Bring Indigenous Role Models Into Your Classroom with Fireside Chats

Purpose & objective

Our poster will introduce educators to the significant impact of integrating diverse narratives into their curriculums. At its core, the focus is Connected North's Fireside Chats, an open educational resource that brings forth the wisdom, experiences, and inspirations from over 400 Indigenous role models.

Objectives and Participant Outcomes will include:

Awareness & Appreciation: Participants will become familiar with the depth and breadth of the Fireside Chats. They'll gain a heightened awareness and appreciation for the diversity of Indigenous experiences, challenges, and triumphs shared within.

Integration Techniques: Educators will be equipped with practical techniques to seamlessly incorporate Fireside Chats into their existing curricula, ensuring students experience these valuable perspectives. Free lesson plans are available within the resource, aligned to a wide variety of subjects and grade levels.

Empathetic Pedagogy: By understanding the personal journeys of Indigenous role models, participants will be better positioned to foster empathy and understanding among students, promoting a more inclusive classroom environment.

Engagement Strategies: Attendees will learn strategies to engage students actively with the Fireside Chats, encouraging discussions, critical thinking, and reflections on the content.

Resource Navigation: Given the vastness of content from the 400+ role models, participants will be guided on how to efficiently navigate and select pertinent chats that align with specific learning objectives or themes.

Outline

The Poster session will include handouts related to the Fireside Chats resource, including a new curriculum card deck. We will have the Fireside Chats resource available on screen and will guide attendees through how to navigate, explore career paths, and access free lesson plans.

Supporting research

Representation in learning is crucial for numerous reasons, and numerous studies and research have shed light on its importance. Examples include:

Self-Efficacy and Achievement: A study by Marx and Roman (2002) showed that when students are exposed to same-gender and same-race role models, they experience increased self-efficacy and academic achievement. This is especially true for groups historically underrepresented in certain fields.

Identity Development: Tatum (1997) emphasized that seeing oneself in the curriculum and in instructional materials can positively influence identity development in students. Representation can make students feel valued and understood.

Broadening Aspirations: Research by Stout et al. (2011) found that women exposed to female role models in fields where they are underrepresented (e.g., STEM) showed a higher interest, felt more engaged, and were more likely to imagine themselves pursuing a career in those fields.

Reducing Stereotypes: Dasgupta & Asgari (2004) demonstrated that exposure to female leaders and professionals can reduce automatic stereotypic beliefs about gender roles among both men and women.

Enhancing Motivation: A study by Cheryan et al. (2011) concluded that classroom environments that showcased diverse scientists and not just stereotypical ones increased motivation and interest in science for both female and male students.

Improving School Performance: Dee (2004) found that students, especially those from minority groups, performed better academically and were disciplined less when taught by teachers from the same racial background. This indicates the profound impact of representation not just in content but also in educators.

Inclusivity and Empathy: Representation teaches not only the underrepresented but also the majority group. When students from majority groups see diverse role models, they learn to appreciate diversity, become more empathetic, and are less likely to harbor biases and stereotypes (Ghavifekr & Pillai, 2016).

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Detailed citations:

Marx, D. M., & Roman, J. S. (2002). Female role models: Protecting women's math test performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(9), 1183-1193.

Tatum, B. D. (1997). “Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?” And other conversations about race. Basic Books.

Stout, J. G., Dasgupta, N., Hunsinger, M., & McManus, M. A. (2011). STEMing the tide: Using ingroup experts to inoculate women's self-concept in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(2), 255.

Dasgupta, N., & Asgari, S. (2004). Seeing is believing: Exposure to counterstereotypic women leaders and its effect on the malleability of automatic gender stereotyping. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(5), 642-658.

Cheryan, S., Plaut, V. C., Davies, P. G., & Steele, C. M. (2011). Ambient belonging: How stereotypical cues impact gender participation in computer science. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(6), 1045.

Dee, T. S. (2004). Teachers, race, and student achievement in a randomized experiment. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 86(1), 195-210.

Ghavifekr, S., & Pillai, N. S. (2016). The relationship between school’s organizational climate and teacher’s job satisfaction: Malaysian experience. Asia Pacific Education Review, 17(1), 87-106.