Documentation:II-Design Lab/Resources

Group Guidelines/Community Agreements

Fall 2018 - II Design Series

Have you used classroom guidelines, ground rules, or agreements? In what contexts and with what results?

• Respectful conversations in the environment
• Acknowledging that the institution takes respectful environment seriously
• Inviting students to creating ground rules together - but, sometimes there is an overemphasis of "safe" place because some positionalities "safe" comes easily.
• What happens when students put forth a guideline that you don't agree with?
  • checking your baggage at the door
  • teaching methods - speaking to why you are using a particular teaching technique and its' value
  • going through agreements on the first day of class - explaining the purpose and intention
  • being transparent
  • there is a fear when instructors are faced with a guideline that is not conducive to the learning environment
• Starting with a partial list and having students add to the list of guidelines - having research that back up the reason behind your decision (i.e. the use of laptops in classrooms)
• Prefacing the use of language in the classroom - explaining the reason behind not using certain words in the classroom when watching or using educational resources in the classroom (i.e. films/documentaries)
• We agree that sharing our own learning in a generalized way (focused on "I-statements" and not naming each other by name, especially without checking in with one another first) on social media is okay, but please be present to the activities and learning in the room and share on social media afterward.

Resources/Additional Readings:

• Sensoy, Ö. , DiAngelo, R. (2014). Respect Differences? Challenging the Common Guidelines in Social Justice Education. Democracy and Education, 22 (2), Article 1. Available at: http://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol22/iss2/1
• Complicating Ambrose et. al.'s Classroom Climate framework - "Our work with Classroom Climate" via CTLT Indigenous Initiatives website: http://indigenousinitiatives.ctlt.ubc.ca/classroom-climate/our-work-with-classroom-climate/
• Michael Bopp, Lee Brown and Jonathan Robb (2017), Four Worlds Centre for Development Learning http://www.fourworlds.ca/pdf_downloads/Reconciliation_within_the_Academy_Final.pdf

Google Contacts List/Learning Community

Finally, one key aspect from this series has been the development of a learning community/community of practice, so we would like to encourage people to stay in touch. If you would like to be added to the contact list, please email Janey Lew (mailto:janeylew@ubc.ca) to be added to the shared google spreadsheet with participant names and email addresses. Once your email address has been added, you will be sent a link to view the list.