1. Accounting for Implicit Bias when Responding to Misbehavior
Lori Cameron and
Michelle Belnavis
Implicit bias is a major contributor to disproportionality in the area of discipline. This presentation will look more closely at how implicit bias works, and how to correct for it during vulnerable decision making points when dealing with student behavior. Much of this work is based on the key note presentation of Kent McIntosh at the March, 2015 International Conference on Positive Behavior Support.

2. Objectives Present the Hostility Cycle
Identify Empathic Defusing statements reflective of your voice
Identify the Rings of Culture
Check your knowledge: Is it cultural or is it wrong?
Present Implicit Bias and Vulnerable Decision Points
Test you Mastery on Kahoot
The objectives of this session are to:
Present the Hostility Cycle and defusing power statements as developed by Drs. Curwin and Mendler.
Identify the Rings of Culture, and check your recognition of wrong vs cultural behavior
Distinguish implicit bias and identify the vulnerable decision points when bias is most likely to impact our actions
Test you mastery of the use of Validating, Affirming, Building and Bridging when confronted with cultural behavior that is a mismatch for your classroom expectations.

3. Hooks
Hooks are the things that students do that get our blood pressure up. They can be as little as rolling eyes, to swearing. What are your hooks?

4. Hostility Cycle Teacher Feels attacked Teacher Fight or Flight
Student
Impulsive
Refusal to cooperate
Acting-out
Has a hostile world view
Teacher
Feels attacked
Fight or Flight
Teacher
Feels more threatened
More fight/flight
Our reaction to students at the beginning of this cycle can make the difference between a scene and a learning opportunity. Students may still need a consequence, but when we defuse, we have the chance to cool down and act (vs. react). We give the student time to cool down, and give them a chance to communicate more appropriately what is bothering them.
The best time to defuse an emotional student is at the beginning of the cycle. The person defusing the situation is most the adult.
Student
Accepts challenge
Increased Rage/Feels Attacked
From Allen Mendler: Power Struggles: Successful Techniques for Educators, 1997

5. What is a Defusing Statement
Affirms and validates a students point of view or
emotion.
Communicates the needs of the teacher.
Defers discussion to a later time, when both
teacher and student are calm.
As teachers are often angry when they get “hooked”, it is a good idea to have a few statements written out in your lesson plan. Using Statement J allows you time to collect yourself before handling the situation.
It is important to note that if the student is misbehaving, a consequence may be appropriate. However, delivering a consequence to an emotionally keyed up student is not a good idea. It can lead to more confrontation. Defusing statements give teachers and students time to calm down, before discussing the situation. When both are calm, there is a better chance of getting to the root of the problem, and for the student to accept responsibility for their misbehavior.
See Handout: Defusing Statements

6. What Statements Work for You?
Read the empathic, defusing statements, and circle a few you would use
Feel free to edit to make the statement validating and affirming, and to reflect your voice.
Share
See if you need to rewrite the statements to be affirming and validating. See example J.
Defusing Statements

7. My racial identity dictates my cultural identity.
True or False?
My racial identity dictates my cultural identity.
False
Cultural identity differs from racial identity. Cultural identity is passed down from generation to generation. The central feature of CLR is the cultural identity of the students, without excluding the other identities that come with culture.
My identity is comprised of who I am , my customary beliefs, social forms , religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.
My race is not all that I am and should not be just what you see.
Don’t let your first thought be your last thought. SHOW ME LOVE.
Dr. Sharroky Hollie
Culture and Language Academy of Success (CLAS) lab school

8. Rings of Culture Youth Gender Religious Nationality Ethnic
Educators have to be responsive to youth culture, gender culture, religious culture, national culture, ethnic culture, as well as socioeconomic culture, called THE RINGS OF CULTURE. Educators must not confuse any of the rings of culture with RACE, which often happens in the classroom.
For Example:
Some educators will sometimes make judgements about African American students’ behaviors as being Black ethnically when in actuality the behaviors are more in alignment with lower socioeconomic behaviors. Attend to the economic culture and don’t miss the opportunity to be responsive to economic culture.
Dr. Sharroky Hollie
Culture and Language Academy of Success (CLAS) lab school

9. Is it Cultural or is it Wrong?
Take the brief survey.
C = Cultural Behavior
W = Wrong Behavior
Complete the survey: Is it cultural or is it wrong?
Students who are consistently affirmed in their cultural connections through the instruction and the environment, are less likely to misbehave.

