3 Ps in a Pod: An Education Podcast - Fostering Environments to Strengthen School Experiences for All (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 6)

Fostering Environments to Strengthen School Experiences for All (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 6)

11/14/24 • 40 min

Liberatory Design is an approach to changing what is and creating a whole ecosystem that best supports all students. It is a process and practice to create designs that help interrupt inequity and increase opportunity for those most impacted by oppression.

In this episode, host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, talks with Kathleen Osta from National Equity Project about Liberatory Design. Kathleen and Juliana explore the 12 mindsets of Liberatory Design and how they support collaborative work. These mindsets must be applied with intentionality and can support healing, being seen, and humanizing our spaces. The Liberatory Design Mindsets support us in reconnecting with one another as full human beings, which allows us to then bring our best thinking forward and design systems in innovative ways. Kathleen calls on us to think about how we create and tend to the conditions where together we are not only taking actions to learn but to also transform power. She reflects on how we talk about complex issues without blame or shame, come together to define the problem, and create new ways of doing things. Including those closest to a problem to generate a solution helps interest holders to feel seen and understood. This can shift the culture of a space and deepen relationships.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore what new strategies you might want to try and how you will intentionally create an environment that explores curiosities you might have about fostering deep relationships with families/caregivers and the community. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Here are other related resources to today’s episode:

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Continue your learning

Here are other related resources to today’s episode:

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Previous Episode

undefined - Cultivating Deep Relationships in Schools and Beyond: Caregivers and Communities (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 5)

Cultivating Deep Relationships in Schools and Beyond: Caregivers and Communities (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 5)

In this episode, we welcome back Principal Jose Lara from Gilbert High School in Anaheim (California) Union School District and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Teresa Hill of Tucson Values Teachers and a former coach and principal. They build upon the previous episode’s conversation, this time exploring the impact of deep relationships with families and caregivers and how these help influence school climate and culture.

Dr. Hill and Principal Lara also explore what community means and how to build community among parents/caregivers. They discuss ways we can build deeper relationships and shift culture by building on assets. Principal Lara also discusses being inclusive in our language and honoring the many family structures that support our students.

3Ps host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, engages both guests in deep conversation about moving from transactional to more relational interactions and engagements with families/caregivers and community members. Dr. Hill and Principal Lara both offer ways that they have been successful in building relationships with families and community members through common happenings. By viewing these engagements as opportunities to engage and build relationships, we can shift the dynamics of interactions and strengthen the connections all interest holders experience. Principal Lara and Dr. Hill also give us ideas of next steps to make our spaces more inclusive of families, parents, caregivers, and community members.

We invite you to join Principal Lara and Dr. Hill as they paint a picture of their vision for healthy and thriving schools and take a few minutes to dream freely and paint a picture of what this vision looks like in your context.

Continue your learning

Here are other related resources to today’s episode:

Learn more about Gilbert High School at gilbert.auhsd.us.
Learn more about Tucson Values Teachers at tucsonvaluesteachers.org.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.

Next Episode

undefined - Lifting Experiences and Opportunities Through Strong Partnerships (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 7)

Lifting Experiences and Opportunities Through Strong Partnerships (Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools, Part 7)

Have you been wondering about how we can more deeply connect students to their local communities? Have you been curious about exploring how to co-construct learning opportunities with students? On this seventh episode of our 3Ps in a Pod series on "Healthy and Thriving Environments for Strong Connections and Strong Schools," we are investigating ways to strengthen the connection between students and community.

Leading the potential for bridging connections between students and the community is Josh Schachter, director and founder of CommunityShare, based in Tucson. Learning from Josh’s experience in this work, he shares with us how he and his team set out to build a “human library” and help others make meaningful connections.

Josh and 3Ps host Juliana Urtubey, NBCT, explore the need that CommunityShare fills through its rich and diverse resources and experiences. Josh shares how his team has developed a “learning ecosystem”, how we can tap into deep funds of knowledge by lifting the assets of families, and the impact that authentic engagement has on students and the community.

CommunityShare cares deeply about teachers and invests in them and their leadership skills through the Educator Fellowship Program. Through the support provided, teachers have an opportunity to learn more about redesigning learning experiences while developing their own caring network of peers. The program affords teachers a chance to explore their mindsets, work on a concrete project, and then spend the length of the fellowship co-designing the learning experience with a community partner.

Josh encourages us to start where we are and then be open to how projects can scale up and expand. He also calls on us to expand the way that we think about education and how this might impact economic mobility. CommunityShare seeks to bring people together to work on challenges and build networks based on what does unite individuals.

Continue your learning

After listening to this episode, use the reflection guide to explore how you might further connect students to community and co-design learning opportunities unique to your location. Find the reflection guide at this link.

Learn more about CommunityShare at communityshare.org.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.