As I shared in my recent video, stepping back into my consulting work after a year-long hiatus spent cherishing special moments with my kids and grandkids has been invigorating and enlightening. While I was busy changing diapers and cooking dinners, there was an astonishing surge in the realm of LLMs (Large Language Models) and generative AI. I couldn’t resist diving right into this new wave of innovation. It’s fascinating how our perspectives shift as time goes by – a year ago, I might have shied away from these novel technologies, but now, I stand as a staunch advocate of embracing the unfamiliar. It’s akin to a form of playful exploration that has rekindled my sense of creativity in ways I never thought possible.
My latest focus has been on crafting videos that spotlight the myriad of ways educators can cultivate a sense of belonging within their classrooms and educational institutions. I’ve been penning video scripts with a little help from my AI buddy, ChatGPT. I interacted with the chatbot by honing my prompts (which was part of the fun). Then, lights, camera, action – I’m using Streamyard to capture my thoughts on video, bringing them to life. After that, it’s all about the magical touch of Microsoft’s Clipchamp to polish up those videos. Adding eye-catching thumbnails that I created using Firefly with Adobe Express. Oh, and don’t forget those super cool Canva brand templates from Ed2Market that I can enhance and modify with apps like Text to Image. It’s like turning words into captivating visuals in the blink of an eye. One of my favorite parts of all of this is creating the prompts and figuring out how to word them to ensure I get the results I have in mind. The whole process of creating, editing, and jazzing up videos feels like a thrilling adventure, and it’s all because I’ve unlocked my sense of self-belonging.
Courtesy of Text to Image Canva app
If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I really wrap my head around all this new tech?” – the answer is a resounding yes! All it takes is a pinch of self-belief and a dash of confidence, and you’re ready to conquer any tech challenge that comes your way. Trust me, it’s an exhilarating ride, and you’re in for a treat! And you’ll have so much fun while you’re learning and doing!
Whether you’re a tech newbie or a seasoned pro, remember this: finding your sense of belonging is the key. It’s what fuels your fearless exploration of the tech universe. So go ahead, embrace the unknown, and let your creativity and tech prowess shine bright. And encourage your students to do the same. You’ve got this, and I can’t wait to see the incredible things you’ll create!
Here’s the link to the video I created this week. And the IG reel version.
Summary of assumptions about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the reality
I have written several posts and an article about misunderstandings related to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs including the pyramid that he never sketched. I have also mentioned the influence of his research, those of his contemporaries, and the indigenous teachings of the Blackfoot Confederation after Maslow spent the summer of 1938 with them doing fieldwork on his work that contributed to him modifying it over the years. I am now in the midst of editing my upcoming book about belonging and after posting my last article about the topic, I received comments from distinguished educators Ken Shelton and Barbara Bray that pushed me to dig deeper into the influence the Blackfoot teachings had on Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. I’m putting my findings into an order that makes sense to me and hopefully, my readers while giving credit to the experts who have thoroughly researched Maslow’s published and unpublished writing with a particular focus on the Blackfoot teachings. Today’s post is only a portion of what I’ve pieced together based on my searches.
Abraham Maslow is considered the founder of humanistic psychology that focuses on the whole person and includes self-efficacy, maximizing our potential (self-actualization) that leads us to wellbeing. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology and comprises five tiers: the most basic human needs are physiological (food and clothing), then safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), self-esteem, and self-actualization. The needs are explained in more detail in this article.
Those who took a course in psychology have probably learned about Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but they might not be aware that Maslow did not visualize his theory of motivation as a pyramid. According to Scott Barry Kaufman, in his book, Transcend (2020), the pyramid and hierarchy of needs were created by a management consultant in the 1960s and became popular in organizational behavior courses at business schools. Since he didn’t create a pyramid, there is no basis to believe the Blackfoot tipi was turned upside down by Maslow.
Blackstock graphic of Maslow’s pyramid next to Blackfoot tipi
In a recent interview by Scott Barry Kaufman in the journal, Scientific American, Todd Bridgman, Stephen Cummings, and John Ballard answer questions about the article they published in 2019 in the Academy of Management titled, “Who Built Maslow’s Pyramid: A History of the Creation of Management Studies’ Most Famous Symbol and the Implications for Management Education”. After a thorough search of Maslow’s writings and how Maslow’s theory appears in management textbooks, Bridgman, Cummings, and Ballard came to the conclusion that several management textbook authors during the 1950s and 1960s were responsible for a simplified version of Maslow’s theory and the creation of a pyramid to explain his theory to management students.
The pyramid isn’t the only misunderstanding or simplification of Maslow’s hierarchy. It is generally thought that Maslow believed the needs were linear and each had to be fully met before people could move on to the next. However, according to Maslow, “The human needs are arranged in an integrated hierarchy rather than dichotomously, that is, they rest one upon another. . . . This means that the process of regression to lower needs remains always as a possibility…” (Kaufman, p. xxviii)
Another misunderstanding about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is how much influence his time with the Northern Blackfoot in Alberta, Canada had on his hierarchy. He spent the summer of 1938 with them as part of an anthropological study, and his field notes show his awareness of the differences between his upbringing and the one he observed. “Nearly all of the Blackfoot, he discovered, displayed a level of emotional security that only the upper percentiles of the U.S. population reached, and Maslow attributed this in large measure to the Indians’ emphasis on personal responsibility instilled from early childhood.” It seems that Maslow’s 1938 fieldwork research moved the direction of his interest to find the core of humanism, but his theory was also influenced afterward by leading psychologists of his time and his research. Therefore, we don’t really know what influences the Blackfoot society had on his work since there were so many other influences on him. We do know there should be more outward recognition of the Blackfoot influence and it should be explicitly stated.
