Bringing courageous conversations about race into the classroom

Habiba in storyworld Habiba's Home

I was working as a secondary school teacher when George Floyd was murdered. I remember that the staff and students had a palpable desire to collectively process what had happened. Fortunately, there was a whole staff meeting dedicated to a discussion of our feelings, to help us talk about what had happened and how we might respond. We also made sure we provided young people with learning opportunities to discuss, absorb and process. This experience showed me that teachers want to be able to respond effectively to world events and need support from one another when it comes to tackling issues of race and racism.

It came as no surprise then, that when I joined Lyfta andconducted a survey of our users to see which professional development opportunities they would most like, a course about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) proved to be very popular. That was when we approached DEI consultant and expert Angela Browne. With over twenty years experience of working in education, Angela now works as an independent consultant supporting a variety of educational institutions as well as other organisations to review and improve their approach to DEI matters.

Designing the course

Trailer to storyworld Journey to a New Home

Angela and I worked together to design a three part professional development course for Lyfta users. The course demonstrated the ways in which Lyfta can normalise and humanise diversity as well as providing curriculum resources with which to help make schools more inclusive and equitable for all.

In session one, Angela explored the historical context of education and equality legislation, explaining why so many teachers often feel ill-equipped to discuss issues of race (and other DEI matters) with their students. In session two, participants were asked to consider how narratives can support their work in the field of DEI. In session three, we focused on our latest storyworld, Journey to a New Home which depicts the experience of Adhanom, who fled Eritrea and sought refuge in Europe. From here, participants considered how we can be agile and responsive to world events as they unfold so that we can talk to our young people about them in a meaningful way.

Examples of success

As the CPD course was arranged over three sessions, it allowed for ample time for participants to share and discuss. One teacher, Anna Munro from Dingwall Academy in Ross-shire, explained the way that she'd used students' own personal narratives as a starting point before taking them on a journey around the world, via Lyfta's digital immersive stories. Anna's students visited a number of different stories including those from Awra Amba in Ethiopia, the Amazonian rainforest in Peru, an Afghan bakery and the San Francisco coast. By using food as a common thread through much of this work, students were able to identify similarities whilst also learning to respect differences. As a result of this work, Anna's students were even able to critically engage with the question of the extent to which we should help to protect indigenous communities before we begin to impose our views and ways of life on them.

Impact

Even though this was the first professional development course of this kind run by Lyfta, we've received some wonderful feedback from participants. For example, 90% of participants said that the course was either very or extremely useful in supporting their understanding of DEI matters whilst 85% said that the course helped them to understand how Lyfta can support DEI matters in their schools.

Headteacher of Copperfield Academy, Simon Wood, commented that:

"This PD was really very important, and needs to be shared more widely. The nuggets that resonated with me were, '...anxiety in articulation' - this is, I feel, what may hold adults back (and maybe also young people) from speaking out - there is an anxiety, often, around saying the wrong thing... I have reflected on 'schools as sites of preparation' since session one and believe this should be the starting point for all schools - either to re-energise or begin their DEI work."

Classroom teacher, Ellie, from the International School in the Netherlands added:

"I enjoyed the chance to listen to experts in the DEI field and to discuss issues with like minded people who are also committing to improving schools and education for young people. It's hard when you feel isolated in this difficult work and that is often the case because these topics still can feel quite taboo."

With 70% of participants indicating that they'd like more professional development opportunities from Lyfta and more opportunities to explore issues related to DEI, we hope to provide our users with other courses focused on DEI matters in the future.

Along with Angela's expertise, our insights here at Lyfta and our contributions from our users, we've compiled a list of practical suggestions for educators to consider when attempting to have courageous conversations about race in their schools.

Top tips for facilitating courageous conversations about race with students

Make time to talk with colleagues about these issues. You can feel ill-prepared and isolated when trying to do it by yourself. When world events happen and students need to talk about them, make sure you speak with colleagues to share and process your own feelings before approaching them with your students.
Let young people know you're listening. Even if you can't give them an immediate response to their questions regarding race or racism, let them know you've heard them, you recognise their concern and you will come back to them to discuss it at another time. Be sure to make time to do this though otherwise students' anxiety will increase.
Lots of our participants talked about reviewing their curriculum to ensure that there are a wide range of diverse voices included. This might be in the books you teach or the role models you share with young people. For example, the report compiled by Pearson, Diversity and Inclusion in Schools report, recommends that schools include 'more authentic portrayal of diverse communities, experiences and people'.
Use narratives that support students to discuss the issues of race and racism. Stories are a great way for students of all ages to connect with these issues, allowing them to see the impact racism can have for those who suffer it and nurturing empathy for the victims of racism.
Commit to action by setting small, achievable targets. Like anything we want to achieve, it'll take time. Review your book shelf, have that conversation with a colleague or commit to reading an article or blog that focuses on tackling racism in schools. Once you've built momentum in your school, these small actions will become cumulative, building to organisation-wide change.

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