices for anti-bias education. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center.