Edcamp
This week in class we talked about the organization Edcamp. Edcamp is an organization that plans events around the world for educators to attend. These events have normal people facilitate sessions in which they share experiences and knowledge on topics that participants choose. The tenets of the Edcamp model are that it is free + open to all, participant-driven, by people with experience, not experts, and the rule of two feet. The rule of two feet suggests that educators are able to choose their own sessions which will maximize their own personal learning. I think that as educators we should be able to tell which areas we are lacking knowledge in and which sessions would be beneficial to us. This whole idea of gathering people and discussing ideas with regular people rather than experts is a great idea. Sometimes, going to conventions that are filled with experts can be intimidating. Attending an Edcamp sessions sounds a lot less stressful but also extremely beneficial. The people speaking at these events still know what they are talking about from either their experience or their own personal knowledge and I do not believe any session would be lacking in answers and rich discussion.
After taking a look at their website I was impressed to see their interactive map. The map shows you where all the nearest Edcamp sessions are. You can also take a look at all the other sessions which are taking place around the world. I was quite impressed by how filled the world map actually was. The USA is definitely the most packed but I assume the organization started in the USA and has expanded since. I would be very interested to see how they are running these sessions as of right now with COVID. I assume it would be quite similar expect probably over zoom but who knows, everyone is coming up with some incredible solutions to COVID.
Class Discussions
For class this week we held some discussions based on topics we chose as a group. Once we had voted on which topics we found most interesting we were left with five topics to choose from and then we were able to move between breakout rooms that each focused on one of the five topics.
I spent most of my time in the breakout room that was focused on disrupting the gender binary in classrooms. To my surprise when I arrived in the breakout room the only three men in our entire cohort were there talking, discussing, and learning about gender issues in the classroom. Whenever I had a chance to speak, although at times the conversation did become somewhat uncomfortable, I felt heard. To be in a space where I was able to talk about the shortcomings that come along with growing up as a girl and be heard by men who actually wanted to listen touched me. I can tell you right now that I do not worry about the young girls which will end up in those men’s classrooms because they are already proving and working towards learning how they can support those young girls and put an end to inequality. I am proud to call these men my colleagues and classmates. I am realizing right now that this is personally the first time I have ever been around men who wanted to learn about gender inequality rather than ignore it or say it doesn’t exist. I am just happy that these are the type of men entering the field, I am sure they will lead as good examples for the young boys in their classes.
During our conversation, we spoke about just how important representation is within all fields of work. We talked about how without representation young girls can feel discouraged or anxious to pursue something new. Often, young girls see professions like firefighting as male-dominated professions. Even though girls may want to try to become a firefighter seeing that the field has mostly men in it can discourage them from even looking into options for woman firefighters. We also spoke about creating resources within the education system for students questioning their gender or for students who know they were not born the correct gender. Having spaces where lgbtq+ students can go to feel safe and heard is so important. We talked about how often students make jokes about gender and how that without knowing it they could be offending or hurting their classmates’ feelings. This is just one of the many reasons why having an lgbtq+ space is so important. Students already have to go to school, which is stressful enough, and deal with regular day to day issues but then to go to a place where they do not feel safe or accepted at all is detrimental. These safe spaces can be a saviour for some students who already do not feel accepted in the classroom or even at home. One of the other things we talked about was the importance of educators taking into account everyone’s gender pronouns. As educators, we are supposed to do everything we can to make all our students feel equal and accepted. If that means learning a new name of a student every week because they are trying to figure out what they want to be called now that their dead name is dead then so be it. I will do everything in my power to ensure all my students are able to be comfortable in their identity in my classroom.
That is all for this week. Thanks for reading!
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
