1 of 24

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Frameworks for Transformative Practice

VA

ECMHC

2 of 24

Session Agenda

1) Understanding Implicit Bias and Our Lens

3) Coaching Updates; Q&A

Break

2) Observing through our lens and questioning our biases

3 of 24

4 of 24

Norms

Assume positive intentions and take responsibility for impact

Accept non-disclosure

Lean into your learning edges

Take an inquiry stance when engaging

Lean into Silence

5 of 24

6 of 24

A natural function of the human brain

Can cause harm when left unchecked

We will reflect and work to counteract them together

Attitudes about people, places, things, or ideas and/or stereotypes about groups of people that influence our thinking and our actions in ways we may not be aware of.

Biases are like shortcuts that our brains use to make sense of the world & help us navigate it

To avoid overwhelm, our brains use information we’ve already stored and apply it to new situations that come up – even when it may not necessarily fit.

These mental shortcuts help us to make split second decisions, and help decrease our mental load or the amount of information we have to take in and process – and while this is necessary and helpful in some situations, these mental shortcuts can also be unfair, unhelpful, or even cause profound harm when they negatively shape our interactions with others.

We know that these implicit biases shape interactions in many different settings, and research has shown that implicit bias influences early childhood teachers perceptions or and reactions to children’s behaviors.

Teacher may expect more negative behaviors from certain children, or even interpret the same exact behavior in a more negative way when it comes from one child versus another.
It may also look like failing to recognize the things some children are doing well or the things they are trying to communicate to us. Or expecting more positive behaviors rom certain children and missing examples of areas where they may need more support.

We all have biases about children (whether we are consciously aware off them or not) -- based on aspects of their identities and on aspects of our own identities -- that shape our interactions with them. Sometimes positively. Sometimes negatively. Often, our unconscious biases contradict our conscious values. Critically reflecting on what we are thinking and feeling about children and their behavior and how we are responding can help us to provide better and more equitable support. .

As part of our work together, we will reflect on how biases may be shaping our observations and interactions with children AND work on a process for counteracting them.

7 of 24

8 of 24

Analyzing Through Lenses

Taking a Closer LOOK

We see and interpret our world through various lenses
These influence our values, beliefs, and biases
Can be helpful: Developmentally appropriate lenses help contextualize children’s behavior
Or harmful:

Implicit biases

Information to convey: we all come in with our own personal lenses/biases - a major focus will be on recognizing the LENSES we bring to the classroom and our interactions.

Coaches should be able to step back and make more focused observations of a child’s interactions/engagement- being aware of their own biases and how they shape our perceptions helps to interpret behavior more accurately

The first step toward enhancing observation skills is to recognize that we all bring our own “lens” into the classroom
What kind of lens are we talking about:

A lens naturally influences what we see and how we make sense of it.
Each teacher and consultant (each human) has their own set of beliefs, values, past experiences, and knowledge about children that influences which interactions they pay attention to and which they might ignore (lens influences our reaction)
AND what information they take away from those interactions and what they attribute them to (lens influences perception)
Our lenses can be helpful in interpreting behavior (e.g., knowledge of child development, past experiences with a particular child, an understanding of a family's culture or situation), but they can also cause us to interpret behavior incorrectly due to bias (e.g., a biased lens might make us more likely to rely on stereotypes to interpret behavior).

Early childhood classrooms are busy places where children are constantly interacting with their teachers, peers and tasks. With all the demands placed on teachers it can be difficult for them to notice everything that’s happening, and especially difficult to spot factors that may lead to or be the cause the behaviors they see as challenging.
We know that being able to step back and observe a child’s interactions can be a powerful tool. It can help us understand why behaviors are happening and how to best address them to meet the needs of a child. But we also know that being an expert observer is a skill, and like all skills, it’s something that requires training and practice.
Major takeaway: we all have biases that we must work to become more aware of to decrease the impact they have on our pereptions and actions.

Time: ~5minutes

9 of 24

10 of 24

Position Statement

I am a cisgender, able-bodied, Black Christian woman from rural western Virginia.. Due to my positionality, I understand my identity influences my hidden biases, perceptions, and outlook on the world.

11 of 24

12 of 24

Zaretta Hammond

13 of 24

Addressing Implicit Bias

Taking a Closer LOOK

Mental shortcuts we all make
Left unchecked, biases can cause real harm and inhibit equity and psychological safety in the classroom and beyond
Requires consistent reflection and dialogue to counteract

everyone has biases
Whether intentional or not, the assumptions we make about others can cause real harm
Awareness of these is the first step in fighting them and changing our actions

Biases are like shortcuts that our brains use to make sense of the world & help us navigate it, you are probably keenly aware of how there is just too much going on in a classroom for someone to possibly take it all in. To avoid overwhelm, our brains use information we’ve already stored and apply it to new situations that come up – even when it may not necessarily fit.
These mental shortcuts help us to make split second decisions, and decrease our mental load or the amount of information we have to take in and process
While this is necessary and helpful in some situations, these mental shortcuts can also be unfair, unhelpful, or even cause profound harm when they negatively shape our interactions with others.
What it might look like:

Expecting more negative behaviors from certain children, or even interpreting the same exact behavior in a more negative way when it comes from one child versus another.
Failing to recognize the things some children are doing well or the things they are trying to communicate to us or expecting more positive behaviors rom certain children and missing examples of areas where they may need more support.