10. Cultural or Wrong
Student is talking while teacher is talking but in an affirming way.
Student is tapping on desk while other students are working quietly.
Students are picking on another student.
Student says mean and disrespectful things to the teacher. C C
Give answers, then have them talk about how they can address this using empathic responding. 1 & 2- use to discuss how one can use empathic responding.
Students are reinforced for academic development in classrooms with Cultural Capital. Classroom interactions stress collectivity rather than individuality. Students see the classroom as theirs – a place of learning that is physically and emotionally inviting. Diversity and positive identity development are celebrated in authentic ways daily through the activity infusion and inclusion o f musicality, rhythm, orality, verbal expression, resilience, spirituality and emotional vitality.
Dr Sharroky Hollie, p 73

11. Cultural or Wrong
Students are in a collaborative group paying attention to students in another collaborative group.
Students are stealing
Student is assertively as opposed to aggressively talking back, trying to make a point with the teacher. C
The process of validating, affirming, building and bridging are moving the student toward being situationally appropriate. Codeswitching is an intentional choice to shift from one linguistic or cultural mode into another one skillfully and proficiently without giving up, disavowing or abandoning the home culture or language. C
Dr Sharroky Hollie, p 73

12. What Causes Disproportionality?
Answer: Unconscious or implicit bias – that we are not even aware of
Banaji & Greenwald, 2013
Greenwald & Pettigrew, 2014
Van den Bergh et al, 2010

13. Implicit Bias is… Unconscious, automatic Based on stereotypes
We all have it (even those affected by it)
Generally not an indication of our beliefs and values
More likely to influence:
Snap decisions
Decisions that are ambiguous
Snap decisions are sometimes made when we get “hooked” by students. But sometimes the “hook” activates our implicit bias.
Implicit bias is unconscious and automatic. It is based on stereo-types that we all grew up with. Implicit bias is generally not an indication of our beliefs and values. For example, a white, female teacher can strongly believe in the importance of valuing and respecting students from all cultures. Yet when faced with a black, male student that is assertively expressing themselves, may end up labeling the behavior “dis-respectful”.
Implicit bias most often comes into play during snap decisions, or when decisions or judgement are ambiguous (such as disrespectful behavior) Ambiguous: Example – What constitutes respect? Eye contact? Honesty? Deference? Expected behaviors that are not clearly defined.

14. Which decisions in schools are more likely to be snap judgments?
Correcting a student’s behavior
Sending a student to the office
Picking which student to call on
Deciding whether to call a student’s parent
Suspending a student from school
Grading students’ work
The top 3 decision points are the most likely to involve a snap decision.

15. Vulnerable Decision Points from National ODR Data
Subjective problem behavior
Defiance. Disrespect, disruption
Major vs minor
Non-classroom areas
Hallways
Afternoons
Ambiguity
Lack of Contact
Here is what the research it telling us about vulnerable decision points. They occur:
When the problem behavior requires a subjective assessment, such defiance or disrespect or disruption. Or in determining if the behavior is a major or minor infraction. These behaviors introduce ambiguity, and thus are more influence by implicit bias.
Behaviors occurring in non-classroom areas, such as the hallway. The difficulty here is a lack of relationship between the adult and student. When we don’t know the student, our bias more heavily influences our judgements.
Finally, in the afternoon, when teachers are more tired.
Fatigue

16. Two-Step Neutralizing Routine for Staff:
When you see problem behavior, stop and ask yourself:
1. Is this a VDP?
Situation
Decision state
2. Is the behavior cultural or is it wrong?
How can we neutralize the influence of our implicit biases?
By pausing, much as we did when defusing power struggles, and giving ourselves to time to ask these 2 questions?

