Getting Ready to Learn and Building a Supportive Learning Community

Here are some tips for equity learning, both individually and in community. We hope you will take what you are learning and share it with others in your context; we hope these tips will help you and your community engage in these issues productively. 

1. Be open to new ideas and perspectives. Doing equity work often requires us to “unlearn” things we’ve been taught, either explicitly (like in a teacher training program) or implicitly (through cultural expectations or norms). Curiosity, open-mindedness, and humility will serve you well on the journey of becoming a more equitable educator, as will a tolerance for uncertainty, non-closure, and discomfort.
2. Reject perfection and be prepared to make mistakes. We all have room to grow when it comes to tackling inequities in education — even experts in this topic! Give yourself space to be an imperfect learner. This means you may make mistakes. If that happens in the forums, try to receive any feedback from fellow learners graciously. Reflect on what happened, and if there’s any harm that needs to be repaired (because things said with good intentions can still cause harm). Be mindful of the emotions that come up for you. Then, allow yourself to “fail forward” by learning from the experience and trying a different approach next time.  
3. Be respectful. It’s essential to be respectful. When doing equity work, there will be people in a learning community with different views, knowledge, backgrounds, and experiences. But we think that respectful listening and conversation are the foundations of a supportive learning community.  Insulting or abusive words should not be tolerated. 

In your course journal, you may want to make a list of any additional things you think may help you build a supportive learning community.