Below, I have included a link to a video that discusses the value to all students when people from different cultural and economic backgrounds attend college together. However, diversity in a college program is not enough to ensure that people will learn from fellow students who come from different backgrounds. Learners also need to have an opportunity to work with or hear from students who come from different cultural and economic backgrounds to experience the depth of learning that is supported by these types of diversity.

Brookfield (2015) believes that using modalities that mix students based on cultural diversity helps them to see how their diversity impacts their thinking and behaviour. He also points out that mixing students from different racial backgrounds can help White students understand the meaning of White supremacy, or as it is often referred to, White privilege. I took note of the power of mixing people from different backgrounds in a recent training session. In that particular training we include an activity that supports learners to consider how their cultural background impacts who they are and what they believe. A White female learner who was born in BC said she did not really think she had a culture. After being paired with a woman from Japan, the White woman said her eyes were opened about how differently she looks at things because of her Whiteness and Canadian heritage. In turn, the woman from Japan said she learned several things about how her culture has impacted her values and beliefs. Both learners realized the value of their own culture, and also took note of how much their cultural background affects the way they think and behave.

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
       (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.​

The organization I work for supports individuals with diverse capabilities and disabilities, from a variety of cultural backgrounds. In our training, especially our Orientation Training, we support staff to think about and examine their own cultural biases and how these might impact the work they do with individuals and families. For example, in the classroom portion of our first Orientation Training for new staff, we spend three hours exploring the diversity and culture of group members, to give our staff an opportunity to reflect on how their cultural biases and beliefs impact the way they interact with colleagues and stakeholders. I found several ideas in chapters 8 and 9 in the book The Student Teacher by Brookfield (2015) that helped think more deeply around diversity and culture discussions in the classroom. Below, I have highlighted one of my favourite learnings.

In Chapter 9, I was particularly interested in Brookfield’s discussion around acknowledging that racism is alive and well in me/us. Brookfield states that “what was missing from (his) teaching was a full disclosure of how the ideology of White supremacy was alive and well within (him)” (Brookfield, 2015, p. 113). Recently, I did several consecutive training sessions around the province about our enhanced planning process. During this time, I came to realize that as a middle-class white trainer, I needed to acknowledge my ignorance about the cultural diversity in the room to have any credibility with our very culturally diverse staff groups. Moving forward, I will take Brookfield’s advise around using narratives of my own struggles with diversity to open up conversations and introduce activities in our training. I have done this occasionally in the past, but after reading Brookfield’s thoughts about internalized racism and narratives, I believe it is important for me to be more intentional about sharing my own struggles in this area. I believe it is only by sharing our mutual awkwardness about cultural diversity that we can truly move forward in becoming a truly inclusive work place that can successfully support a diverse group of individuals and families.
 
Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
       (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

In the second chapter of The Skillful Teacher, Brookfield discusses four assumptions that are important to skillful teaching. The first assumption he talks about addresses the need for teachers to do what is necessary to support the learning needs of their students. Although this seems obvious it can be very complex, as students can have very different learning needs. For example: a learning or teaching strategy that works for one student may end up confusing another student (Brookfield, 2015).

So, what does this assumption mean for teachers?  For me, it means I need to consider things like: the learning environment and how it impacts different learners; varied learning styles and preferences; and cultural implications of my teaching strategies. In my role as a trainer/teacher, I need to consider each of these important aspects of teaching. For example, we have a diverse workforce at CLBC, so I need to think about learning strategies that support staff from various backgrounds. Below, I have included a link to a video in which future educators share ideas about how they might support the learning of diverse students in their classroom.

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
       (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Brookfield (2015) in his book The Skillful Teacher identifies several truths he has learned about his teaching. Based on the experiences I have had as a teacher/trainer, the majority of these truths resonated for me. The first truth Brookfield identifies is: “I will always feel like an imposter and I will never lose the sense of amazement I feel when people treat me as if I have something valuable to offer” (Brookfield, 2015, p. 9). I was surprised to see this first truth as I did not know other people felt this way. I have often felt like an imposter after doing a training session with staff, and this feeling has affected me in different ways.

On the positive side, it brings a sense of awe and gratefulness that I get the opportunity to train the staff of an organization that does important work with people who have a developmental disability. However, feeling like an imposter also scares me, as at times I am not sure I can continue operating at a level where staff do not realize I am an imposter. If I am not careful, my feelings start to overwhelm me, undermine my confidence and effect how I perform my role as a trainer. Recently, my manager told me to “remember to walk in your expertise”. These words have helped me stave off some of the negative thoughts I get from feeling like an imposter.

When I investigated Brookfield’s truth further, I was surprised to find a significant amount of written information and videos about people who have what is referred to as the imposter syndrome. In a Ted Talk with Valerie Young she discusses the impact of having this syndrome, including the tendency to diminish our expertise and abilities, and the feeling that one day people will figure out we are imposters (Young, 2017). I have included Young’s Ted Talk below, as well as the link to an article I found helpful around how teachers can overcome the negative impacts of the imposter syndrome.

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
       (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

TED Archive. (2017, June 5). Thinking your way out of imposter syndrome: Valerie Young [Video File].
       Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7v-GG3SEWQ

As I worked on my first reflection for PIDP 3260, I felt that being willing and able to reflect on experiences is one of the key practice principles for adult educators. Michael Marquardt says that reflecting on experience is how we learn from experiences and of course this would include experiences we have with our adult learners. He also says we learn the most from reflecting on experiences that are challenging or interesting (Marquardt, n.d.). I have included the link to a video below, where Marquardt talks about the connection between learning and reflecting on experience.

Thinking about past experiences in the classroom that were the most challenging for me I know I learned a great deal from those experiences. However, I feel it is important to acknowledge that my assumptions or feelings about people and things involved in the experience may have influenced the way I moved forward with that learning. Brookfield (2015) talks about the importance of looking at things from different perspectives to fully understand and make meaning from our experiences. As adult educators, I believe that reflecting on experiences in the classroom from different perspectives is an important piece if we want to effectively support our diverse student population with their learning needs.

Brookfield, S. D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom
       (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

[Sarder TV]. (n.d.). Russell Sarder feat. Michael Marquardt. Learning is … Reflecting on Experience [Video
       File]. Retrieved April 8th, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D-zCtws6YE&t=15s

I have introduced myself in my autobiography, but I did not explain why I enrolled in the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program, or what excites me about taking PIDP 3260. I enrolled in the program initially because I accepted a position in 2013 as a Provincial Trainer for an organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities. Prior to 2013, my experience with adult education included: teaching music theory and practice to adults; tutoring an adult with a developmental disability; and mentoring new social workers including practicum students. In 2014, I started the PIDP with the goal of learning more about my role as an adult educator and increasing my knowledge and ability to support our staff with their learning.

As a social worker, I have always been interested in anything that supports and informs professional practice including: social work ethics; ethical decision making; valuing culture and other types of diversity; valuing self-determination; and being a reflective practitioner. As a Provincial Trainer, I am excited to learn more about the areas of professional practice that relate specifically to this role. This leads to why I am taking PIDP 3260. I am taking this course for two reasons. First, because it is one of the required courses for complete the PIDP. Second, I have been looking forward to taking a deeper dive into what is important to the professional practice of an adult educator.