Stay in touch
HISTORIA MAGISTRA
  • Home
  • WebQuests
    • Civics Home >
      • Constitution
      • Law
      • Political Parties >
        • Donkeys
        • Third Parties
        • My Politics
    • Native American Webquest >
      • The Task
      • Research
      • Resources
      • The Project
    • Gender WebQuest >
      • Task One
      • Final Task
      • Resources >
        • Is it Just Boy or Girl
        • Masculinty
        • Transgender Rights
    • Middle Ages Web Quest >
      • Task One
      • Task Two
      • Task Three
      • Titles and Roles
    • Renaissance WebQust >
      • Task One
      • Task Two
      • Task Three
    • Climate Change >
      • NASA DATA
      • Sea Level
      • Your Impact
    • World War II Webquest >
      • WWII Background
      • Government Types
      • Tactics
      • Battles
      • Holocaust
      • Japanese Interment
      • Home Front
      • Effect of War
      • Propaganda
      • Atomic Age
    • Mythology Webquest >
      • Help Wanted
      • Task One
      • Task Two
      • Task Three
    • Current Events >
      • Your Mission
      • Task One
      • Task Two
      • Task Three
  • Ethnic Studies A
    • Identity
    • Hegemony
    • Power
    • Our Community
    • Invention of Race >
      • History of Slavery
      • RI Slaver Data
      • Construction of Race Blog
    • Intersectionality
    • Critical Race Theory
    • Immigration
    • Gender Studies >
      • Gender and Media
      • Gender and Power >
        • Single Mother Policies and Issues
        • Equal Pay
      • Gender Equity
  • Ethnic Studies B
    • Colonial Latin America
    • Imperialism
    • Industry/Environment/ Human Rights
    • World War One >
      • Colonization of Africa >
        • Race to Colonize
        • African Resistance
        • A Time of Change
        • Domination by Indirect Rule
        • Rule by Assimilation
      • Segregated Military
      • Black Women and WWI
      • Fighting in Europe
    • The Roaring Twenties
    • Upstanders and Bystanders in WWII >
      • Black Americans in the War
      • LatinX Americans in the War
      • Native Americans in the War
      • The War in Africa
      • The War in Asia
      • WWII Propoganda
  • About
    • Mr. Mike's Resume
    • Contact
  • Edward Bannister
    • Bannister Archives
    • Bannister Books
    • Bannister Census
    • Bannister City Directories
    • Banister Dissertation
    • Bannister Manuscripts
    • Bannister Miscellaneous
    • Bannister Newspaper
    • Bannister Periodicals
    • Bannister Timeline
    • Bannister Catalogue
    • Bannister Web
  • HS Ethnic Studies

principles for constructive engagement

1. You don’t know what you don’t know. Strive for intellectual humility.
  • Read the material closely and carefully. Look up new words. Re-read if necessary.
  • If you don’t understand a concept, talk about it in class.
  • Focus on understanding instead of agreement. Sometimes “I disagree” means “I don’t understand.” Also, understanding does not mean you have to agree.
  • Practice asking questions. Most of us have been taught to get the right answers rather than asking thoughtful honest questions.
2. Everyone has an opinion. Opinions are not the same as informed knowledge.
  • Opinion is the easiest and weakest form of academic discussion.
  • Opinion does not require that we know anything about the topic or read the necessary materials
  • Work with a partner or small group and read the texts together, ask each other questions, make connections, look up new vocabulary, discuss favorite or challenging passages.
3. Let go of personal anecdotes and look for larger patterns.
  • Most anecdotal evidence comes from limited personal experience or rumor.
  • Our goal is to understand how social inequality and power systems work which requires a deeper study that examines larger social patterns.
  • Focusing on personal experiences and exceptions prevents us from seeing overall social patterns.
4. Notice your own defensive reactions, and try to use these reactions to develop a deeper self-understanding. Ask yourself:
  • How does thinking about this person’s viewpoint challenge the way I see the world?
  • How have I been shaped by the social issues we are exploring?
  • What about my life (race, gender, class) might make it hard for me to understand this perspective?
  • If I accept this point of view, what ethically will be required of me?
5. Recognize how your social position (race, class, gender, sexuality) informs your reactions to your teacher and fellow students.
  • Practice naming your social position and reflecting on how it informs your response to the class content. This is an ongoing exercise.
  • Try to identify with the perspective of the texts you engage with.​
Adapted from: ​ Sensoy, Özlem, and Robin J. DiAngelo. Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. New York: Teachers College, 2012. Print. 
mikemcguig@gmail.com