Maslow “was concerned with creativity, freedom of expression, personal growth and fulfillment – issues that remain as relevant today in thinking about work, organizations, and our lives as they were in Maslow’s time. We think there’s an opportunity to create a new Maslow for management studies by returning to Maslow’s original ideas.” Maslow wondered, dreamed, and believed every person had the ability to reach self-actualization, but he searched all his life for what the motivation was. In fact, he became tired of average and believed all humans can reach self-actualization. Maslow believed we all have the potential to excel at our work whether we are talented musicians or menial laborers. “Maslow never proclaimed even the best people to be anything but human, susceptible to all-too-human flaws; but that did not mean he hoped for anything less than the remarkable for everyone. The essential question was not what made Beethoven Beethoven, but why everyone is not a Beethoven. Maslow was not his own dupe and knew well that musical or any other artistic genius is not bestowed equally, but he did hold that every person ought to be able to excel and find fulfillment in his work, whatever it was. Any work done with mastery possessed high dignity in his eyes.”
In 2007, Professor Terry Cross, a member of the Seneca Nation and founder of the National Indian Child Welfare Association (US) presented a keynote address, “Through Indigenous Eyes: Rethinking Theory and Practice”. He began the speech with an interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in terms of indigenous culture and society and the different world views or collective thought processes of people (see graphic below from his PowerPoint slides)
Cross told the audience that the Western European and American worldview is linear while the native or tribal worldview is balanced and relational. In the Western worldview, time is linear. In the tribal or Native worldview, time is circular or cyclical. He also noted there are differences in each of the worldviews’ theory of change. For Westerners, change is the result of cause and effect while in the relational worldview “change is a constant, inevitable, cyclical, and dynamic part of the human experience that occurs in natural, predictable patterns and can be facilitated to promote desirable and measured outcomes.” (Cross, 2007) In 2011, Dr. Cindy Blackstock, a member of the Gitksan First Nation cites Cross’s work with worldview. In her article, “The Emergence of the Breath of Life Theory”, Blackstock “assumes that a set of interdependent principles known as the relational worldview principles (Cross, 2007) overlay an interconnected reality with expansive concepts of time and multiple dimensions of reality.” Although I haven’t studied earlier references to worldviews, I can see there is a focus on the needs of indigenous communities by researchers within those communities. There is a realization that in order to ensure the well-being of indigenous people, the lived experiences of those looking for solutions should have a similar worldview. In 2014, Karen Lincoln Michel attended a lecture by Dr. Blackstock where she referenced Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the pyramid. She also bemoaned the lack of credit given to the Blackfoot by Maslow. It seems that until 2019, the pyramid was still associated with Maslow’s work.
Scott Barry Kaufman spent years researching Maslow’s work including unpublished letters and papers. In his book, Transcend (2020), Kaufman notes that Maslow understood there was no linear path to achieving self-actualization. His notes show his belief that people flow in and out of the different levels depending on their life circumstances and experiences. He also confirms that Maslow did not visualize his theory of motivation as a pyramid. It was indeed created by a management consultant in the 1960s.
After Blackstock’s essay was published in 2011, more people began writing about Maslow’s privileged use of Blackfoot teachings without giving them due credit. I have seen an awakening to the discussion, but I believe we’re missing an opportunity to focus on what we can learn from indigenous teachings instead of only criticizing Maslow for not recognizing where he may or may not have taken some of his ideas from and leaving the discussion at that point. I believe we can truly honor and recognize the indigenous teachings by learning about their worldview and their lived experiences.
There is so much to be learned from indigenous communities about living a fulfilling and satisfying life, but I will only touch on each one and provide references and videos for those interested in delving deeper.
The Emergence of the Breath of Life Theory (2011) by Dr. Cindy Blackstock
Breath of Life Theory: “(T)here are significant differences between First Nations* and western worldviews particularly in relation to time, interconnection of reality, and the First Nations belief that simple principles often explain complex phenomena such as the universe or humanity. The basic premise of the theory is that structural risks affecting children’s safety and well-being are alleviated when the relational worldview principles are in balance within the context and culture of the community.”
According to Native American child welfare expert Terry Cross in “the relational worldview model (Cross, 1997; Cross, 2007) the principles are categorized in four domains (cognitive, physical, spiritual, and emotional) of personal and collective well-being:
COGNITIVE: self and community actualization, role, service, identity, and esteem
PHYSICAL: water, food, housing, safety, and security
SPIRITUAL: spirituality and life purpose
EMOTIONAL: love, relationship, and belonging
The breath of life theory (BOL) predicts that, if the relational worldview principles are out of balance within the framework of community culture and context, then risks to the child’s safety and well-being will increase. BOL also suggests that child welfare interventions geared toward restoring balance among the relational worldview models principles will result in optimal safety and well-being for the community and their children.”
“Transformation Beyond Greed: Native Self Actualization” (2014) by Sidney Stone Brown
Sidney Stone Brown is a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana and currently the Behavioral Health Director of the Navajo Nation Department of Behavioral Health Services. Stone Brown notes in her address to the American Psychological Association in 2016 that “Foundational to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is the idea – if we meet basic needs it will lead to peak experiences, authenticity, and dignity. So why don’t some individuals become actualized when their basic needs are met? This was a question Maslow searched for also. Stone Brown asks, “Could it be the insecurity of the society in which the individual lives?” Native Self Actualization occurs in a collectivist society while Western society is an individualist society.
Stone Brown was aware of Abraham Maslow’s view of self-actualization as a human need and the influence of his visit to the Blackfoot community in 1938. In fact, she requested access to all of his archives to ensure she was accurate in her portrayal of the work he did based on his visit. “When Maslow was on the Blackfoot (Siksika) Reserve in 1938, he learned from the young and old that giving back is not threatening to progress or wellbeing. Giving back protects the next generation. It prepares each person for their spiritual purpose and allows each person to become spiritually actualized. Peter Little Light, Blackfoot Medicine Man, would have spoken of these ways to Maslow, according to his step-grandson Clement Bear Chief, to convey to him the Blackfoot worldview. Maslow must have learned of the Blackfoot worldview about the purpose and meaning of life. And according to this worldview, becoming whole always involves service to others, putting others before ourselves.” (APA presentation. 2016)
Stone Brown’s work over the past twenty years includes creating and validating the Native Self Actualization Placement Assessment (NSPA). The NSPA is based on two major worldviews (traditional and contemporary) and is used for behavioral health services. Cultural worldviews represent the way a person views and relates to others. As she states in her speech to the APA in 2016, “Honoring all within the context of each person(s) unique mixture of traditional and contemporary skills allows each person to find their personal meaning for life.” You can find more information about Sidney Stone Brown, the NSPA, and her book on her website.