17. VDP’s?
To begin with, it’s a good idea to identify you personal Vulnerable Decision Points. Beginning with the national data shared in slide 15, what are your personal VDP’s?

18. Neutralizing Cycle Teacher Feels attacked Teacher Fight or Flight
Student
Impulsive
Refusal to cooperate
Acting-out
Has a hostile world view
Teacher
Misinterprets
Cultural Disconnect
Is this a VDP?
Cultural or Wrong?
Teacher
Feels attacked
Fight or Flight
Teacher
Feels more threatened
More fight/flight
Using t
The example of the hostility cycle, we can add a few questions to ask ourselves when students misbehave: Is this a vulnerable decision point? Is their behavior cultural, or is it wrong?
In the hostility cylce, we assumed that behavior was due to a student being impulsive or angry. We are now adding another possibility: that the behavior is not wrong, but cultural.
At the beginning of the Neutralizing Cycle, we add our 2 questions?
It this a VDP?
Is the behavior wrong or is it cultural?
If we are not sure, using a defusing statement will give us time to reflect. Our actions will be determined by how we answer those questions.
Student
Accepts challenge
Increased Rage/Feels Attacked

19. Sharroky Hollie
Your first thought may be…. But it shouldn’t be your last thought, the thought you act on.
Dr. Sharroky Hollie, in his book “Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning”, says our first thought may be (biased)… But it shouldn’t be your last thought, the thought you act on.

20. Four Focus Words
Validate Making legitimate that which the institution (academia) and mainstream have made illegitimate Affirm Making positive that which the mainstream media have made negative
Build Making the connections between the home culture/language and the school culture/language through instructional strategy and activity Bridge Giving opportunities for situational appropriateness or utilizing appropriate cultural or linguistic behavior
If, once we give ourselves time to reflect, we decide that the behavior is a cultural mis match for our class, we respond with VABB: Validating Affirming, Building and Bridging.
When we validate and affirm, we are legitimizing what mainstream academia has made illegitimate, and we make positive that which has been made negative.
The next step is building; making connections between the home culture/language and the school culture/language.
In the case of the assertive black male, it might sound like: I appreciate that you care enough about what we are doing in this classroom to honestly share your thoughts. I can tell you are passionate about this.
Finally, we bridge or give the student opportunities to learn and practice the cultural norms of the classroom. This is building the cultural capital of our students, and helping them code switch.
“In this setting, however, I will feel more respected if you lower your voice, and use different words to express yourself. (Give an example)”.
The Scenario notes give more examples and explanations of how to VABB.
One more notes about building. Teachers should always look for ways to alter their educational format to lnclude legitimate times for cultural reponses. This can be done most easily in our use of attention signals, movement, discussion and opportunities to respond.
Handouts: Is It Cultural or Is It Wrong Scenarios and Notes
Dr. Sharroky Hollie, p.36

21. Let’s Test your Knowledge: Kahoot
You’ll be asked to log onto Kahoot.
Once the game begins:
First we will ask you to read a scenario from the handout
Then we will ask you to choose a response from Kahoot that is culturally responsive.
3. Read over the scenarios now. When you are done, log onto Kahoot
Give time for people to read the scenarios, or read them out load while they read them silently. Once the Kahoot starts, the timer starts, and they will not have enough time to read the scene. Recommend practicing before launching this.

22. What Statements Work for You?
Read the scenarios (A-D)
Test your knowledge:
Play Kahoot!!!
Use Notes page to create your own.
Our link on the bottom launches the game. Once the game is launched, it will provide the code for the game, which participants need to enter to get set up.
Our Link