Episode 46: Helping Students Connect Self, Community, and World

If you’ve been teaching for longer than a week you know each class has its own collective identity. What works for first period may not work for third period. Each student brings their own pieces of who they are to the class with different perspectives, opinions, and experiences. As educators, it is our job to create spaces where students feel safe to share their individuality and become part of the class community. In this episode, The Creativity Department speaks with educator and consultant Dr. Desiree Alexander about how to connect students to each other and their lives to what we do in schools. During the conversation learn ways to promote the sharing of students’ individual identities and why collective culture is important. Discover methods to ensure a class is inclusive and can handle social-emotional stressors from the world. Teaching our students about these things automatically validates their identities and encourages them to broaden their perspectives.

Resources

Enjoy these excellent resources from Dr. Desiree Alexander’s (@EducatorAlex) Twitter chat and podcast episode about building relationships with students in the art room and promoting connection with students with a variety of backgrounds and “lenses.” Explore the links below for inspiration and information.

Read the Twitter Chat discussion.

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Sites

Educator Alexander Website
Educator Alexander YouTube Channel
Educator Alexander Equity Resources
Common Sense Education