Submitted by: Tom Murphy

We started by discussing our DEI goals. We decided on three areas: What we teach? How inclusive are our classrooms? How do we assess what we teach? For each question, we would develop rubrics. Next, we talked about the different types of rubrics we could use. Most of the discussion focused on the example I posted on the DEI resources document. Next meeting we plan on breaking into working groups that would focus on one of the questions.

Submitted by: Tom Murphy

We continued our DEI work.

• I posted the titles for discussion that Kalil gave to us in our department chair meeting.
• We voted and settled on our top two choices: Decentering dominant narratives and Facilitating inclusive discussion.
• We divide into two groups each focusing on one of the prompts.
• Both groups then had a five-minute silent discussion posting their ideas under their respective prompts.
• After reviewing the posts each group had a ten-minute conversation.
• We then switched the prompts and repeated the process.
• When both groups were done we finished with a quick round of takeaways. Each member of the department shared their key insight.
• Everyone in the department was on time and the discussion was lively and informed.

Submitted by: Tom Murphy

12 October 2021

Elizabeth Simmons, Emily, Tom, CCC, Momii, Amanda, Ann, Michel 

We started with brief intro and then watch a short video on Progressive Education in the 1940”s

In small groups we discussed the following prompts:

What does Progressive Education look like in my classroom?

How to bring in poc, working class in progressive education?

• Discourse and agency
• Critical thinking

We ended with a full group conversation on the Goals for 2021-2022 school year

• Get 3-hour block of time for department planning 
• We need curriculum audit
• Training to center marginalized kids

Submitted by: Thomas John Murphy

Attendees: Tom, Michel, Calvin, Jessica, Amanda, Momi, Suzane

We started the meeting by discussing the Curriculum Audit template that Momi shared. It was seen as useful for gaining insight into our teaching practices. We talked about our habits and assumptions should be examined as closely as our curriculum. 

Next, we went into breakout rooms to work on a unit or activity that we wanted to use in the classroom. The goal was to produce materials that would impact our teaching sooner rather than later. After we returned to the main rooms the groups reported on their work.

Jessica and Amamnda

They were worked on adjusting their Isalm curriculum to COVID times. They could not take students to a Mosque or have a calligrapher work with students. They talked about various online resources and how they wanted to expand their discussion of religions around the world.

Suzane and Momi

Discussed their focus in the course and how to continue to use the DEI framework and the Curriculum Audit to continue to revise their next units.

Michel, Calvin, Tom

We talked about the DIA elective and how the civics focus lent itself to DEI work. It is Calvin’s first time teaching the course and we started by discussing the nuts and bolts of the term (SBG standards, types and number of assessments, the final). After this, we moved on to how each of the lenses we planned to use had a DEI component being with the contested nature of the Constitution.

After debriefing, we decided that next week would continue in our groups to again work on developing DEI material for our classrooms.

Submitted by: Thomas Murphy

Wed. 11/11

Tom, Ann, Peter, Charlene, Momi, Suzanne, Jessica, Amanda, Calvin, Michele

• Before the meeting, I asked the department to read Examining Learning Through an Anti-Racist Lens. 

• We started by asking everyone to spend a minute to write down all the things they loved about zoom teaching. Then we shared some stories about our successes.  
• Next, we walked through the slides I had prepared for the article. 
• Developing an Anti-racist Curriculum – Slide https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16aImFOP8yEa6WQmlphvEz7W6cp6pn02s2eRC0pNGCOI/edit#slide=id.ga9d275dd1c_0_53
• Our discussion was on what element the department would decide as our focus. 
• We quickly decided that we would spend our time Interegating our Curriculum.
• Shared had already prepared a slide deck that gave us criteria for assessing how much progress we had made on developing a fully anti-racist curriculum.
• Using this we went into breakout groups middle school in one high school in the other. We discussed our courses and shared some of the units we felt were most successful.
• When we came back to the main room we talked about developing a common rubric for assessing our progress. 
• Next, meeting we build on this start by looking at our work in more systematic ways. 

Submitted by: Tom Murphy

Wed. 10/21

Attendance

Tom, Ann, Peter, Charlene, Momi, Suzanne, Jessica

• We started with brief introductions: name, how long at LREI, what you teach, and what you like most about teaching during a pandemic.

• Next was a writing prompt (5 minutes): What do you consider an example of your best practices when it comes to DEI?

• We followed with breakout rooms to discuss best practices (10 minutes paired high school middle school). As they shared they were to look for any common themes or issues.

• We came back to the main room and shared. We discussed how to decenter the white narrative and include not just diverse voices in our curriculum but how to ensure all students felt represented. We shared examples from our curriculum. The need to look for sources written by POC’s was also highlighted.

• The importance of student choice was emphasized as a way of getting student buy-in.

• There was some sharing of teaching approaches. There was a consensus that allowing time for reflection through writing was essential.

• Another challenge that was discussed was how to make it “safe” for POC’s to be fully involved in the class while not being responsible for educating or representing any particular community.

• We ended with a conversation about to make sure that the voices we shared aren’t just those of the “oppressed” but that narratives also showed that the marginalized had agency. “Black joy” was a term used to counter the catalog of oppression that can drive an attempt to redress the traditional narrative.

• As we looked ahead to our next meeting we examined the questions from the opening presentation.

• We decided that we would bring our favorite resources and that someone would volunteer to share a particularly effective lesson.

The high school history team met to discuss writing and the third trimester Democracy in Action class.

Tom met with the middle school team in the middle school. We continued our discussion of what would be the format for PD for the group. After some discussion they came up with a plan for a two stage PD program.

First the middle school history team would meet for a half day (12 -3) discussion that would focus on the following:

• • • • They would share an overview of their curriculum, followed by a deeper discussion of the themes of their programs. This would help new get a clearer sense of the middle school program.  
      • They would also discuss how they teach writing in the different grades. Each of theme would examples of student to see how they build on each other’s work and I would give them a sense of how this fits in with what is done at athe high school.

Finally, we discussed how this first half day meeting might be the incubator for ideas for a full day retreat for all the middle school core teachers. We hoped to schedule the first half day sometime in Jan, and the full day workshop in the spring.

The high school will continue to meet each Friday and may ask for a another PD day in the second trimester. 

We met with the English department to introduce the entire humanities team. 

After the share we discussed upcoming meetings and our plan to meet with the science department to discuss writing. The high school group left to set up their room for the open house. The middle school team stayed behind and we discussed the following:

• • The High School PD day and how we are continuing to develop the Democracy in Action class.
  • The conversations we have been having on writing and how we could be more consistent and effective in our approach.
  • Middle school history crew expressed interest in looking at how we teach writing.
  • The rest of the conversation was on the best use of PD time for the middle school.
  • The consensus was that if all the middle school core teachers could spend a half day together sharing curriculum  across the grades.
  • They also wanted time with their partner in the grade to look at their specific curriculum and work on what they want to fix.
  • The challenge is how to find the time for the middle school teachers to all be together to focus on history.