F. Jesuit Context & Commitment--Final Report, Educational Systems and Structures
LO 4: Understanding and fostering diversity, justice, and a sustainable world formed by a global perspective and Jesuit Catholic tradition
The entry contains the final report my group and I submitted for SDAD 578 Student Development Theory. Our task was a service learning project, where graduate students in the theory course developed and facilitated multicultural competency workshops for tutors with the Seattle University Youth Initiative (SUYI), specifically incorporating student development theory. In our workshop we explored educational systems and structures through the lens of multicultural competence as it relates to the workshop participants’ experiences with SUYI. We used the Pope, Reynolds, Mueller (2004) Multicultural Competence Model as the guiding framework for our lesson plan designs, focusing our learning outcomes for both student leaders and volunteers on one outcome each related to awareness, knowledge and skills relevant to our topic.
This entry demonstrates my professional commitment to diversity and social justice education, specifically addressing the Jesuit Catholic tradition of “empowering leaders for a just and humane world.” It speaks to my own self-awareness as a White woman in the field of student affairs, illustrates my content knowledge with regard to privilege, power, and oppression, and lastly demonstrates intentionality around theory-to-practice.
References
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido, F. (2010). Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. In Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd edition) (pp. 136-152). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pope, R. L., Reynolds, A. L., & Mueller, J. A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 8(1), 69-91.
The entry contains the final report my group and I submitted for SDAD 578 Student Development Theory. Our task was a service learning project, where graduate students in the theory course developed and facilitated multicultural competency workshops for tutors with the Seattle University Youth Initiative (SUYI), specifically incorporating student development theory. In our workshop we explored educational systems and structures through the lens of multicultural competence as it relates to the workshop participants’ experiences with SUYI. We used the Pope, Reynolds, Mueller (2004) Multicultural Competence Model as the guiding framework for our lesson plan designs, focusing our learning outcomes for both student leaders and volunteers on one outcome each related to awareness, knowledge and skills relevant to our topic.
This entry demonstrates my professional commitment to diversity and social justice education, specifically addressing the Jesuit Catholic tradition of “empowering leaders for a just and humane world.” It speaks to my own self-awareness as a White woman in the field of student affairs, illustrates my content knowledge with regard to privilege, power, and oppression, and lastly demonstrates intentionality around theory-to-practice.
- Self-awareness. One must continually remain self-aware and open to learning about the world that we are socialized into. This vulnerability is important in setting a foundation for practice and being able to relate to others across difference. Through our group project incorporating student development theory with multicultural competence, I was able to reflect more on my identity as a White woman and what it means being in the field of community engagement and student affairs. In reflecting more about my privileged upbringing with regard to my K-12 educational experience, I realized that I often assume that the students I work with come from the same experience. This is a mistake that can cause students to feel misunderstood, alienated, and frustrated; as a result of this realization, I have been much more intentional about naming and appreciating the diversity of all experiences in the room.
- Connection to professional practice. I felt fortunate in the fact that our service learning project connected my professional work in my GAship with my SDA coursework. I work closely with colleagues at the CSCE to ensure that our tutors are well trained, knowledgeable, and passionate about working with youth, in addition to working toward a model of education equity. I was excited to share my learning with my SDA classmates, and feel that my experience with my GAship was truly enriched my this intentional and collaborative connection to the SDA program.
- Theory-to-Practice. One must demonstrate skill in applying knowledge in an appropriate manner that will benefit students’ learning and growth. In our group project, we wanted to build off of the knowledge and awareness pieces about our topic in order to create a space for students that is welcoming of all their identities and produces learning. We drew from Yosso’s theory of community cultural wealth in approaching our college students’ experiences from a strengths-based perspective rather than a deficit (2005); in doing so, we were then able to ask our college students to do the same with the students they work with in the schools. Furthermore, we drew from Kolb’s (1984) theory of experiential learning as cited in Evans et. Al (2010), ensuring that we had a variety of educational approaches that matched differences in learning styles. This was particularly important to our group, as we often reflected on how the U.S. educational system oftentimes does not cater to differing needs of students.
References
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido, F. (2010). Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. In Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd edition) (pp. 136-152). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pope, R. L., Reynolds, A. L., & Mueller, J. A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 8(1), 69-91.
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