WEEK 5 – Inclusion (within education … )

How do internal and/or external communication tools play a role in helping establish messaging and participation themes that are inclusive and diverse?

Inclusion is an important aspect of modern education in the West. But what it is — and how it actually manifests within a learning environment — is a tricky question.

For example, a wide range of hardware and software is now available to educators, but those tools are only able to foster inclusion as far as educators are able to make use of them. The goals are to enable student participation within the social learning of the classroom — and not further a learner’s isolation. Being able to connect with families beyond the hours of the school day through blogs and school portal pages has also helped educators foster inclusion through timely feedback and a collaborative online presence. There are clearly powerful social and digital media tools that can bring more inclusion to education, but there must be adequate training for those that use it and their attitude toward professional and personal growth must not be one of resistance — but rather one of humble and willing acceptance.

It boils down to the age-old issue: a tool is only as useful as the person wielding it.

How diverse is your existing PLN?

A PLN is always in flux I suppose, and at present I consider my network to be deep and diverse enough to keep me learning and moving in the direction that I currently wish to be heading. I still maintain professional and personal connections with a number of colleagues with a variety of backgrounds from over the years. To do so, I make use of WhatsApp, Facebook, Gmail, Messenger, and FaceTime.

Many exchanges are professional — when I am asked for help or I am seeking to learn about a topic related to the field. Other times exchanges are more personal, where (former) colleagues reconnect over our similar interests and passions beyond work. We exchange photos, links to humorous videos or media, and stories from one another’s lives.

With that said, I am always aware of a certain level of decorum. I value professionalism and so try to keep this in mind when networking on social media — almost all of the time. I have also learned how to search for specific online groups and resources that have helped me to learn and grow — professionally and personally. I am an active member of several mothers’ groups on Facebook for the are I live in, and have continually sought out community organizations and events that align with my views and lifestyle.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

I certainly like to think that I am not intentionally structuring my PLN so that I am simply hearing my own echo and solidifying my own viewpoints. Although in the spirit of honest reflection, there are times when this may be true.

When I am feeling unsure of my own abilities or understanding — and also feeling vulnerable in some capacity — I tend to open up more readily and seek out those that I am able to deem reliable and trustworthy to provide guidance. However, I can be demanding when seeking out help, often considering my own needs over those of the helper with whom I seek to connect.

As a white, cisgender, Canadian female, I recognize that my voice has value and needs to be heard, but that there are also other voices and that they have priority at times as well. Given a situation, one voice should have priority over another — but this does not mean we must not all be heard and listened to. We must all be able to recognize our own value and place within the network, while simultaneously appreciating the intrinsic value that each participating member brings to it.

There are certainly times where I can to be a better listener and more actively seek out voices that may challenge my perspectives/understandings, so that I may gain a healthier, fuller understanding of whatever the matter may be. Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is a wonderful example of a humbling learning initiative where I readily acknowledge that my understanding is so very limited, and that I must actively seek out connections with local indigenous community members to learn and grow as a Canadian educator.

Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide range of interests)?

“Homogeneity is a battle that has never been won and never will be.”
Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other : Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Portage & Main Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=4832579.
Created from uvic on 2021-10-09 23:12:56.

Silos of information sharing is an interesting term and it seems to have negative connotations within the article this week, and I’m somewhat opposed to that sentiment.

The mind organizes and categorizes information into schemas, and the developed heuristics help us get things done in life. Categorizing is a part of being human. However, problems arise when we believe that there is only one way to categorize and that things can’t ever be re-looked at or reordered.

As an educator, I communicate with other educators within what one would call a silo of information sharing. We are like-minded professionals, connected to one another through our type and place of work. We have had similar, but also vastly differing experiences that we share and grow from. We all share in the spirit of betterment and benevolence (generally speaking). I see this as a positive thing. While I try to readily accept constructive opinions and criticisms from varying sources, I must always come back to the fact that professional educators must be properly trained and qualified to work with children. Rather, inclusion requires educators to witness, believe in, and value the experiences of others unlike themselves — and be willing to find a place for those voices in learning spaces so that those voices are common and accessible. This can help us to be better people and educators, while still maintaining certain (valuable) silos of information sharing.

How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

My partner taught English at an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program school in the past, and when they were selecting novels for their school year he was asked to select authors and poets that would differ from his experiences and world view. This meant finding poets and authors from around the world with varying genders, identities, and cultural backgrounds different from his own.

By seeking out the narratives of others’ lives and discovering how their stories are like our own bridges the gap. Pushing ourselves to question the status quo of our own day-to-day and make a connection that we might not otherwise make, makes all the difference.

I am currently seeking out the first steps in getting to know more about local indigenous culture and how to properly honour the people through land acknowledgments and other cultural learnings. I have found several Facebook groups and physical sites that are designed to open up dialogue in the spirt of reconciliation.

In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?

Inclusion is actively embraced within education in British Columbia, but there is always more work to be done. There are times when there are stark differences between meaningful realities and political slogans.

What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

As I have mentioned above, I have already taken a number of steps to broaden my PLN to specifically learn more about motherhood, community events, my profession, and indigenous culture in my area. To measure and/or track my engagement and involvement will take some consideration. Perhaps I will create some sort of schedule or calendar for weekly check-ins and commit to honestly recording whether or not I have honoured those commitments. It will be a challenge, as life can be hectic.

How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings

This week’s recording and reading has me considering how one makes use of their PLN within education, and further — how that PLN might be used to foster inclusion within an educator’s practice and/or even day-to-day thinking.

With perhaps a nuanced approach to networking while maintaining a positive, constructive attitude toward growth and learning, we can all be more inclusive educators and community.