Talking About Racism in the Classroom: A Summer Professional Development Activity

The Manitoba Teachers' Society has shared a professional development opportunity with SAGE groups: "Talking About Racism in the Classroom." Canadian high school teachers can register to attend this free online seminar scheduled throughout the summer. The seminar is offered by the Global Centre for Pluralism in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. For more information, please visit the Global Centre for Pluralism's website.

In these challenging times, high school students may have many questions about race and racial injustice in Canada and the US, and as teachers, students may turn to you for context and perspective. What will you say and how can you support them? Perhaps you have the same questions? Where do you start? The Global Centre for Pluralism, in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, is offering two-hour virtual professional development sessions for Canadian teachers on how to have conversations about race in the classroom. Facilitated by inclusion and anti-racism consultant, Destine Lord, this dialogue-based small group session will provide educators with the key definitions and racial concepts necessary to get these conversations started.

Together, participants will discuss how to create brave spaces, which invite student engagement. Participants will walk away with techniques that help them listen with intent, validate emotion, model empathy and challenge students to question their own bias and assumptions. Leaning into discomfort, with openness and humility, is one of the most important things that a teacher can model for their students. The goal is not to make participants experts in race relations but to provide the tools to facilitate challenging conversations that hold space for emotions. Additional resources will be provided at the end of the session.