In January this year, Lyfta launched their first ever CPD course on diversity, equity and inclusion. In this blog Anna Szpakowska, Professional Development Lead at Lyfta, shares the insights that were unearthed about how best to lead courageous conversations about race.
About Lyfta
Lyfta is an award-winning platform used by primary, secondary and special schools across the UK to broaden students’ horizons and inspire global citizenship. The platform is made up of an array of interactive 360° spaces and soundscapes of real homes, workplaces and environments from around the world. In each space students can explore the new setting, unlock rich media content, and get to know real people through powerful and inspiring short films. The resources provide an impactful and captivating way to bring courageous conversations about race and diversity into the classroom. They help to nurture the vital skills and values children will need to thrive in our changing world. Anyone in a school setting can get instant access to two immersive Lyfta story worlds when they sign up for a free Lyfta account.
Why the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion is so important
I was working as a secondary school teacher when George Floyd was murdered. I remember that the staff and students had a palpable desire to collectively process what had happened. Fortunately, there was a whole staff meeting dedicated to a discussion of our feelings, to help us talk about what had happened and how we might respond. We also made sure we provided young people with learning opportunities to discuss, absorb and process. This experience showed me that teachers want to be able to respond effectively to world events and need support from one another when it comes to tackling issues of race and racism.
It came as no surprise then, that when I joined Lyfta last year and conducted a survey of our users to see which professional development opportunities they would most like, a course about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) proved to be very popular. That was when we approached DEI consultant and expert Angela Browne. With over twenty years’ experience of working in education, Angela now works as an independent consultant supporting a variety of educational institutions as well as other organisations to review and improve their approach to DEI matters.
Our course introduced participants to the historical context of education and equality legislation, explaining why so many teachers often feel ill-equipped to discuss issues of race (and other DEI matters) with their students. In session two, participants were asked to consider how narratives can support their work in the field of DEI. In session three, we focused on our latest story world, Journey to a New Home which depicts the experience of Adhanom, who fled Eritrea and sought refuge in Europe. From here, participants considered how we can be agile and responsive to world events as they unfold so that we can talk to our young people about them in a meaningful way.
Impact and insights
As a result of running a course of this kind, it’s allowed us here at Lyfta to see the importance of bringing together like-minded educators to discuss the issues of race and racism and how to tackle them in the classroom.
For example, Simon Wood, headteacher of Copperfield Academy said that ‘This PD was really important’ and he explained that he felt that the discussion of ‘anxiety in articulation’ was what holds many adults back because they fear that they may say the wrong thing. Simon explained that too often this prevented teachers from successfully discussing issues of race and racism in the classroom.
Equally, Ellie, a classroom teacher from the International School in the Netherlands explained that CPD opportunities where you can ‘listen to experts in the DEI field and discuss issues with likeminded people’ makes you feel less isolated.
Along with Angela’s expertise, our insights here at Lyfta and our contributions from our users, we’ve compiled a list of practical suggestions for educators to consider when attempting to have courageous conversations about race in their schools.
Top tips for facilitating courageous conversations about race with students
- Make time to talk with colleagues about these issues. You can feel ill-prepared and isolated when trying to do it by yourself. When world events happen and students need to talk about them, make sure you speak with colleagues to share and process your own feelings before approaching them with your students.
- Let young people know you’re listening. Even if you can’t give them an immediate response to their questions regarding race or racism, let them know you’ve heard them, you recognise their concern and you will come back to them to discuss it at another time. Be sure to make time to do this though otherwise students’ anxiety will increase.
- Lots of our participants talked about reviewing their curriculum to ensure that there are a wide range of diverse voices included. This might be in the books you teach or the role models you share with young people. For example, the report compiled by Pearson, Diversity and Inclusion in Schools report, recommends that schools include ‘more authentic portrayal of diverse communities, experiences and people’ – something which Lyfta provides in a highly impactful way to achieve in the classroom.
- Use narratives that support students to discuss the issues of race and racism. Stories are a great way for students of all ages to connect with these issues, allowing them to see the impact racism can have for those who suffer it and nurturing empathy for the victims of racism.
- Commit to action by setting small, achievable targets. Like anything we want to achieve, it’ll take time. Review your book shelf, have that conversation with a colleague or commit to reading an article or blog that focuses on tackling racism in schools. Once you’ve built momentum in your school, these small actions will become cumulative, building to organisation-wide change.
- Access Lyfta’s resources as a stimulus for courageous conversations about race with students and staff. Get instant access to two immersive Lyfta story worlds by signing up for a free account.
*This blog post is a repurposed version which was originally shared on the Lyfta blog here
