Women’s Equity Council (WEC)

I have recently become a member of Women’s Equity Council (WEC), an active member of the United Nation here in San Diego.   The focus of the WEC is to educate and empower, promote equity and compassion, and advocate for accountability and basic security on behalf of women all over the world.

In attempt to raise awareness on this global issue, we have couple of events coming up in the next two weeks.  After our planning meeting on Sunday, I will keep you posted.

Empowering Women

How can we fight against gender oppression?  Women are at the heart of this issue.  It is critical to bring awareness to its existence.   Female oppression cuts through all aspects of our society.  As teachers and educational leaders we need to make sure girls get the best quality education and help them to become the change agent in their family, community and society.

Reflections on Cultural Autobiography Interviews

My interviews were conducted with friends and colleagues.  I did my interviews with my friends in a coffee shop, and with their permission, I recorded with the interviews so I could go back and listen to them. The responses pertaining to some of the questions made me to think about my own feelings and past experiences. I had opportunity to listen to the stories from the view of people who grew up in a different country with a different religion. I learned a lot about diversity from them.

 During the interviews, sometimes it was hard  for me to keep quiet and not share my own feelings.  Some of the responses made me to remember interactions I had from my childhood and discover new things about myself.  I realized that all my past interactions with  people from diverse background have helped me to grow and become a more accepting individual.  I have always valued different cultures, races, religions and now I have started to promote social justice and equity in both aspects of my life (personal and professional).  

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Steps of Futurist Scenario

Step 1: Identify Implications (SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis).

Strengths – Volunteer participation of teachers in forming collaborative groups could motivate teachers to take responsibility for their own learning and improve their teaching practice.

Weaknesses- It requires time and a great deal of trust. Since it is a volunteer participation, teachers who participate may not have the best skills. 

Opportunities -  Teacher learning through planned activities, observations, feedback will provide teachers with ongoing PD at minimal cost.

Threats – Lack of protocol to provide specific feedback during post observations. Since teachers from different subjects may volunteer, their lack of content knowledge may interfere  with providing effective feedback.

Step 2: Develop Options (List the things you could do and the things you should do to prepare)

The following activities are things I could do and should do to prepare :

• Planned regular meetings
• Do research and come up with a list of topics related to teaching and learning across all subjects
• Every month, a different topic will be selected by teachers' consensus
• Ask teachers to choose their own partner 
• Provide teachers with time to have pre-observation meeting 
• Provide teachers with release time to observe each other
• Provide teachers with time to have post observation meeting
• Set up a date for all teachers to meet and share their experience
• More research on study groups

Step 3: Monitor Trends (How do you currently monitor trends? How might you need to adjust your radar?

I currently monitor the success of this type of study groups through weekly updates in educational journals and the blogs and tweets and edchat.

Continuation of Futurist Scenario

Step 1: Identify Implications (SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats analysis).

Strengths – Volunteer participation of teachers in forming collaborative groups could motivate teachers to take responsibility for their own learning and improve their teaching practice.

Weaknesses- It requires time and a great deal of trust. Since it is a volunteer participation, teachers who participate may not have the best skills. 

Opportunities -  Teacher learning through planned activities, observations, feedback will provide teachers with ongoing PD at minimal cost.

Threats – Lack of protocol to provide specific feedback during post observations. Since teachers from different subjects may volunteer, their lack of content knowledge may interfere  with providing effective feedback.

Step 2: Develop Options (List the things you could do and the things you should do to prepare)

The following activities are things I could do and should do to prepare :

• Planned regular meetings
• Do research and come up with a list of topics related to teaching and learning across all subjects
• A topic will be  selected by teacher consensus
• Ask teachers to choose their own partner 
• Provide teachers with time to have pre-observation meeting 
• Provide teachers with release time to observe each other
• Provide teachers with time to have post observation meeting
• Set up a date for all teachers to meet and share their experience

Step 3: Monitor Trends (How do you currently monitor trends? How might you need to adjust your radar?

I currently monitor the success of this type of study groups through  weekly updates in educational journals and the blogs and tweets and edchat.

Emergent Ideas On Cultural Proficiency

Growing up in Iran, I was not around many people who came from a different race.  Back then, the lens I used to view the world was limited, and I didn't know any other way!  However, for the first time when I went abroad to Denmark around age 19, I got to know amazing people who looked different, spoke and behaved different than me.  These were students from Germany, Denmark, Greece, Africa, Turkey, China, Japan and many other countries who had embraced the idea of learning something new from each other.  Every day of the 3 months stay in Denmark provided me with the kind of learning that I would not have been able to acquire even in the best learning institution in the world!
later years, when I moved to America, I had already embarked on my cultural proficiency journey which continues to this day!