I will leave you with two final thoughts. First, from Kay Sidebottom:
“Why do we continue to ignore indigenous wisdom on which many of our educational theories rely? Along with the Blackfoot nation, which other thinkers are we failing to acknowledge in our teaching? What might happen if we begin to privilege other ways of knowing and being in the world? And – how can educators truly work to decolonise their curricula within neo-liberal systems which permeate and reinforce colonist practice? Taking a restorative approach requires us to explore these questions with humility, honesty and the willingness to confront our own role in the denial and promotion of colonialist practices. It asks us to be truth-seekers and to provide space for healing, for those who have been harmed by our systems.” (2019)
And finally, from Dr. Cindy Blackstock:
“It’s understanding one’s place in the world and acknowledging it. It’s realizing each day that I have been blessed with basic necessities and giving thanks for them. It’s doing my part to help my community and the greater good. Hopefully, these teachings practiced by my generation will inspire the next generation to take hold of them so they will endure.” (Blackstock, 2011)
*First Nation is a term used to identify Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Métis nor Inuit. This term came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the term “Indian” and “Indian band” which many find offensive.
My Journey to Belonging and Wellbeing Buncee activities
One of the major things I missed as an administrator was teaching a classroom filled with students. Even more than being physically present with students, I miss planning and innovating in my lessons. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a number of apps and educational technologies that I wished existed when I was teaching years ago. Tools like Flipgrid, Buncee, Wakelet, Book Creator, Microsoft Teams, Google for Education, Canva, and Adobe Spark have challenged my learning and enhanced my ability to communicate my message about belonging, inclusion, equity, compassion, and supporting refugees. And lately, I have seen the amazing things teachers are creating for their students to ensure learning continues even as we face so much disruption and uncertainty. Talk about being FOMO!
There are two apps I am now creating with and have decided to jump back into creating lessons. The apps, Adobe Spark and Buncee are fun to use and extremely versatile, AND there are educators involved in the creation of new features and templates all the time which makes them so up to date and user friendly. I’m sure there are many other creative apps that are versatile and easy to use for students and teachers, but I’m most familiar with these two and I can get lost for hours creating and sharing. I’ll start with my Buncee journey first.
About a year ago, I gently dipped my toes into the Buncee waters. Initially, the water felt a bit cool since I wasn’t using it very often, so it seemed a bit daunting to figure out. But then I heard about the Buncee Summer Challenge and decided to join in the daily activities. I could choose when and which ones I wanted to complete and then share them on social media I started figuring out the different and multiple ways I could fulfill each challenge and when I shared my finished Buncee, the reaction from the community and from Buncee was so gratifying! One day the challenge was to use the draw feature in the app to create a “copy” of famous artworks. I thought to myself, I feel intimidated by drawing, so how do I feel about drawing and sharing it with people I don’t know? Well, as you can see from the finished product, I didn’t do too badly. And the best part was I had fun while I did it! How amazing is that from someone who has always suffered from a lack of confidence in my ability to draw anything?
But then I realized I wanted to share my expertise in Belonging with teachers since many are wondering how to build safe spaces and relationships in a virtual space or mask to mask in the classroom (and 6 feet apart). So I created a Buncee lesson about how to become a Good Ancestor which is posted in Ideaslab: https://app.edu.buncee.com/buncee/9a0d4c4f25784f74a03b9cdda5f91691
“Treat the world well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was willed to you by your children.” Kenya proverb
Lately, after a competition announced by Wakelet and Adobe Spark, I found even more creativity that I could use to amplify my voice and the voice of the refugee leaders I support in Kakuma (who are now using Adobe Spark). The competitive challenges and supporting training videos by Dom Traynor really helped me understand the amazing ways I can use it to tell stories and market ideas. Then I found out about the Adobe Creative Educator training track with badges and 1-3 hour courses. I started with a Storytelling course and then followed with the Level 1 ACE course. Once I uploaded the assignments, I felt so accomplished!
The Level 2 course was recently released on https://edex.adobe.com and I couldn’t wait to start. Once lessons are completed, there are two assignments to complete. The first is a lesson plan using Adobe Spark and Assignment 2 is creating a video with Spark. There are examples and templates which is really helpful and a variety of educators present videos throughout the 3-hour course. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to complete the lesson plan since I’ve been out of the classroom for seven years, but I decided to try anyway. Once I saw the exemplar, I knew I could do it! There are so many lessons I used when I was a third-grade teacher before the age of apps and edtech. This would be my chance to upskill my lesson and show how to incorporate creativity. I remember having my students create a school newspaper and how much they enjoyed choosing the section they would contribute to and create the final product. Here’s the lesson I created which can suit ELA standards and language objectives in almost all grades 3-12, and with a bit of support, even scaffolded or scaled down for KG – 2.
I’m so excited to be back into the lesson planning mindset and am looking forward to creating plans for the book I am writing about belonging. I’d love feedback about the lessons and activities I’ve shared here.
Damage to New English School property in 1990 Photo courtesy of Free Kuwait
]As we continue to feel the effects of the pandemic crisis around us and try to come to terms with how to educate our children while keeping them safe as well as all those involved in educating them, I am reminded of my family’s return to Kuwait in 1991. My sons were school age kindergarteners and we had registered them in one of the private American schools before we traveled in July 1990. Then Kuwait was invaded by Iraq and we were refugees until Kuwait was liberated in 1991. We returned home in June 1991 to devastation and damage to property and the results of widespread looting from government and private buildings including schools.
When school registration began in late August 1991, I returned to the school my sons were supposed to enroll in and found out (actually saw) the results of eight months of occupation by foreign forces. As a parent of small children, it didn’t seem the school would be ready or safe enough for my children to attend in September. After discussing my concerns with my husband, we decided to find another school that would be ready (safe) in one month. We found a lesser known private school with British curriculum which seemed alright since my oldest son had been studying in a British primary school in Spain the past year while we waited for a chance to return to Kuwait.
