Syllabus for Mind Shifting Course

Course will be about critical self-reflection of teachers with a growth mindset focusing on
racial equity. Participants will deeply reflect on where deficit thinking still exists within
the education system and how to shift pedagogical practices to engage all students and
close the opportunity gap.

Main focus will be:

What are teachers currently doing and what is working and not working.
Growth mindset vs. Fixed mindset and moving forward.
Who are the students in the class and what background knowledge are they
bringing to the classroom.
New pedagogical practices to reach all students with a racial equity lens and
reflect on the process.

The course will impact educator effectiveness by allowing the participants to be critically
reflective of his/her practices with a racial equity lens. Also, participants will gain
common language for growth mindset to ground their instruction for all students.
Participants effectiveness will be impacted on a personal and professional. This course
will invite participants to focus on their current practice and why the urgency to have
practices to engage all students in the classroom. This course is designed for Pre-K-12
educators.

Essential Outcome of the course

Educators will be aware of their current pedagogical practices and how

effective/ineffective they are.
Educators will critically self-reflect on their beliefs and how that translates into
their pedagogy of teaching.
Educators will be able to develop through a growth mindset.
Educators will be invited to try new pedagogical practice in the classroom to
increase engagement and academic success by all students.

Participants will be able to demonstrate awareness of how they show up to teach and new
practices to reach all students with a focus on racial equity.

Course Requirements:

Participant will be required to complete all the readings and keep a journal of all their
entries of the course. Participant will also be required videotape one of their classes
before and after the course and share with the rest of the cohort. Participants will be
working collaboratively and individually to complete all the assigned course
requirements.
Required Readings:

Participants will read Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire) and other readings as
assigned.

Meeting Schedule:

Sessions will be help every Wednesday for 3 hours from 4:30 to 7:30 pm @ Davis
Center. During the sessions we will cover and reflect on some of the following topics:

Self-Reflection as a Learner and Racial Equity Leader

Growth mindset vs. Fixed mindset
Liberation and Oppression: Why a Pedagogy?
Problem-Posing Dialogical Education
The Foundations of Liberation Education
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Critical Pedagogy, Race, and Racism
Identity and Schooling: Anybody, Nobody and Somebody in School

Course work will be completed by the next scheduled class time. The introduction to
action research session will happen the second meeting time.

Methods of instruction:

The course concepts will be co-facilitated by the instructors, but also led by the
participants through group discussions, presentations and research. Primary instructional
strategies will include problem-posing dialogue, small/ large group collaboration, visuals,
videos, art and oral storytelling.