Isms and Bias

Starter: Matching Game!
Can you match the terms with the following definitions? see page 7 

Class Biz

1. Chaco permission forms, payment and med forms due Friday (if you're doing the Bridge ropes course, please submit by Thursday)
2. Justice books-- please turn them in!
3. Next Month of Humanities (see calendar in classroom) and the Homework for the week (let's scope out the Homework page)
4. Honors: Heads up that we'll begin Windfall next week.
5. Justice exams: I'll return them on Thursday as well as the results of the extra credit mystery
6. Be Of Service up this week:

• Cloe, Serra, and Saige, Heleny and Alli and Deleny: Sunday 10/20 10-12 pm
• Anika Shideler, Caleb Gates, Raimy:  Friday, 10/18 , 5-7 pm

Rationale for why were doing today's activities on "isms" and bias:
We have been talking a lot about what is fair and not, what justice means, who deserves what, who needs what, etc… Starting on Thursday, will be turning our focus to environmental ethics and the intersection between environmentalism and social justice. To apply new concepts on that topic, we'll examine a couple different case studies where there is clearly an issue of justice at the heart of some controversies on how we should DISTRIBUTE land-- who should have access to what lands, how should certain lands be used, do we prioritize economic interests and energy needs over human and environmental health and cultural beliefs, etc? 

Often, the way these controversies are resolved comes down to who has the power and who doesn’t.  So, before we dive into those, let’s just make sure we have some common definitions under our belts and some awareness of the levels of oppression and the different ways our own biases might show up.
Trust me, these definitions will come up a lot more when you all leave the fairly homogeneous Osprey Nest and enter more diverse college campuses and work environments, so y'all might as well grapple with them now.

Today's Learning Objectives

1. Be familiar with the "Diversity Wheel" and understand the complexities of way diversity manifests in the world
2. Apply today's key terms and concepts to an exploration of  how your own biases affect your attitudes/behaviors
3. Learn some strategies for overcoming bias

As always, these ground rules for discussion apply:

• Share the air (Step up, Step back)
• Be kind
• Challenge yourself to be respectful of all each other's feelings, perspectives, abilities, and identities (and your own)
• ​Challenge yourself to examine your own biases. WE ALL HAVE THEM!
• Reserve the right to change your mind
• Avoid generalizations and assumptions

Crash Course “Race and Ethnicity” (10 minutes)

1. What is something new you learned?

Table Talks (groups of 3-4)

1. What is the first word that pops into your head when you hear "diversity"?  
2. Dig a little deeper, what does diversity mean to you?​

Diversity Wheel (5 minutes): 
The Diversity Wheel is a model created by Marilyn Loden and Judy Rosener to help others identity the social characteristics that define and shape them. There are two circles inside the wheel. The inner circle is divided into 6 sections: race, ethnicity, age, gender, physical abilities/qualities, and sexual orientation. The outer wheel contains these characteristics: work background, income, marital status, military experience, religious beliefs, geographic location, parental status, and education.  

​These characteristics place people into certain categories of society within the realms of privilege and oppression. Each component of the Diversity Wheel determines how you are viewed and treated by those around you. The inner circle is filled with characteristics that are inherent and cannot be altered, while the outer wheel are acquired characteristics. As explained by Allan Johnson, these categories do not express the true identity of a person, their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. It is a surface view of how society is constructed.

TABLE TALKS (continued)

1. After spending time looking at the wheel, write down 5 things that describe who you are—the top five things you  think of when you think to describe themselves.
2. What are the categories on here that you might not typically think of when you think of “Diversity
3. What categories do you tend to have bias toward or against?

Watch a clip from “A Class Divided” ( end at 14:53 or 17:00)
One day in 1968, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power 30 years later.

Discussion questions:

• General reactions or questions?
  
• What are the impacts of discrimination on external behavior, internal self-esteem and academic performance?
• What are the implications of this film for society?

Examining Implicit Bias

1. Definition of implicit bias (scroll down) and if time, we'll read this short article going into more depth from the journal, Scientific American
2. Levels of “isms” (we'll read this aloud)​

​
Ted Talk: "How to Overcome Bias"
Verna Myer's Ted Talk goes over a bit more on implicit bias and ways to overcome it.

1. What are the three things she recommends to help us overcome our own biases/prejudices?
2. How might this relate to your own life? 
3. Interested in testing out your own implicit biases? Take one of Harvard’s implicit bias test

Exit Ticket: Reflect on today's learning objectives
Review the  learning objectives for today and then pick one or two that you think were most interesting, impactful, or relevant and explain what you learned and how it applies to you.

Today's Learning Objectives

1. Be familiar with the "Diversity Wheel" and understand the complexities of way diversity manifests in the world
2. Understand the different levels of oppression 
3. Learn the definition of "implicit bias"
4. Apply today's key terms and concepts to an exploration of  how your own biases affect your attitudes/behaviors
5. Learn some strategies for overcoming bias