I want to say that my husband and I were satisfied with the education my sons received at that school but unfortunately we weren’t. Although the teachers were very kind and seemed quite knowledgeable, we just weren’t happy with the one size fits all rigidity of the curriculum. In addition, the administration had difficulty keeping track of paperwork and files, so we were repeatedly asked to bring in the same documents although we knew we had already provided them. By mid-year, we decided to try to enroll them in an American curriculum school and after they passed the entrance test, we paid the fees to reserve their place for the 1992-1993 academic year.
As I looked back at my sons’ first four years of schooling, I realized they had moved four times (see table below).
My oldest son Year(s) |Grade level. |Language of instruction. |Curriculum
Sept., 1988 to June, 1990 |PreK and KG |Arabic |Kuwait Ministry of Education
Sept. 1990 to May, 1991 |British Stage 1 |English |British primary school in Spain
Sept. 1991 to June 1992 |British Stage 2 |English |British
Sept. 1992 to June 1993 |Grade 2 |English |American
My younger son Year(s). |Grade level. |Language of instruction. |Curriculum
Sept., 1989 to June, 1990. |Nursery |English |American
Sept. 1990 to May, 1991. |Nursery. |Spanish. |Spanish nursery school in Spain
Sept. 1991 to June 1992. |PreK. |English. |British
Sept. 1992 to June 1993 |KG |English. |American
For parents who are worried right now about whether their children’s education will set them back in the long run, I want to calm your fears. Mine were fine, even with the additional disruption in 2003 when the schools closed again for two months (during my son’s senior year). In fact, I wrote about it in a previous post. I believe we were able to overcome any adverse consequences with consistent emphasis on teaching my children life skills, reading with them, talking to them, discussing a variety of topics, and letting them analyze choices and make decisions. They were both accepted to top American universities after they graduated high school.
My advice to parents remains the same as my previous posts.
1. Ensure your children feel safe and loved. They shouldn’t feel your stress or be worried based on your fears.
2. Model and discuss life skills with them like making responsible choices, helping out at home, cooking, reading, finding opportunities to learn math and science while cooking or doing other daily tasks.
3. Figure out projects that need higher order thinking skills
4. Let them choose what they want to work on. Choice boards can be created in many ways.
5. Use regular household items and objects typically found at home like shoe boxes which are terrific as dioramas (habitats, for example), toilet and paper towel inner rolls can be used to create all kinds of things. Let them figure out how they can be used.
6. Make sure they stay in contact with their friends. If they can’t see them face to face, arrange telephone calls, FaceTime, Skype, etc.
We will get through this. If your children don’t go back to school the way they were in school before March 2020, it’s alright. Whether online, back in school, or hybrid, students need to know their parents are ok with it. As the example of my boys shows, even with interrupted schooling and multiple curriculums and languages, they survived and thrived.
One note: I realize that my family and I are privileged which may seem to undermine my conclusions; however, I still believe all children can be successful in spite of the circumstances if parents/caregivers remain mindful about creating a safe environment at home where their children feel a sense of belonging. We can do that without textbooks and daily 45 minute lessons about content, if necessary. There are also cases of refugee and displaced children that have been able to recover the lost years of interrupted education if given the right interventions and scaffolds to catch up.
Note: If you’re interested in non-traditional education that can inform traditional models of education, check Classroom Without Walls
“In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I cannot remain silent. I will never be silent in the face of racism, prejudice, bullying, discrimination!
I join with all others and scream out to those who contribute to the perpetuation of racism and all other “isms”; READ, LEARN, THINK, REFLECT.
I will speak out against racism wherever and whenever it happens; in America or Kuwait or Europe or…
I lived through the 1960s and remember the backlash against the Civil Rights movement. I remember the riots and rhetoric. It was a significant time in my life and my parents were highly involved in searching for solutions and speaking up. If I stay silent now or ever, I will be disrespecting their legacy. A legacy of tolerance, justice, understanding, and activism.
My father was a Superintendent in the New York State Department of Labor for the Western New York area. His job included seeking job opportunities for minorities (so labeled at the time) and ensuring equality in hiring practices. A trained lawyer, my father was a volunteer at the Buffalo Volunteer Law Project after he retired from public service and represented clients who couldn’t afford representation. He and my mother were members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) whose mission is “to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.”
My family and I regularly discussed issues of race and racism and religious discrimination at our dinner table. We were acutely aware of the latter because as a Jewish family in a majority Christian neighborhood, we advocated for equal representation at school music concerts and to have our major holidays recognized as legal holidays.
My mother was a political activist as early as the 1950s. After moving to Buffalo from Long Island, she became involved with the original group that formed the National Women’s Political Caucus. She enrolled in the first Women’s Studies course at SUNY Buffalo in 1971; Women and Contemporary Society. But we also knew we were privileged. We had a roof over our heads, food on our table, clothing to wear, and went on to enroll in university. Stories that my parents told us, were examples to my siblings and me that we had to be aware there were many who weren’t advantaged like we were.
In years past, people asked if we remember where we were when we heard the President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Yes. I remember where I was on November 22, 1961. I also remember where I was when I found out that Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Hearing the recording of his “I have a dream” speech still makes me cry. Why? Because racism is still prevalent in this world; after more than 50 years of struggle and sacrifice by many!
So what is my message to everyone today? Read, listen, and learn about the history of racist behaviors and racism in the world. Find ways to support causes that work towards equality and against racism. Think about how we lose our own humanity each time someone is threatened, bullied, discriminated against, or murdered because of their race or religion or gender, or ethnicity.
Why does it matter to me? Other than it is embedded in my upbringing, my immediate family includes different religious faiths, gender identities, ethnicities, and skin colors. I was raised Jewish, but converted to Islam before I got married in 1984. My marriage is intercultural and inter-racial. My children are biracial and brown. My sons-in-law are biracial Hispanic and American heritage. My daughter-in-law has Arab roots that also include Jordanian-Palestinian. Has it been easy to live as a family with so many different races, faiths, and ethnicities? Hardly. But each member, including my parents, my siblings, my children, their spouses, and their cousins have worked very hard to recognize that we are still family. We respect each other and hold each other equal. But most importantly, and this includes ME, we listen to each other and continue to learn from each other about our different faiths, ethnicities, gender identities, and race.
