Humanize Your Classroom

Session I Virtual Version

January 22, 2022

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Welcome!

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Step 1: Update your Zoom name to reflect your preferred name if different than what’s currently there and/or pronouns if you’d like (see screenshots below for how-to)

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Step 2: In the chat, tell us your name, grade level/subject matter, and (since we had planned to serve breakfast on the patio at CSUSM) your favorite breakfast food!

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Sponsors and Facilitators

Sponsored by:

California State University San Marcos Distinguished Teacher in Residence Program

CSUSM Project SUPPORT

Facilitators:

Carol Battle Ingrid Flores Rachael McGlaston Espinoza Sean Nank Pat Stall

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Purpose of this Professional Development

• Grow and develop as a responsive educator
• Focus on teaching humans first and content second
• Develop and Maintain a positive and productive learning experience

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In other words…

Learn to humanize your classroom

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Breakout Room #1

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Protocol:

1. Each person gets one uninterrupted minute to answer the questions.
2. At the end of everyone’s turn, if time permits, reflect with each other on the answers.

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P. 2

Let’s get to know each other

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In your breakout rooms, write out and then share the following:

• What are 6 words that describe you as an educator and a person?
• In what ways are you the same or different in your personal and professional life?

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P. 2

Hu·man·ize

/ˈ(h)yo͞oməˌnīz/

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1. to make someone or something kinder, gentler, or more agreeable
2. to make something less unpleasant and more suitable for people
3. to show that someone has the qualities, weaknesses, etc. that are typical of a human, in a way that makes you more likely to feel empathy for them

Synonyms for Humanize include words such as Improve, Educate, Civilize, Uplift, Better, Enlighten, Refine, Humane.

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Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

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P. 2

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P. 3

What is one practice/habit you employ that humanizes your classroom?

What practices are we doing that humanize our learning spaces? Share your thoughts on Padlet and be ready to share how that creates a humanizing environment

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Challenges to Humanizing your Classroom

Biases

(both conscious and unconscious)

Judgements

Stereotypes

Expectations

Assumptions

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Who do you think your facilitators are?

• Ethnicity
• Languages spoken
• Hobbies
• Favorite kind of food

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• Kind of car/year/color
• Pets (if so, what kind?)
• Where were they born?
• Favorite music

P. 3

10 Minute Break

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Carol

Ethnicity: Black (not-African American)

Languages spoken: English, limited Espanol

Hobbies: What hobies? I’m a doc student 😉 reading, writing poetry, nature walks

Favorite kind of food - anything Mexican or cajun

Kind of car/year/color Jaguar, 2009, Sapphire Blue Ms. Sapphire to be exact

Pets (if so, what kind?): One Sr. Citizen Chocolate Lab, One Rescue from across the border, one grandkitty who thinks he's a dog

Where were they born?: San Fernando Valley - LA

Favorite music: Depends on the occasion - Spanish Guitar for work, George Winston (Piano Solos) to study, 90s R & B for fun

Ingrid

Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latinx

Languages spoken -English and Spanish

Hobbies - Travel, old movies, antiques

Favorite kind of food -Mediterranean

Kind of car/year/color - Honda Pilot/ 2018/white

Pets (if so, what kind?) - Standard poodle

Where were they born - CA

Favorite music - 80s, alternative, classical, instrumental

Rachael

Ethnicity: Black and White

Languages spoken: English and always working on Spanish and French

Hobbies: Reading, exercising, listening to podcasts, whatever my kids are doing, learning more about wine so I feel smarter when I’m drinking it throughout the week, HA!

Favorite kind of food: Pasta and GIANT, million-ingredient salads

Kind of car/year/color: Mercedes/2020/grey

Pets (if so, what kind?): 2 Yorkie/Maltese, 1 Italian Mastiff

Where were they born: Bay Area

Favorite music: R&B, Neo-Soul, 70s Soul/R&B, Rap, French Jazz

Pat

Ethnicity: White

Languages spoken: English

Hobbies: Camping, hiking, golf

Favorite kind of food: Cheese

Pets: Grand-dogs

Pat

Where were they born?: Texas

Favorite Music: Country, rock and roll

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Sean

Ethnicity: Celtic, mostly Irish and Scottish

Languages spoken: English, Sarcasm (ha!)

Hobbies: Ballet, Hip Hop, Tap, Martial Arts, Guitar, anything to do with water

Favorite kind of food: Anything I’m not supposed to eat! Seriously though, Cajun or Italian like gumbo or homemade spaghetti.

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Sean

Kind of car/year/color – Brown Buick Enclave cause my wife took the car I bought for myself, so it’s inherited from her

Pets (if so, what kind?) – Golden Retriever

Where were they born? - Illinois, outside of Chicago

Favorite music – Depends on the mood, given the current events, I gotta go with Meatloaf…

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Breakout Room #2

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Protocol:

• Each person gets one uninterrupted minute to answer the question that most resonates with them.
• At the end of everyone’s turn, if time permits, reflect with each other on the answers.

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P. 5

Let’s get to know each other

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In your breakout rooms, write out and then share the following:

• What thoughts/feelings do you have about the topics so far?
• What challenges do you have in terms of mitigating biases and assumptions?
• What practices/habits do you employ to get to know your students?

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P. 5

Breakout Room Debrief

Things to remember…

1. None of us are perfect.
2. Whatever feelings you are having are completely normal.
3. Tools to humanize your classroom are in the LEAF model.

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LEAF: Four Habits to Humanize your Classroom

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1. Listen to your students
2. Expect & employ kindness, compassion, and joy
3. Apply student, family, and community assets (Maslow before Bloom)
4. Facilitate authentic learning experiences (MERRI Cycle)

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P. 6

1. Listen to your Students

Breakout Room #3

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Protocol:

1. You will have a partner from your previous breakout room. Each partner has 1 minute to tell their story. Like last time, the listening partner can only listen with no comment.
2. Tell your partner about a student you had a difficult time connecting with.
3. After each person has shared, discuss what you would have done in that situation.

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P. 5

10 Minute Break

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2. Expect & employ kindness, compassion, and joy

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Ranjeeta Basu, Professor

Mindful CSUSM

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Breakout Room #4

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Protocol:

• Each person has three minutes to answer the statements.
• At the end of everyone’s turn, if time permits, reflect with each other on the answers.

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P. 6

Call to Action

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In your breakout rooms, write out and then share the following:

• Name one thing that resonates with you from today.
• Identify one thing you can change in your classroom practices based on what resonates with you.
• Identify how you will know if what you’re changing is working.

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P. 6

Next Time: LEAF

Review Completed Protocols

Listen to your students

Expect & employ kindness, compassion, and joy

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Explore Upcoming Protocols

Apply student, family, and community assets (Maslow before Bloom)

Facilitate authentic learning experiences (MERRI Cycle)

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Next Time: Life Line Activity 1

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Step 1: Draw a straight line through the center of your horizontally aligned paper. We will keep adding to this document so save space for more life lines while completing Lifeline 1.

Step 2 (Lifeline 1 instructions): Reflect on your experience as a student from as far back as you can remember. Draw a line with high and low points that are representative of key moments and experiences that you had in school. At each point, jot down a note to remind yourself of what each peak or valley represents.

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Learnings for next time

Using the List of resources in your Handbook, select 2-3 to peruse and be ready to share a brief review (2-3 min) of the resources next time in a breakout.

For sharing think about the following:

What is helpful? What will you actually use? What is not helpful?

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P. 9

Exit Ticket

Please take a moment to complete an Exit Ticket for today’s session. Help us, help you!

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