GETTING PRACTICAL
ACTIVITY: LISTEN TO PROFESSOR KALWANT BHOGAL’S DISCUSSION OF ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’

Create an ‘identity box’ that reflects who you are, what values and attitudes underpin your practice as a teacher, the opportunities or privileges you’ve had and or the challenges you’ve faced to tell the story of your own journey into teaching. (To find out more about Identity Boxes, what they’re for and how to use them in your own practice listen to Prof. David Gauntlett thinking with identity boxes)

When designing your box consider how:-

• Your social and cultural inheritance (including social markers – gender, ethnicity, class) impact on the way the see you the world and your role as a teacher
• How your journey might compare and contrast with that of other colleagues, with parents or with other members of the community. How might points of similarity or difference impact on the way you are perceived by other members of the community? What research do you need to do to help you understand difference of viewpoint or position?
• What different perspectives on Education and Education systems might you and community members bring to your experience of schooling?
• What research do you need to do to find out about these different perspectives?
• How might your role as an ‘authority figure’ impact on the way members of the community see you? What barriers might this create?
• What might you need to do to help break down barriers and develop an ‘outreach approach’ to your practice as a teacher?
• What boundary crossing might you have to do to support this work?
• How well equipped do you feel to work with young people and families who have experienced trauma? What training have you had on safeguarding vulnerable young people and families? Are you confident that you know how and when to signpost effectively? Where do you need to go to get information and support about this in a) your school b) your locality? What support services can you signpost families too in your local area?

Take a photograph of your identity box and share your picture and reflections on  on Twitter using the hashtag #openschooldoors or on our social discussion forum.