On a professional level, as a third grade teacher, I encountered perceived racism in my classroom between students of different Arab heritage. One of my students was very upset and told me she felt excluded when her classmates were outside at recess or working on group activities. Although I didn’t observe these behaviors, I relied on her feelings about the situation and not my assessment of what I thought was or wasn’t happening to her. She felt excluded during activities from the majority of students. She believed she wasn’t included because she was different. I included team building activities in my planning and made sure to manage groups during independent work times to ensure everyone felt included and valued. I also checked in with my students individually to make sure each was comfortable in our classroom.
I had another encounter with racism as director of a foundation program at a private university. A student came to my office and asked to move to a different section. When I asked her the reason for her request, she told me she was receiving messages from other students that made her feel unwanted. I spoke with her instructor who told me there was some interaction among her students that led to a misunderstanding but she was handling it. However, after the second incident was reported to me by the same student, I went into the class, with the instructor’s and student’s permission, and spoke with the whole class. I used examples from my own life; that when I was a student, I felt different and it impacted my ability to learn. We sat and discussed how to make things better for the student who felt marginalized and how to ensure inclusivity and awareness of how our behaviors negatively affect others.
I write and speak about belonging and how children can feel isolated like an outsider if we aren’t aware of the dynamics different races or socio-economic levels create among our students. We must listen and find out how students are feeling. We must act to minimize and eliminate barriers to learning due to racism or any other type of “ism”.
And one final note about words and speaking out: A few months ago, I replied to a tweet by shea martin (@sheathescholar) with the intention of supporting them because I asked them to explain. One of their friends on Twitter replied to me that I should take responsibility for finding out about the topic and that it was exhausting for shea or any other person experiencing a lack of understanding about their race, gender, faith to continuously have to educate me and others. Of course, I apologized and have since done more reading about the topic of gender identity. The reason I mention this here is to underline my responsibility and our responsibility as a community to read and research about gender identity, race, religious faith. I’ve seen quite a few posts this past week reiterating that it is the responsibility of each and every one of us who is privileged to find out more, read more, do more to know more and better understand how to be anti-racist and become an activist by speaking against racism and all the ‘isms’. I am constantly learning.
Photo of pre-school children sitting on the playground in a square designated by chalk lines on the ground. Each child is seated separately.
“The fear of these past few months as Covid-19 has taken over the world will no doubt take some time to get over. Hesitance to return back to normal too quickly is likely a normal reaction, therefore. Aside from the health factors at play, however, we have a real chance now to build back better, rather than to rush back to normal.”
As the school year finishes in many parts of the world, begins in others, and is contemplated and speculated about, my sole concern is about the social and emotional effects of it all. How are we going to cope with the past few months of curfews, stay at home, lockdowns, and an uncertain future? Are we prepared to discuss and deal with it? How are we going to make sure we are all comfortable and feel secure in a totally different school environment than the one we used to know? I’m not so sure. I hardly hear or read of any plans for training educators in trauma informed pedagogy or even focusing on how traumatic this time has been for everyone. I am worried; worried that we will be taking care of the “not getting COVID-19” part of the return to school, but not the social and emotional trauma it has caused. And that means we will try to “do school” with physical distancing and wearing a mask but immediately go back to teaching content that we assume has been lost over the past five months.
We are in an emergency situation that is ongoing and very traumatic. There will be long lasting emotional effects on us all and especially on our children. In fact, just the thought of students going back into a classroom that has them spaced six feet apart, requires them to wear a mask, wash their hands frequently, and eat alone makes me wonder how we can ignore the social and emotional discussions that need to happen before any learning can start. I have failed to read an article about reopening schools anywhere in the world that places emphasis on how they are going to deal with the emotional toll of COVID19 situation on teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Many are concerned about what school will look like, the cost of the “new normal”, and the economic consequences in capitalist societies of not getting back to school so parents can get back to work. I think we need to change our priorities. We should begin looking at trauma informed practices and social/emotional practices for teachers to learn and practice with their students when and as schools reopen.
“MOEs also need to anticipate and prepare for additional challenges resulting from the direct and indirect consequences of COVID-19 and prolonged social isolation, on both the education system and on the school community. These include learning loss, increased risk of dropout, the exacerbation of existing and new inequalities, and the loss of education personnel. UNESCO has been monitoring education responses to COVID-19 globally, collecting and analyzing information and facilitating policy dialogue and experience sharing. Key policy issues include the timing, the conditions and processes for school reopening. The effectiveness of these policy decisions and reopening strategies will depend on the level of preparedness of the education system in terms of infrastructure (health and sanitary measures); teaching staff (ability to provide both psychosocial and academic support); pedagogical preparedness (offering remedial action and alternative modalities to meet learning objectives); learners, families and communities (ability and willingness to return to school and readiness to continue learning.” https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373401
I’d like to provide some resources for administrators and teachers to consider as they plan for return to school or as they review what is already happening as school reopens.
One excellent resource is from the Center for Social Emotional Learning (CASEL). As part of their CASEL Cares initiative during COVID-19, resources have been collated and created specifically to address the current crisis. In its initial guide, Leveraging the Power of Social and Emotional Learning: as You Prepare to Reopen and Renew Your Community, the authors offer a framework with guidelines for the community, with all stakeholders represented, to prepare a comprehensive plan for returning to school.
“While much uncertainty surrounds how and when school will reopen, we know that social and emotional learning (SEL) will be critical to re-engaging students, supporting adults, rebuilding relationships, and creating a foundation for academic learning. This unprecedented shift to a new type of learning experience may have a lasting and profound impact on young people’s academic, social, emotional, and life outcomes. School leaders will need to bring together administrators, teachers, school staff, families, youth, and community partners to co-create supportive learning environments where all students and adults can enhance their social and emotional competencies, feel a sense of belonging, heal, and thrive (p. 3).”
On page 4, they note that “(t)he guidance below is organized around four critical actions, which are adapted from what we have learned about systemic SEL in collaboration with researchers and practitioners:
4 critical actions CASEL.org suggests based on researchers and practitioners for returning to school after COVID-19
Each critical action is then described in detail including how all stakeholders can put it into practice. In addition, links to related resources are provided. Although this framework was created with a focus on the United States, all school systems can benefit from this research and practice based guide.
