January 27, 2017 - 00:33
I believe both Jody and Anne have been effective in guiding an open, but challenging, group dynamic thus far. I have felt free to share and contribute to the learning community that we have all been trying to establish. Below I have described a few ways we could maintain/improve our learning environment:
1. Josh, from the Youth Arts and Self-Empowerment Project, made an important point today about entering spaces while being as authentic as possible. In the context of our classroom, I think it would be valuable for each of us to remain open to sharing our life experiences with one another. Not only would this enable us to establish deep connections and trust with one another, but it would also provide our classroom with a multitude of perspectives and resources to help us better critically engage with the course materials. I think learning how to genuinely connect with people from different backgrounds will be useful beyond this classroom.
2. I feel like it is also important that we remember to give everyone the space they need to grow. It can be easy to hold onto statements and sentiments that are expressed that one may not be able to relate to or may rub someone the wrong way. It might be helpful to honor everyone's right to develop as an intellectual and person. We should definitely hold people accountable for harmful or wrong statements, but it might also be beneficial to remember that none of us were born knowing what we know now.
3. Lastly, I think it would be helpful to remain mindful of how much space each of us is taking up during class discussions. Practicing this form of awareness would enable us to establish a dynamic that is accessible and welcoming to all voices.