#the4thbox

I have decided to call my 4th Box creation Sharing: Interests, Passions, Talents. In this scenario I have decided to do away with the baseball game entirely. Each student in my metaphor has received a box as they would in the original graphic, but each box contains different resources in order for the student to explore their unique interests and meet their individual needs. This is meant to show that all students should have access to opportunities to explore and find their interests, passions, and talents. By making sure each student is afforded this chance to learn about themselves, we are creating a world in which students can develop and eventually share their gifts with others. I know this is far off from the original metaphor, but I really wanted to explore further not only the idea of equity in schooling and resources, but also the way that said resources are used by students with varying needs and desires.

It took me a very long time to think on this, but I decided my 4th box will represent “Transcendence.” The children in my picture represent all different backgrounds, abilities, and races. They have transcended all of societies “fences” and directly interact with each other. Watching a baseball game didn’t really speak to what should be accessible and valued to all children. I’ve included things like nature, books, taking care of each other (and animals), and social interaction through play. There are no fences, boundaries, or lines to divide. We have unpacked the crates, now off to the side, and will use them if they are needed. The children are living, helping, and playing as one to ensure the equity of each other and the Earth.  

For a few years now I’ve been teaching ED677, an online course at Arcadia University called Seeking Equity in Connected Learning and Teaching. My intention in the course is to support educators in exploring connected practices in their own learning and teaching, and in doing so, think together about the core issues of equity in our work and build toward it with/for our learners.

While we continue to seek equity, after 4 years I really do have to stand back and wonder, are we actually getting anywhere? It’s a hard question because really, it’s a much bigger job than any single course could impact. And it’s a hard question, because as the instructor, I’m not even sure what I am expecting to see. And this is also why we keep seeking it, year after year. And try to figure this out together.

I see a lot of interesting work in their final projects (will post a link in a bit to a curated set of these) but I wanted to first write about something we did along the way this year which was new. And I think significant.

During the 3rd week of ED677 we focus specifically on imagining what we mean by equity as a means of starting that conversation which then threads throughout the semester. This year we had a range of readings/watchings to frame what we were thinking about, and then because we always include the opportunity to make something each week, this time around I recommended #The4thBox project by the Center For Story-based Strategy and Interaction Institute for Social Change.

The week’s make was meant to support us in imagining how we might get into this fight for equity. We used an alternative image/remix of a popular equality/equity graphic and meme and then followed the questions and prompts created by the Center, ie:

Use the 4th box to discuss the importance of not just telling a different version of the same story, but of actually changing the story (by challenging assumptions).

Questions include:

What other story could be revealed in this setting?

What other “psychic break” could you make up?

What other underlying assumption here could you challenge?

Who built that wall in the first place and/or who took it away?

Before I did this online with ED677, however, I also facilitated a “conversation” that incorporated this activity at Educon 2018 alongside some previous participants of ED677. Here are the slides we used -- at the workshop we prompted the discussion in much the same way; however we followed up that activity with small group work and discussion.

A few pictures from the face to face work at EduCon 2018.

Doing this activity both in person as well as online, I found it to be remarkably effective in supporting the kind of conversation I was hoping would emerge -- and helped me get clear on what I was even looking for. First, I found it supported us in engaging physically as well as intellectually with the idea of equity -- in the face to face setting, it was the first thing we did together as a group of mostly strangers, and it supported spontaneous conversations at the table as well as a sort of shared nervousness and anticipation about what the 4th box should be. Online, it was less initially collaborative as each individual made their own 4th box on their own (I had set up a specific discussion for them to share about this work as they did it, but no one used it) -- however, the discussions about what we made and why continued throughout the semester, showing up in their shared blogs, collaborative work, and in their final projects. I attribute this staying power to the physical and creative nature of the activity -- I could see how it resonated in a way that our general readings, discussions, and blog posts don’t (well, except when we use Hypothes.is to annotate … which is an interesting parallel but maybe also be a slightly different blog post.)

Second, I found that this activity supported a range of 4th boxes to be created and that was exciting to me. There wasn’t just one approach to equity, not just one reason that things are inequitable, and no one external reason to blame. The first group we did it with was dominated by educators who, for the most part, I believe are used to talking about equity more frequently -- the second group, in ED677, seemed to me to be more dominated by educators who are maybe less frequently engaged in such conversations. And yet, in both situations, the complexities of supporting equity were evident, as were its approaches and solutions. I also saw, and continue to see in ED677, educators putting themselves firmly into the equation.

Below are a few examples of what we came up with, individually, in ED677. And in this collaborative presentation we made, you’ll see the theme’s continuation through to the end of the semester which shows its resonance.

Read more: Equity with a Twist

Read more: #The4thBox ... Collaboration

Read more: Participation

Read more: My Fourth Box

Read more: Equality vs. Equity

Read more: How Can We Hit it Out Of the Park?

Read more: The 4th Box

1.  The majority of the time I was reading through the piece by Craig Froehle, I kept thinking back to a unit from ED678 about appropriation and stealing Navajo designs.  It sounds like Craig Froehle didn’t mind and even seemed pleased that some artists such as Angus Maguire picked up his idea and improved the artistry or reworked the idea.  There were however, some exceptions and he did seem to mind when others added boxes, indicating that resources were increased but there was no mention of how that occurred.  In regards to equity, it is important for educators to be aware of cultural differences.  “We have a responsibility to listen to people of marginalized cultures, understand as much as possible the blatant and subtle ways in which their cultures have been appropriated and exploited, and educate ourselves enough to make informed choices when it comes to engaging with people of other cultures.”

