These resources are more effective when used in conjunction with the book.
Buy NowName of Activity: Common Ground (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Tone setting / developing group guidelines
Instructional Purpose: To “warm up” the group to thinking about class and classism, and to begin to foster a learning community
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 10-20 minutes
Materials Needed: List of activity prompts (for facilitators)
Degree of Risk: low to medium (depending on prompts chosen)
Procedure:
Sample list of Common Ground prompts:
Warmup Question 1: A simple no risk question, such as “step in if you like winter.”
Warmup Question 2: Another simple question of your choosing.
Optionally, facilitators may invite participants to add their own statements for the group to respond to. Participants should only say statements for which they will step in.
Facilitation Notes:
Facilitators should prepare a list of prompts in advance based on the particular goals and needs of the group. In addition to the list above, it will sometimes be useful to use prompts that might be specifically relevant to the group at hand, such as prompts about financial aid in a higher education context, or prompts about a specific neighborhood or major employer in the area. Some prompts will seem higher-risk in some groups than others; facilitators should consider the existing level of knowledge, trust, and feelings of shame and guilt in the group, and aim for prompts that will built from low- to medium-risk.
During the debriefing conversation, facilitators should remind participants to speak from their own perspectives, and not repeat something another participant disclosed in a pair. Depending on the level of trust in the group participants may ask questions of each other (e.g. “What were you thinking when you seemed really enthusiastic about stepping in for that prompt?). This can lead to really powerful discussion, but facilitators should monitor the group’s tone to make sure that people don’t feel singled out, and that everyone feels able to decline to answer such personal questions.
Observations about identities other than class may come up in debriefing the activity. For example, someone may notice that many People of Color stepped in for a particular prompt and few white participants did. Such observations are useful opportunities to begin exploring intersectionality. However, facilitators should be alert for overgeneralizations; if someone says “All the People of Color stepped in” and in fact one did not, that person might feel that their experience and identity is being invisibilized.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students: n/a
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: n/a
Name(s) to credit for this activity: TDSJ2, adapted by Davey Shlasko
Name of Activity: Meet and Greet Icebreaker for Classism Workshop
Instructional Purpose Category: Tone setting / developing group guidelines
Instructional Purpose: Learn something about each participant and get a sense of who is in the group.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Materials Needed: List of activity prompts (one copy for every participant)
Degree of Risk: low
Procedure:
Sample List of Answers:
Facilitation notes: Facilitators should prepare a list of prompts in advance based on the particular goals and needs of the group. In addition to the list above, it will sometimes be useful to use prompts that might be specifically relevant to the group at hand, such as prompts about financial aid in a higher education context, or prompts about a specific neighborhood or major employer in the area. Some prompts will seem higher-risk in some groups than others; facilitators should consider the existing level of knowledge, trust, and feelings of shame and guilt in the group, and aim for prompts that will offer a spectrum of low- to medium-risk.
During the debriefing conversation, facilitators should remind participants to speak from their own perspectives and not overgeneralize. Observations about identities other than class may come up in debriefing the activity. Such observations are useful opportunities to begin exploring intersectionality. However, participants may also bring up other identities as a way of distracting from class and classism (not necessarily consciously). It can be helpful for facilitators to respond with a “yes, and …” - acknowledging the complexities of intersectionality, and insisting that class not be pushed to the background.
When participants first make a connection between a particular experience and their class identity or the system of classism, they may overgeneralize. For instance, someone may say “I didn’t go to summer camp; working class kids don’t go to summer camp.” It can be useful to remind participants that the statements are not diagnostic in that way, and that people may have the same experience for different reasons (e.g. one person went to summer camp for enrichment, and another because their parents worked and summer camp is a way to get childcare), or different experiences for the same reasons (e.g. one person went to summer camp because they had class privilege and could afford it, and another did not go to summer camp because they had class privilege and could afford to do something else).
Recommended Readings/materials for Students: n/a
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: n/a
Name(s) to credit for this activity: L. Hopkins & M. Adams (2011). Adapted from X. Zuniga & L. McCarthy (2009)
Name of Activity: Class and Classism Assumptions Presentation and Discussion
Instructional Purpose Category: Early Learning/ Socializations
Instructional Purpose:This activity gives participants the opportunity to reflect on the assumptions they have about class and class identity, examine the origins of their assumptions, debunk their assumptions.
Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will
Time Needed:30 minutes
Materials Needed: Newsprint, whiteboard or other visual presentation medium to write down assumptions shared by participants.
Degree of Risk: medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes & Considerations:
This activity is appropriate for situations in which participants are assigned reading or other informational homework.
