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"We Are Becoming Too": Black Girls Becoming Practitioners' Teaching and Learning Experiences

Thu, April 13, 9:50 to 11:20am CDT (9:50 to 11:20am CDT), Hyatt Regency Chicago, Floor: West Tower - Ballroom Level, San Francisco

Abstract

Over the course of the Black Girls Becoming (BGB) Summer Research Institute, practitioners (chaperones, volunteers, and instructors) had the opportunity to work with, learn with, and inform several pedagogical moves (hooks, 2014; Lorde, 2012). These moves were grounded in the celebration of Black girlhood and Black feminist epistemologies and were manifested through interactions between the girls and practitioners that occurred in formal and informal learning spaces. Thus, this paper presents the perspectives of the practitioners in considering the ways in which they crafted learning materials and resources for/with the participants, and what they imagine and hope for in future iterations of the institute. We explore the ways BGB served not only as a resource for the youth involved, but also the staff.

Black Girl Magic Time (Chaperones & Volunteers)
Participants engaged in nightly and weekend activities fostering the development of relationships and self-awareness through reflexivity. This time provided youth with opportunities to share experiences throughout the program and a space to form meaningful relationships where their voices were affirmed and validated. The interactions between chaperones, volunteers, and participants during these moments served as integral engagement for expansive teaching and learning.

Critical Consciousness, Art, Financial Literacy, Research Fundamentals (Instructors)
Cognizant of our own identities, we sought to model and reflect our humanities. With the hopes of disrupting the idea of Blackness as a monolith, we carefully crafted instructional materials displaying the myriad of identities one “becoming” a Black “girl” might possess. In our preparation, we drew upon our own youth experiences and tangent with our students. We engaged as co-creators alongside our students, identifying positive and supportive pedagogical and communal practices while maintaining authenticity and accountability at the core of our course planning. As the institute progressed, the courses became as impactful for instructors as they were for students. The model of community learning drove much of the institute’s success.

Morning Centering (Instructor)
Yoga styles, such as Vinyasa, Bikram, Restorative, Hatha, and Yin were used. The girls were guided by certified yoga and mindfulness practitioners. Starting the day with yoga, meditation, breath work, and journaling was a time to encourage the youth to check in with their bodies and learn different ways to self-reflect. For the practitioners, the time provided an opportunity to find some peace before the start of the workday while also building the instructors’ confidence in their teaching abilities. Providing the youth with tools to strengthen their connection with themselves and with each other was central to this practice.

Integrated Science Class (Instructor)
The youth were exposed to a series of scientific concepts, activities, and instruction from faculty in chemistry, biochemistry, and biomedical engineering. The practitioners, with the assistance of graduate teaching assistants, taught on principles of light, proteins, DNA, spectroscopy, chemical reactions, sensors, and other areas that were extracted from the research activities of the practitioners. Additionally, the youth participated in hands-on scientific laboratory experiments and activities to affirm scientific concepts and were encouraged to increase their self-identity in science through use of social media.

Authors