January 26, 2017 - 18:26
On Tuesday, we discussed how to fairly and effectively run a class discussion. My group talked about Safe Spaces compared to "Brave Spaces." While we agreed that Safe Spaces are not bad and unnecessary, they are often just misused. In educational, especially social justice related, situations, the administration and facilitation of Brave Spaces is much more productive for the purposes of education and open dialogue. Because the discussion of social justice issues is often difficult and uncomfortable, the use of "safe spaces" is unproductive, while the usage of "brave spaces" encourages participants to be brave and proceed in the dialogue despite their discomfort. I thought the discussion overall was very good in the class. I think we've developed a natural flow of dialogue within the class with a mix between raising hands to speak and speaking openly as if in casual conversation. Now that we've discussed what makes a good classroom dialogue, I think it is inevitable that we will only continue to have productive, yet difficult, conversations in a manner that everyone feels like they have a voice.
Comments
"Brave Spaces" and Rough Drafts
Submitted by jane doe on January 26, 2017 - 23:28 Permalink
In continuing this conversation of Brave and Safe Spaces, I want to encourage myself as well as others to be brave enough to bring ‘rough drafts’ into the space. Even if it is necessary to preface an idea or thought as a rough draft, I believe it is important that we do so in order to grow together in honesty. We will be learning and reflecting on experiences continually, despite our contributions to the conversations, verbal and written, being from a fixed point in that ongoing process. Unlike Branch in Eyes on the Ought to be, we must interrogate our biases and hold ourselves accountable to them. I think though that all members of the classroom are responsible for reading that draft critically and providing constructive feedback towards that person’s final copy, as well, but that person then has the choice of taking that feedback. While it’s great that the online conversation allows for a privacy setting, I think we need to go into the classroom with an assumed privacy setting so that this process can take place. All this, with the full intention of achieving a final copy, whether possible or not; Branch, in conversation with Horton, emphasizes the importance of an impossible goal. For us, that impossible goal should always be that final copy of ourselves.