Facilitators should preface the activity by explaining to participants that because of the way we are socialized from the moment we are born we develop assumptions about others. We experience socialization through our families, our community, and institutions that we engage with.
Some of the assumptions shared by participants could be offensive or upsetting to other participants in the room. Facilitators should be observant of verbal and nonverbal reactions, and discuss in advance how they will surface different perspectives and reactions. It can be useful to validate that it is okay to have emotional reactions to hearing about others’ beliefs and to reflecting on our own past beliefs, and to remind participants that processes of socialization introduce us to inaccurate or harmful beliefs, and it doesn’t make anyone “bad” for believing them. Of course, facilitators may also experience emotional reactions to assumptions that participants share and should be prepared to support each other as cofacilitators.
Facilitators should incorporate any assigned readings to the discussion, and have participants explore how the readings debunk their assumptions about class.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: Gregory Mantsios Class in America in RDSJ
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: What facilitators should read, in addition to your chapter, before facilitating this activity (optional)
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Nina Tissi-Gassoway & Marjorie Valdivia
Name of Activity: Generating Group Norms and Guidelines (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Tone setting / developing group guidelines
Instructional Purpose:This activity gives participants the opportunity to generate the group norms and guidelines they feel are necessary for the learning environment.
Learning Outcomes: N/A
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Materials Needed: Newsprint, or other visual presentation medium to write down group norms and guidelines generated by participants.
Degree of Risk: Low
Procedure:
Sample group norms and guidelines
Facilitation Notes & Considerations:
Facilitators should inform participants about the importance of developing group norms and guidelines to create a social justice education learning community. During the generating process facilitators should ask participants to provide examples of the group norms and guidelines they are proposing. If participants have different or conflicting suggestions for guidelines, facilitators should support the group to identify compromises and ways to collectively meet everyone’s needs.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: N/A
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator:
Name(s) to credit for this activity:
Name of Activity: Hopes and Concerns (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Tone setting / developing group guidelines
Instructional Purpose: This activity gives participants the opportunity to share the hopes and concerns they have for the workshop, as well as learn about their peers' hopes and concerns.
Learning Outcomes: N/A
Time Needed: 15 minutes
Materials Needed: Newsprint or whiteboard, and post-it notes/sticky notes (2 different colors one for hopes one for concerns), or other visual presentation medium to write down assumptions shared by participants.
Degree of Risk: Low - Medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes & Considerations:
Facilitators may want to offer participants an opportunity to do some free writing about what their hopes and concerns are for the workshop prior to writing on the sticky notes so they have some time to think about them.
Facilitators should make connections between participants' hopes and concerns during the large group discussion, and help participants recognize and make sense of the similarities and differences.
During discussion, facilitators should find ways to normalize participants' concerns. Facilitators might also want to ask participants what they might need to help lessen their concerns.
Facilitators should make sure that the activity ends on a positive note that participants feel hopeful instead of hopeless after the activity. You might want to consider starting with the participants' concerns and then discuss their hopes. You should also explore if any of the participants' hopes can cancel out their concerns.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: N/A
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: N/A
Name(s) to credit for this activity:
Name of Activity: Classism Terminology
Instructional Purpose Category: Terminology/Exploring Language
Instructional Purpose:This activity gives participants the opportunity to explore different classism terms.
Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will
Time Needed:1 hour
Materials Needed: Chapter glossary (one copy for each participant)
Degree of Risk: Low
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes & Considerations: Remind participants to be sure not to share out someone else’s personal examples. They should only talk about themes that came up in their own discussion.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: Any readings related to class or classism can be useful for this activity.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: This chapter.
Name(s) to credit for this activity:
Name: Defining Class Brainstorm
Instructional Purpose Category: Terminology /exploring language
Instructional Purpose: To draw out and formalize participants’ implicit definitions of class and establish a shared definition for the course/workshop
Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to define class in terms of a range of class indicators including income, wealth, class culture, cultural capital, social capital, status and power
Time Needed: 15 minutes
Materials Needed: visual presentation medium (i.e. markers and easel paper or marker board, or smart board, or projector); list of terminology (see Classism Chapter Glossary)
Degree of Risk: low
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: During the brainstorm, facilitators should ask follow-up questions as appropriate to encourage specific, concrete responses. For example if a participant says “being classy,” ask “What does that mean? What does it look like? How do you know if someone is being classy?” If a participant says “resources,” ask “what kinds of resources?” This is particularly important because there may be differences in cultural capital amongst participants such that some won’t understand what others are saying. For example if one participant says “cultural capital,” and it’s likely that at least one other participant is unfamiliar with the term, asking a follow-up question in the moment will help to keep the conversation accessible.