We all have biases about children (whether we are consciously aware off them or not) -- based on aspects of their identities and on aspects of our own identities -- that shape our interactions with them. Sometimes positively. Sometimes negatively.
Often, our unconscious biases contradict our conscious values.
Critically reflecting on what we are thinking and feeling about children and their behavior and how we are responding can help us to provide better and more equitable support.
Two of the most common biases we tend to see shaping interactions in the classroom are around gender and race.

Potential points to bring up: 2016 Eye-tracking study of preschool teachers – when they were told to look out for “challenging behaviors”, teachers spent more time looking at Black children than White children, and more time looking at boys than girls.

As part of our work together, we will reflect on how biases may be shaping our observations and interactions with children AND work on a process for counteracting them!

Time: ~ 4 min

14 of 24

Research shows that our biases are often more about who we choose to help than who we don’t. And we tend to help people who are similar to us. How might this new information impact the teachers you are working with?

15 of 24

16 of 24

Observing Through Lenses

How do our biases affect how we observe and respond

to children and teachers?

There is lots of research to support how our lenses affect the academic success of children

Black boys are considered more challenging and aggressive compared to their peers
Research also shows that adults’/teachers’ perceptions of children’s behavior and skills are shaped by how they see childrens’ identities- including whether they have a disability or are an english language learner
Even a teacher’s relationship with a child’s parents can influence how they interpret behavior and what they attribute it to (situation vs child’s temperament/personality)
These perceptions impact how teachers interact with children, their expectations for children and teacher child relationships- which sets them on a path for success or creates barriers to their success.
We are susceptible to these biases as consultants too!

17 of 24

Understanding Context

Taking a Closer LOOK

Environments and situational circumstances influence behavior
Understanding context improves scaffolding for supporting children
The same context can be perceived differently

Understanding the context surrounding behavior is an important component of observing children and selecting strategies
Context includes what is going on when a behavior occurs and what happens directly before and after a behavior- these all strongly influence whether or not a behavior occurs and help us to determine why a child chose to engage in a particular behavior

Use example from the video- explain how context plays a role

Additionally, as we just discussed, our personal biases influence how we observe children in context and each of us can have different perceptions of certain behaviors
By paying attention to context and how it shapes behavior, we remove what we attribute a behavior to from the child to the situation, which is more beneficial for supporting that child and creating meaningful changes
Context also may explain why a behavior occurred (For example if a child bites another child we might assume there is a behavioral issue, but if we know the context, that a child bit another child because that child pulled a toy away from them, we know that the bite was a reaction to the situation and we can use this information to prevent the situation from happening again or to support this child to use another strategy in the moment to get their needs met- in this case coming to a teacher to get attention or asking for the toy back).

Let’s also go back to the video we watched earlier with the two little girls. The context is very important. At the beginning of the video the girl says “let’s see who wins” when playing horses. While playing the girls start to get rough and the teacher intervenes. If we did not hear one of the girls say “let’s see who wins” we would view this video differently.

Time: ~4 min

18 of 24

Observation practice

What do you observe?

19 of 24

Understanding Context:

1) What observations are important to make when contextualizing a teacher’s and/or child's behavior?

2) What is an example of a behavior you would interpret differently depending on the context?

20 of 24

Mindful Reflection as a Process for Developing Culturally Responsive Practices

Description

Interpretation

Evaluation

LET'S PRACTICE

21 of 24

When we are looking at and analyzing behavior…

What we see

AND

How we interpret it

As we work on building skills for observing and analyzing child behavior, a major focus will be on recognizing the LENSES we and teachers bring to the classroom and our interactions with all those within it!

Early childhood classrooms are busy places where children are constantly interacting with their teachers, peers and tasks. With all the demands placed on teachers it can be difficult for them to notice everything that’s happening, and especially difficult to spot factors that may lead to or be the cause of challenging behaviors.

We know that being able to step back and make focused observations of a child’s interactions can be a powerful tool. It can help us understand why behaviors are happening and how to best address them to meet the needs of a child. But we also know that being an expert observer is a skill, and like all skills, it’s something that requires training and practice.

22 of 24

Questioning our Lenses

1) What is a helpful lens you bring to being a AEII Coaching?

2) What is a biased lens you bring that you need to be aware of and constantly check?

3) How do you confront the implicit biases you personally possess?

4) How can we repair harm after an incident of bias?

When we think about skills we want to bring into the classroom, we should look to deepen our ability to assess equity (or a lack thereof) within a classroom. This includes considering the tangible instructional materials and messages students receive but also evaluating the quality of student-teacher interactions. A diverse, representative array of academic and socioemotional supports must be accessible to children and their families. This is particularly true for BIPOC students (clarify that BIPOC means Black, Indigenious, and People of Color), low-income children, and multilingual/English Language Learners.

We utilize lenses to effectively analyze classroom dynamics and children-teacher interactions. One lenses we always want to have on, and finely tuned, is our equity lens. This lens allows up to comprehensively assess areas for growth within educational spaces. An equity lens is inquisitive, critical of harmful, discriminatory practices, and attuned to creative problem solving. Through our equity lens, we can capture more of the nuances that influence the socioemotional and cognitive development of children.

23 of 24

24 of 24

Next Steps- this week:

Complete Google Form for reoccurring no-shows or no responses

Schedule Complete Coaching Kick-Off Meetings and Leader Calls

Complete Coaching Session Fidelity Learning by December 10th

Continue to familiarize yourself with Scope and Sequence and Coaching Manual, including Ch. 3 on Conducting Coaching Sessions, Action Planning, Effective Feedback