Picks of the week from across the Twitter-sphere
It has been an uncertain, unprecedented and somewhat volatile few months. People and communities, family and friends, educators and students across the world have been separated from one another in self-isolation and lockdown but united by a common effort to overcome the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Another cause uniting people all over the world has been the death of George Floyd and the antiracism protests that are opening our eyes to the continued discrimination that persists all over the world.
It has been impossible to look at social media news feeds over the last two weeks and not feel anger and sadness at the issues we are faced with. At the same time, it is heartening to witness the collective galvanisation of populations and outrage at the abhorrent racism and discrimination still seen today and that this is hopefully a long overdue watershed moment.
It has got us thinking about the role education plays in shaping the world of tomorrow, encouraging students to be change makers and the responsibility of teachers to provide students with reliable information on current affairs, encourage discussion that seeks tough answers to tough questions and equip them with the tools to achieve real and lasting change.
Edwina Buenor - @edwinabuenor is an English Teacher in the UK. She shared some ideas that came out of a brainstorm with colleagues via #edutwitter for ways in which teachers can show support to their students and encourage discussion and reflection around the issues raised by global protests and the Black Lives Matter movement.
For educators looking to better inform the topic of race and racism in class, @TesResources has shared a great blog post from UK educator @nickdennis. While he admits himself that engaging with his 12 selected resources is not an exhaustive list or solution, will help teachers think through some of the issues and ask better questions about your subject, approach and curriculum choices - https://www.tes.com/news/racism-race-history-teachers-resources-tackle-lessons-school
Also on the tes.com resources section are a number of great free downloads created by teachers to help you plan lessons and conversations with your students on the Black Lives Matter movement.
“As education practitioners it is our duty of care to provide our students with reliable information about current affairs and educate them of the continued fight for civil rights. Let’s ensure we educate our young people to avoid history repeating itself.”
“Ultimately, this resource aims to equip students to sensitively investigate and articulate their own views on the Black Lives Matter movement. This resource was made in light of Blackout Tuesday and riots occurring in America. In each activity, students are exposed to multiple forms of expression, including: Music, spoken word poetry, traditional media outlets and infamous historical speeches. Students accumulate their own views throughout the sequence of activities before sharing them with someone. This resource is aimed at KS3, please see other resources that are appropriate for KS4/5.”
@amazonbooks shares 'Editors' Picks', author interviews, Books of the Month & more. In the words of their Editor Sarah Gelman, “Words matter, and I believe books are one step we can take to help educate ourselves, gain compassion, and enact change.” Whether you want to do your own reading or provide your students with some reading that celebrates diversity and invites conversations about race, you’ll be able to find it on one of the lists below.
- Books for kids to celebrate diversity and inspire change
- Antiracism books to read right now
- Frequently highlighted passages in antiracism books
Taking a moment to reflect on what we're seeing and reading is important. We have been back on @MissMHughes_ feed for some super simple mindfulness and breathing techniques to use of a meditation session or in fact at any time you need to take a moment.