Some participants may name markers that are not specifically or only about class, but about other, intersecting social systems such as race or gender. When the facilitator is linking brainstormed items to the class indicators, these items can be addressed in several ways. Depending on the group, facilitators might just acknowledge these as intersections, or might introduce a deeper conversation about how/why other social identities are part of the class system (historically and presently, in terms of how class is reproduced, etc.). Facilitators should decide how much detail to go into depending on the needs of the group and on time available. However, it is helpful to acknowledge when the brainstormed items are explicitly about race (for example) and only implicitly about class and vice versa.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Felice Yeskel and Jenny Ladd with Class Action, Modified by Davey Shlasko
Glossary
Download Now (Word 10KB)Name: Distribution of Wealth Activity, Option A: 10 Chairs
Instructional Purpose Category:Exploring institutional-level oppression, Exploring cultural- or societal-level oppression, Exploring privilege
Instructional Purpose:To demonstrate the distribution of wealth in the U.S., and to introduce functional definitions of class groups.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 30-45 minutes
Materials Needed: 10 chairs without armrests; one or two dolls (one larger than the other); current wealth distribution data (from the Census or from an organization like United for a Fair Economy), including information about racial wealth disparities.
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure: Preparation: Set up ten chairs (side by side) in the front of the room, facing the rest of the room. If more recent wealth data is available than the 2016 data included here, prepare notes on how you will have to adjust the activity.
In 2016 10% of families hold 74% of US total wealth and the top 50% of families hold 23%, the bottom half of the population shares the remaining 1% (Sahadi, 2016). The 2 volunteers representing the top 10% take over 9 chairs between them, “evicting” the current occupants and making themselves comfortable on their 9 chairs. The remaining volunteers squeeze themselves onto one chair. Let them struggle with that for a minute, then suggest that 4 share the chair (sit on each other’s laps - they can sort of lean on the next chair a little too, since technically they should occupy 1.1 chairs), while the remaining 4 sit on the floor.)
(Optional) Actually it’s even more uneven than that - the top 1% of the population (the owning class) owns about 34-39% of all the wealth (depending how you count) so a doll (use the larger one) will sit on almost 4 chairs while the 2 people representing the rest of the top 20% (i.e. the next 19% of the population, the professional/managerial class) share the next 5 chairs (and can lean on the next one a little).
(Optional) Actually it’s even more uneven than that - the top 0.1% of the population (one tenth of one percent) own 15-20% of the wealth (depending how you count). Use the smaller doll to occupy most of 2 chairs, and scootch the “1%” doll to the remainder of its almost 4 chairs.
The 4 people sitting on the floor represent about 120 million people: The Working Class and the Poor. They have very low or no income, with annual household income ranging APPROXIMATELY from $0 and $40,000. Instead of wealth they have debt. They include low-status workers, minimum wage workers, people on public assistance, elderly people relying on a pension, and people who are unemployed, homeless and/or in prison.
The 4 people sharing the bottom chair are the Lower-Middle Class, Upper-Working Class, or Buffer Class. They also represent about 120 million people, and own about 5-8% of the wealth, with annual household income ranging APPROXIMATELY from $40,000-$100,000. They include teachers, social workers, police, firefighters, and skilled tradespeople. They are called “buffer class” because they serve as a buffer between the poor and the wealthy: many of their jobs involve either serving those who have more or managing those who have less wealth.
The 2 people representing the 19% (all but 1% of the top fifth) are Professional Middle Class or Professional/Managerial Class. They represent about 60 million people, own about 55% of the US income & wealth, with annual household income ranging from APPROXIMATELY $100,000 - $300,000. They are high-paid professionals like heads of corporations, managers, lawyers, doctors, and financiers.
The doll represents the owning class - about 3 million people, “the 1%”.They own about 35% of the wealth in the US. You work if you want to, but you could just live off of the interest earned by your wealth. Your annual household income is probably at least $300,000.
After 10 minutes, bring the group back together, ask for general reactions, and respond to questions.
Facilitation Notes:
Occasionally, participants who are volunteering in the demonstration will “revolt,” saying that they would take over the chairs next to them. It can be illustrative to respond with an encouraging tone, but also to ask what might get in their way. Elicit examples of real barriers to economic reform such as a police system that protects the interests of the wealthy, workers’ fear of losing their jobs, impulse to follow the rules, and so on.
Sometimes participants will express anger at the doll (the top 1%). While making space for their anger, also remind them that the doll represents real humans, some of whom are well-intentioned. Ask questions like, “what do you think the doll has been taught about how they got to be in that position? What might get in their way of pushing for a more just system?” Also be prepared to share examples of owning class people who do push for a more just system (such as members of Resource Generation or of United for a Fair Economy’s Responsible Wealth campaign).