Another important source of guidance for coping with the COVID-19 effects on the social and emotional wellbeing of parents, teachers, and students is the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE.org). The work of the INEE spans over many years and supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal-SDG #4 promoting the fundamental right to education for all. While its work is primarily focused on marginalized populations including refugees, there is a wealth of ideas and research based on practice in the field that can be applied to the current situation related to COVID-19 since it is “emergency education” we are dealing with and not “business as usual”.
The advocacy brief recently released by the INEE, “highlights some of the potential impacts of school closures on children, with a focus on the most marginalised, including those already living in crisis and conflict contexts. It provides recommendations for governments and donors, together with partners, to ensure that safe, quality and inclusive learning reaches all children and that education systems are strengthened ready for the return to school.” (https://inee.org/system/files/resources/Learning%20must%20go%20on%2C%20COVID-19%20advocacy%20brief_v20200409.pdf)
The INEE also has a specific set of resources including webinars that focus on education during COVID-19. “Schooling may stop, but learning must not.” https://inee.org/covid-19
Empathy has no script poster courtesy of Veronika Tait
This week I will be doing a live IG with my very good friend and former work colleague, Eva Al Qallaf. Eva is the founder and CEO of Parentool, a consultancy for supporting parents with courses and good advice. She and I have previously chatted about the importance of play for young children and received many terrific responses. This week’s topic is empathy and how we can ensure our children learn about their own feelings and understand others’ feelings. At a time in history when empathy is needed more than ever, I decided to write about how we can model empathy for our children, students, and colleagues thereby increasing our feelings of belonging.
Rarely does an empathic response begin with “at least”. -Brene Brown
Brene Brown describes four qualities of empathy: perspective taking, staying out of judgement, recognizing emotion in other people and then communicating that we have recognized it. She tells us that, “being empathic makes us vulnerable because we have to connect to our own emotions. What makes something better is connection.” And when we have those connections, we feel a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging is necessary for our survival and our sense of well-being. We cannot help others and ourselves if we don’t feel a connection with them. So how can we model empathy? Let’s look at each quality Brown mentions separately.
Perspective taking:
In order to see someone else’s perspective, we first need to be open to seeing and hearing different points of view. According to the socially skilled kids website (https://sociallyskilledkids.com/perspective-taking), “you must have some understanding of others’ thoughts, feelings, motivations, and intentions. You must also have some background information about the other person or be able to make some smart guesses about their background and or how they experience the world.” Their suggestions for four parts of successful perspective taking are-
Set aside your thoughts, feelings, motivations & intentions, momentarily
Consider others’ thoughts, feelings, motivations & intentions
Determine whether or not your behavior should change based on that information
Make any necessary changes
So how do we model that for others? First, we can use opportunities to show others how we think about another person’s perspective. For example, I prefer listening to music from the 1970s but my friend likes classical music. Instead of arguing that my music choices are better than hers, I can ask her why she listens to classical music; how it makes her feel, what is her knowledge of this music, and listen as she tells me her point of view. As I find out more about her perspective, I have a greater appreciation of her preference. So I have (1) stopped thinking that 70s music is the only music we should listen to by setting aside my feelings as I listen to her. That doesn’t mean I have to agree with her. (2) I am showing her that I am considerate of her feelings and ideas. (3) I can try to listen to classical music and decide whether I like it also, and I can add it to my playlist if I want to.
Staying out of judgement
This is a tough one for many of us, especially parents. If a child comes to us with a problem or is feeling upset about something and we ask them to share it with us, we must be ready to react calmly and not show our own judgement of their situation. For example, if a child shares that a classmate was mean to him/her, we must hold our reaction until we fully listen to our child retell what happened. We must validate their feelings and guide them towards a solution. We must also realize that the child may have left some parts of the story out, so questioning for more detail is helpful and also models for them. Listening when your child is upset or crying is not easy. We immediately want to “fix” the problem by telling the child what to do or deciding what we are going to do. However, this isn’t helpful because he/she isn’t able to overcome a similar situation in the future. They will be forever dependent on our solutions.
Recognizing emotion in other people AND Communicating that we have recognized it
The last two characteristics are connected to each other. As I mentioned above, we must listen closely when others are explaining their feelings to us. This validates how they are feeling which encourages them to share and ensures continued dialogue. Once we have listened to them, we need to give them feedback that they’ve been heard and that we understand how they feel even if we don’t agree or wouldn’t react in the same way.
When parents offer their children empathy… Courtesy of Veronika Kait
As a parent, this is the ultimate test of our ability to model problem-solving and empathy. I have many examples from a lifetime of helping my children while they were growing up and still at home. One example that stands out is when my younger son was left off the soccer roster at school. He came home that day and I remember clearly how sad he looked. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he had gone to the JV soccer tryouts and had done quite well (he was a very good soccer player). Since he had been on the team in elementary school, he thought that would also help his chances to be on the team even though he was younger than some of the other boys trying out. But he had looked at the list after school and his name wasn’t on it. I could already feel myself jumping to conclusions, making judgements, and figuring out how to solve this problem, but I told myself that this wouldn’t be helpful.
I asked him how he was feeling and he told me he was very upset because one of his classmates, who happened to be the son of the school activities director (and the soccer coach) did make it on the team. Again, I had to stop myself from offering up what I would do and listened as he continued to tell me that he would stop playing soccer as a school activity and would play on the weekends with his friends. I was so tempted to tell him I was prepared to go in and speak to the coach, but instead asked him if he wanted his father or me to meet with the coach and that I respected his decision. He said that he didn’t want to be on the team if this is the way the coach handled things, and I repeated that I understood how he felt and respected his decision.
Many years later, my son and I had an opportunity to chat about this experience. I shared that I believed it stopped him from playing a sport he truly loved, but he repeated that he didn’t want to play if there was a lack of fairness in how decisions were made. I told him how much I admired his courage to choose what’s right over what he really wanted.
