Three Creative Ways to Approach Ongoing Learning
The majority of educators know that SOGI-inclusive education is important, but are unsure about how to implement it. Including SOGI-inclusive topics in formal professional development is important and necessary – and if the only opportunity for learning is to opt-in at periodic SOGI-focused workshops, all educators may not get the frequent repetition that they need to become comfortable with new ways of teaching. The good news is, there are countless ways to be creative in promoting ongoing learning on the topic, such as:
Staff Meetings:
Push to have SOGI as a standing 5-minute agenda item at every staff meeting. This time can be spent sharing about upcoming events, playing a short video, or promoting a new SOGI-inclusive kids’ book.
Lunch and Learns:
Lunch and learns are a great opportunity to engage student voices in ongoing learning. See this post for more ideas.
Integration:
Collaboration moves SOGI-inclusive education out of compartmentalization and increases alignment with other similar initiatives. Instead of hosting a session specifically on SOGI, combine efforts with other subject areas or inclusive education efforts.
Just as young people need to “see themselves” reflected in their environment, when SOGI is woven into many and varied types of ongoing learning opportunities, educators can more easily ‘see’ all their students. With time and frequency, this will ease educators’ ability to be more SOGI-inclusive and become naturally more comfortable and confident with the content.