The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation

Also, in the Reich and Ito article “From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes”, the authors state that, “Lack of awareness of learner’s specific social and cultural contexts can lead to unanticipated outcomes”  and so there is a need to increase awareness.

2. Here is a great article to get started with the topic of equity in education!

3. The Educon panel discussion indicated that it is important for students to have experiences like that of the real world.  Educators should try to “[connect]...the world of work and the future of careers...break down this barrier between school and the rest of the world. (1:43:34)   The following excerpt from the New York Times indicates the importance and value of working within a group.  The article continues to discuss the investigation into why some groups are more successful than others and provides meaningful insight into the conditions for successful groups.

What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team

“In Silicon Valley, software engineers are encouraged to work together, in part because studies show that groups tend to innovate faster, see mistakes more quickly and find better solutions to problems. Studies also show that people working in teams tend to achieve better results and report higher job satisfaction. In a 2015 study, executives said that profitability increases when workers are persuaded to collaborate more. Within companies and conglomerates, as well as in government agencies and schools, teams are now the fundamental unit of organization. If a company wants to outstrip its competitors, it needs to influence not only how people work but also how they work together.”

4. Also during the Educon panel discussion, the term “gamer-gate” came up (1:37:17) and as I was unfamiliar with this, I wanted to investigate further. While I am not much of a gamer at this point in time, I have some experience with coding and am very much an advocate for increasing female participation in typically male dominant areas such as coding and chess club.  

Here is the wikipedia entry on the topic

Gamergate Controversy

There is much controversy surrounding gamergate and without getting into too much detail, one of the lead advocates, Anita Sarkeesian is a highly polarizing figure. I was considering posting her interview with Stephen Colbert, but decided not to.  If you choose to look into this issue, I would encourage you to do so with a critical eye and suggest looking for a variety of perspectives.  After spending a bit of time looking into this, I will admit that I am more unsettled than when I began.

5. I was highly intrigued by a section of Reich and Ito’s “From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes” which sited a 1990’s study by Harold Wenglinsky which found that, “ low-income, nonwhite children more often used technology in math class for drill and practice, while affluent, white children were more likely to use technology for graphing, problem solving and other higher-order exercises” (Pages 6 and 7). Teaching teachers how to effectively utilize technology is an important component in the quest for equity.  

I have access to a set of TI Nspire calculators which I am familiar with, however I know they are capable of much more than I know how to do.  I have looked up a few things here and there over the past four years, however I would really like to spend more time learning how they can be leveraged to a higher degree in all of my classes.  The following youtube channels are great resources.

Texas Instruments

TI Calculators

6. Desmos! I have always loved Desmos for graphing and so to see it listed in Reich and Ito’s “From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes” (Page 15) brought me much joy.  Desmos offers a four function calculator, a scientific calculator, a graphing calculator and much more!  They also offer classroom activities and you can even save files for demonstrations within your own lessons!  They even have animations illustrating concepts such as how to graph the sine function from the unit circle which I use in my PreCalculus course. 

7. #The4thBox

I created two very different scenarios for #The4thBox.  First is a positive spin where the three people sit down together and build a community through conversation.  The boxes allow the people a place to sit and discuss equity and equality.  The second depiction is of the tallest person taking all of the resources and greedily taking advantage of the situation.  Rather than caring for the other two hopeful spectators, this person has wielded their physical power to exclude the others.  This situation does occur in the real world.  Perhaps only the tallest/strongest person was able to lift the heavy boxes and so felt that they alone deserve to use them.  Perhaps only they had the financial means to purchase the boxes and for this reason decided to maintain full control without giving either of the other two hopeful spectators an opportunity to make a purchase.  Regardless of the reason, it certainly does not seem fair to me.   

We have been reading and talking about the differences between equity and equality and with that came this exercise. My drawing for the 4th box is a drawing where everyone is equal and enjoying the baseball game together. I do not feel like the first box represents equality. What bothered me about the other boxes is that the privileged group is inside of the game and the oppressed group is outside of the field watching the game, even when the fence is down the group is still oppressed by the separation of not enjoying the game with everyone else. They are isolated to that one area. 

This week’s finds are coming to you on Friday :)

This week, in class, we looked more into equity in the classroom.  More than that, we explored #The4thBox and delved into the ideas of Equality vs. Equity vs. Liberation, and so on and so forth.  As a result, I did some investigating of my own on these topics. 

(1) Months ago, I actually taught a lesson about Equality vs. Equity.  This topic is something my autistic students often struggle with, especially when you consider the struggle in terms of perspective taking.  I used the picture below to explain the difference between equality and equity, and this really seemed to help them comprehend this concept.

(2) My teaching position enables me to push-in to a variety of classes.  I spend a good chunk of time with the social studies department, and most of those teachers utilize political cartoons further to explore topics.  When I saw the following cartoon, I couldn’t help but shake my head in dismay, as this tends to happen in real life, more oft than not.

(3) You’ll all learn soon enough how much I love TED Talks.  There always seems to be a relevant TED Talk about whatever topic it is that I might be teaching at the time.  Check out this TED Talk by Olivia Chapman, who realized more about the difference between equality and equity in her formative adolescent years than some adults ever will!

(4) Once again, Pinterest seems to know what’s going on in my life, as this poster showed up on my feed!

(5) Finally, I leave you with some statistics in regards to educational equity.  It saddens me that education is not readily available for those that genuinely desire and strive to learn but cannot due to lack of resources and opportunities.  Food for thought on this Friday evening!

Always,