My examples of modeling the four characteristics of empathy show that it cannot be taught. It isn’t a course in a classroom, but a lifetime of watching how others behave in ways that value others’ feelings, show our understanding of those feelings, even when we might not agree, and then telling others that we understand how they are feeling. Modeling empathy is a daily and constant practice: we must walk the walk as we talk the talk and if we make a mistake, we must own it and move on. Our children are watching us; our students are watching us. Let’s be an example for them to emulate.
What students can do offline to continue learning Sketchnote by @Claribel716
I’ve written about my two previous experiences with schools being closed and have mentioned that it’s ok if there is no content reviewed or introduced as long as children are “learning” from their life experiences. Two weeks ago I was on a call with some of my PLN ‘besties’. The Our Global Classroom, affectionately known as the #OGC fam are real outside the box educators. Although we work within the system, we tend to push the edges a bit to be sure our students’ needs are met. Everyone on the call was from a different state or country and we all are experiencing different messages from schools and school district administrators. And the conclusion we all reached was children, parents, and teachers are stressed and feeling overwhelmed. This is definitely not an ideal way to learn.
In a recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper. Stephanie Jones and Hilary Hughes both University of Georgia professors in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice and co-directors of the Red Clay Writing Project note, “What we’re doing today is teaching and learning to be in Covid-19” and not distance learning or remote learning. The emphasis, they say, is learning to be. Since we are not under normal circumstances, learning at home during this pandemic is not the same as learning at school.
The full article can be found here: https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/opinion-this-not-home-schooling-distance-learning-online-schooling/b9rNnK77eyVLhsRMhaqZwL
For my part, I will “put my money where my mouth is” and outline some areas that all stakeholders in the education of our youth should consider as we move forward into a different world then we had before COVID19. This is a huge topic but I will do my best to keep it simple.
1. Focus on student outcomes and not content
We have talked around this topic for a long time and some of the solutions included teachers being able to plan units and lessons starting with the standards and outcomes (ie. Undestanding by Design/backward design). However, many teachers have never been trained in how to plan with the end goals in mind. Many teachers plan activities based on following a textbook because that is their guide or they believe the activity is interesting and will keep students “engaged” in the learning.
Resources for planning with the standards and outcomes in mind are available at:
ASCD has a page of resources based on Jay McTighe’s and Grant Wiggin’s work with UbD http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/understanding-by-design-resources.aspx
There are also resources here: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/understanding-by-design
I highly recommend this series of guides from Learning Sciences International (LSI) https://www.learningsciences.com/study-guides-and-reproducibles/essentials-series
2. What can they learn while at home in their contexts?
Author, John Spencer (@spencerideas on Twitter) recently published a book about vintage innovation. “Vintage innovation happens when we use old ideas and tools to transform the present. Think of it as a mash-up. It’s not a rejection of new tools or new ideas. Instead, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to move forward is to look backward. Like all innovation, vintage innovation is disruptive. But it’s disruptive by pulling us out of present tense and into something more timeless.” His recent post, Taking Distance Learning Away from the Screen http://www.spencerauthor.com/distance-screentime outlines what he is experiencing at home with his teenage children during COVID19 and he offers some ‘mash-up’ suggestions.
Dr. John Spencer ideas for home learning
We can think of activities such as cooking (math, science, language), helping with household chores, assisting with scheduling, taking part in decision-making, joining a family meeting to look for solutions to every day problems, learning how to keep themselves busy while their parents are working, making music/playing music, learning how to strategize by playing board games, make their own games with rules and directions then test them out are some of the ideas I used with my own children while they were growing up. Now that they are on their own, they manage their finances, arrange their own schedules, are creative thinkers, and caring adults.
Resources for learning at home include: https://www.smore.com/71uxq-the-kids-are-home-now-what a blog post by Andrea Segraves that has multiple resources listed.
From the parents’ point of view: https://newschannel20.com/amp/news/local/what-parents-think-about-e-learning-while-schools-are-closed
3. How can educators support parents and students who lack English language proficiency to help their children?
It’s always important to stay in regular communication with all parents to support them with their child’s learning. It is particularly important during this time to keep the communication going to de-stress parents who are probably balancing work and home responsibilities on their own. Strategies for helping them and their children cope include encouragement, suggestions about scheduling, and showing empathy towards their situation. A recent report by Hechinger, a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on education, noted that “(a)mong the more than 55 million students forced to stay home because of coronavirus-related school closures are at least 4.9 million English-language learners (ELLs)”. Teachers are using snail mail to remain in contact with families that don’t have access to the internet. A school district in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania partnered with a local television station to produce educational programming. But first and foremost schools and teachers are checking on students to ensure their social and emotional needs are being met. https://hechingerreport.org/teachers-use-high-and-low-tech-means-to-reach-english-language-learners-during-coronavirus-crisis
4. What messages should schools/administrators/leaders/teachers be sending home?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is most important right now. If there is someone sick at home, or a caregiver is working in essential services, then cut them some slack. Ask them what they think they can do within their home situation and digital access. Use apps that support immersive reader (Microsoft) such as Wakelet, Buncee, and Flipgrid to translate and read aloud the written communication. Show empathy. Unless required by your school or district, don’t discuss grades and assessments. Students can be assessed later. Post-COVID19, we should be looking at mastery of skills and knowledge and not what content children “learned”.
Some of the resources for SEL are available at CASEL: https://casel.org/covid-resources and also www.inee.org
It’s a lot to digest while we are in the thick of it, but it’s also important to take time for ourselves. Teacher self-care is always important but often forgotten; however, right now it’s even more important. The suggestions I listed and points I outlined are for reflection and further study. There really is a lot that can be learned at home without textbooks, online materials, or Google docs.
Perhaps we can all take a deep breath and meditate on that for a moment. It’s important to reflect while it is fresh on our minds. Let’s not forget all the lessons WE are learning during COVID19. Your feedback and comments are always welcomed and I look forward to hearing more suggestions from my #PLN!
