Guidelines for Participation
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Set your own boundaries for sharing.
Speak from experience, and avoid generalizing about
groups of people.
Respect confidentiality (do not share personal
information shared in the class in other settings).
Share air time.
Listen respectfully to different perspectives.
No blaming or scapegoating.
Focus on your own learning.
Respect different experiences and perspectives.
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Griffin, Pat in Teaching for diversity and social justice (2nd ed.)., p. 54
Comfort Zones
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Comfort zones—different comfort levels for
different activities and topics
Inside comfort zone, we may not be
challenged and learn anything new.
May withdraw or resist new info.
One goal of these seminars is to recognize
when we are on the edge of our comfort
zones.
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Module from Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice
Learning Edge
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When we are on the edge of our comfort zone, we are often in
the best place to expand our understanding, take a new
perspective, and stretch our awareness.
Pay attention to internal reactions to class activities and to other
people in class to recognize when we are on a learning edge.
It can be signaled by feelings of annoyance, anger, anxiety,
surprise, confusion, and defensiveness.
These of signs that we are being challenged.
If we retreat to our comfort zones, by dismissing what we
encounter that does not agree with our way of seeing the
world, we may lose an opportunity to expand understanding.
Challenge is to stay on learning edge and experience discomfort
to see what we can learn.
**Enjoy the learning curve! Retain or reclaim the joy of
teaching!
Learning Edge Activity
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Take 2 min. to share with a partner a
time you can remember being on a
learning edge with new information or
skill.
For example, learning to ride a bike at
14 or Ph.D. in Educational Research.
What internal cues will alert you that
you are on a learning edge in this
course?
Triggers
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Words or phrases that stimulate an
emotional response because they tap
into anger or pain about repressed
issues.
“Trigger” connotes instantaneous
responses to stimuli without
accompanying conscious thought.
Examples of Triggers
(Why do you think these are
triggers?)
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I don’t see differences; people are people to me.
What do you people really want anyway?
I think that men are just biologically more adapted to
leadership roles than women.
I feel so sorry for people with disabilities. It’s such a
tragedy.
If everyone just worked hard, they could achieve.
Homeless people prefer their lives.
I think people of color are blowing things way out of
proportion.
If women wear tight clothes, they are asking for it.
Examples of Triggers for Me
Black people do or don’t ….
 Black parents don’t care about their
children.
 Black parents should just be more
involved in their children’s lives.
 I am African American and my
children did well in school.
 Teachers have to teach all children.
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Your Examples??
A process for naming triggers and
learning edges in ways that encourage
open and respectful dialogue
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Participants who are triggered to should explain why.
Invite participants who triggered someone else to listen
and try to understand what was upsetting about the
comment.
Ask them to listen rather than defend their comment.
View the discussion as food for thought rather than
attempts to change individuals’ views on the spot. (No
one can focus effective attention on personal learning
when they feel defensive or chastised).
Don’t worry about “making a mistake.”
View triggers as learning opportunities for everyone.