Empowering Students to Design the Change They Want to See in the World by Dr. Lindsay Portnoy
Children helping parents with baking Photo by Elly Fairytale from Pexels
Today’s post is related to the ongoing COVID19 crisis and #StayAtHome physical distancing rules. Schools are closed all over the world and this has worried educators, parents, and students. #remotelearning, #onlinelearning, #distancelearning are all trending. Stress levels are high among all stakeholders and a there is so much confusion, questions of inequity, and uncertainty. How can we deal with it all? Today, I am sharing some of my own experiences which I hope will help those who are reading this post and going through the same emotions and doubts that my family and I did during the Gulf War in 1990-91 and the war in Iraq in 2003. During both of these difficult times in our lives, education was interrupted for long periods of time. What did we do? And what did those living in Kuwait do?
On August 2, 1990 the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait and the country ceased to function as normal. Students were going to return to school in early September, but tens of thousands of citizens and residents were outside Kuwait for summer vacation and many families evacuated the country within the first month. Checkpoints were set up all around Kuwait, so leaving your house was unsafe. All work, except essential services, was cancelled including the 1990-1991 school year. Some families, including mine, sent their school age children to schools where they were living. In our case, my oldest child was enrolled in a British primary school and my middle child attended a Spanish nursery school in Fuengirola, Spain. My daughter was three months old and born just before the invasion. Enrolling them in school wasn’t a top priority for my husband and me, but they needed to get out of our very small apartment, and taking care of their baby sister consumed a lot of my time. We made the decision when it was obvious they needed more than staying inside all day. If they had been in Kuwait, they would have been learning Arabic and basic skills at the neighborhood Kindergarten. We were also preoccupied with the news and finding out what was happening in Kuwait and whether we would ever return. There was so much uncertainty and we didn’t want the boys to be around that during the day. So I wasn’t worried about their education. I was worried about their socialization with other children and allowing them time to play and discover.
In Kuwait, education ceased. From one day to the next, families didn’t know if they would ever be liberated from the invaders. Life was scary and stories began to spread about arrests and atrocities involving neighbors and relatives. This continued for seven months until February 26th when allied forces entered Kuwait and the country was liberated from the aggressors. There was a lot of damage to buildings due to the war and also being occupied by the Iraqi army. In addition, they looted supplies and resources from almost every government building and schools suffered the same fate. When we finally were able to return to Kuwait at the beginning of June, 1991 the Ministry of Education had decided to combine two years of curriculum into one school year, so students could catch up to the grade level they were supposed to be in by the end of 1991-92. It was a daunting task, but somehow they did it. There was much discussion in the education community and among parents about whether this would affect their learning and outcomes later on. We now have the ability to look back at that time, and it didn’t have a negative impact on them. I believe this is due to the life skills they learned like grit and resilience and courage and persistence. They saw their relatives and neighbors resist an invading force. They saw the world come together and stand up to say, “This will not stand”. The children who lived through the invasion suffered trauma which is still affecting them today, but they are also a passionate group of eco-warriors and self-made entrepreneurs. They want to see progress in Kuwait and speak out about topics that will affect progress.
The invasion wasn’t the only time that schools were shut down in Kuwait. In 2003, the United States went to war with Iraq. We weren’t sure when it would start, so this caused a great deal of anxiety among the large foreign population who were worried about their safety. Teachers in foreign schools began to ask if schools were going to remain open and what would happen if they decided to leave. In late February, it was apparent that war was imminent and pressure began to build for schools to close until the war was over. The U.S. government assured Kuwait that the war wouldn’t be on their land, but nobody could guarantee that U.S. troops on bases in Kuwait wouldn’t be targeted. Ultimately, American and British private school owners were forced to close down for two months to allow teachers to evacuate if they wanted to. In 2003, the internet was used for email and instant messaging. Skype was fairly new and bandwidth was not very up to date. So when the schools closed, students just stayed home. When schools reopened in mid-April, not all of the teachers returned. AP exams were rescheduled and school calendars extended by several weeks. But we all survived and children were able to keep themselves occupied. My children were in grades 12, 10, and 7. My son, a senior, was able to graduate but without a quarter of his class who decided to continue their studies where they evacuated to. My children read books and reviewed work they had done already. They kept in touch with their friends and played Nintendo. We did worry about when school would resume, but we were more focused on our emotional well-being. Warning sirens went off whenever a missile headed toward the country. One time it was 2:30 a.m. and we all gathered in a safe room we prepared in case there was a chemical weapon attack. We waited each time until the “all clear” signal and then went back to what we were doing before the siren went off. This increased our anxiety, but the missiles were, thankfully, off the coast of the country and none hit inside.
-What can we learn from my life experiences and those of many others who have experienced lengthy school disruptions from natural disasters or wars? We can calm down and realize that if daily lessons don’t continue, we are still alright and so are our children. We can replace curriculum with real life lessons such as helping plan meals, sharing chores around the house, and encouraging them to play and pretend. We can help them stay connected with their extended family and friends by email or snail mail if we don’t have access to Skype, Teams, or apps.
Mother and child practicing yoga together Photo by Valeria Ushakova from Pexels
My wish for all is to stay safe and healthy. That’s our priority right now.
Please follow me on Twitter @IleneWinokur where I am retweeting ideas and solutions to #StayAtHome for our children.
Three years ago, I gave the Keynote speech at a local teaching conference in Kuwait. The goal of my speech was to encourage educators, like me, to move from their comfort zone and embrace the use of technology. I had realized that my “fixed mindset” about being a digital immigrant, was holding me back from experiencing all the useful technology available in my personal and professional life. Basically, if all else fails, watch a youtube video to learn how to do something. So now, at aged 61, I am learning about the maker movement, document sharing apps, flipped learning, digital badges, Twitter PLNs, and just about anything else that has the potential to upend and reform the current state of education.
My interactions with students and educators were the reasons for my change of heart. In my role as Director of a Foundation Year program, I meet students who have given up on learning. I began studying how to engage students in their learning and encourage them to extend the amount of time they spend outside of class practicing or exploring what they learned. In addition, as Director of the program, I coach and mentor faculty who struggled to find ways to motivate students to learn the college readiness skills necessary to be successful in the university’s undergraduate program. I began by following edtech Twitter accounts and participating in online PLNs. And Voila! I became an advocate for technology in the classroom.
Once I made the switch, there was no turning back.
Stay tuned! My learning journey will be the subject of the next few posts.