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter (all selections, or just those focusing on wealth and income)
We also recommend assigning articles that provide recent updates to the numbers used in this activity (which can be found through United for a Fair Economy, from the Growing Apart website listed below, and from general news sources) as follow-up readings after the activity.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
For updated, interactive data on the distribution of wealth AND income: Gordon, C. (2013) “Growing apart: A political history of American inequality.” Institute for Policy Studies. http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index
United for a Fair Economy’s State of the Dream reports (updated yearly with different themes): http://faireconomy.org/issues/racial_wealth_divide/state_of_the_dream_reports
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Adapted from United for a Fair Economy
Name: Distribution of Wealth Activity, Video and Discussion:
Instructional Purpose of the Category: Exploring institutional-level oppression
Instructional Purpose:To demonstrate the distribution of wealth in the U.S.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes
Materials Needed: Projection and sound equipment, computer with internet connection.
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure: Define wealth and income:
Facilitation Notes:
Sometimes participants will express anger at the wealthiest groups. While making space for their anger, also remind them that those groups represent real humans, some of whom are well-intentioned. Ask, what do you think people in those groups have been taught about how they got to be in that position? What might get in their way of pushing for a more just system? Also be prepared to share examples of owning class people who do push for a more just system (such as members of Resource Generation or of United for a Fair Economy’s Responsible Wealth campaign).
Some participants, especially youth and young adults, may lack financial information about their own families and be unsure where they fall in the spectrum. An optional (and potential high-risk) homework assignment is to ask parents and other family members about the value of their home(s), retirement accounts, and other assets. In the meanwhile, participants’ ignorance about their families’ wealth can be a useful conversation-starter about shame and secrecy around wealth. Discussion questions like, “What purposes does this kind of secrecy serve? Who benefits in the short term? Who benefits ultimately?” can help to challenge the taboo of talking about class.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter - all selections, or just those focused on income and wealth
We also recommend assigning articles that provide recent updates to the numbers used in this activity (which can be found through United for a Fair Economy, from the Growing Apart website listed below, and from general news sources) as follow-up readings after the activity.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
For updated, interactive data on the distribution of wealth AND income: Gordon, C. (2013) “Growing apart: A political history of American inequality.” Institute for Policy Studies. http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index
United for a Fair Economy’s State of the Dream reports (updated yearly with different themes): http://faireconomy.org/issues/racial_wealth_divide/state_of_the_dream_reports
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Name: Distribution of Income Activity: Quintiles
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring institutional-level oppression
Instructional Purpose: To demonstrate changes in the income growth of different class groups as (quintiles) during two periods of U.S. history, and to begin to make connections with policy and other factors that impact income inequality.Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 20 minutes
Materials Needed: 8 ½ x 11 placards for each volunteer to hold, identifying the quintiles (lowest 20%, second, middle, fourth, highest 20%) as well as additional placards for the highest 5% and highest 1%, and showing the income range for each. Most current U.S. income data by quintile, from the Census or United for a Fair Economy or another source. Enough space in the room for five people to walk ~20ft, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure:
Table 1:
QUINTILE |
STEPS |
PERCENT CHANGE |
YEARLY INCOME RANGE (2009 - family income before tax) |
Lowest |
1.5 steps backward |
-7% |
$0 - 26,934 |
Second |
1 step forward |
+4% |
$26,934 - 47,914 |
Middle |
2 steps forward |
+11% |
$47,914 - 73,338 |
Fourth |
4.5 steps forward |
+23% |
$73,338 - 112,540 |
Highest |
10 steps forward |
+49% |
$112,540 & higher |
And if we break down the top quintile even further and look at just the top one percent we see where the greatest income growth went. This small group gained 169 percent, just about 34 steps from the starting line. The real growth in income for the top 1% is actually even greater, since the calculation does not include income from capital gains, which represent a significant source of the income for this group (and very little for other groups).
QUINTILE |
STEPS |
PERCENT CHANGE |
YEARLY INCOME RANGE (family income before tax) |
Top 5% |
15.5 steps forward |
+73% |
$200,000 and up |
Top 1% |
34 steps forward |
+169% |
$1.2 million and up |
Table 2:
QUINTILE |
STEPS |
PERCENT CHANGE |
Lowest |
12 steps forward |
+116% |
Second |
10 steps forward |
+100% |
Middle |
11 steps forward |
+111% |
Fourth |
11.5 steps forward |
+114% |
Highest |
10 steps forward |
+99% |
Top 5% |
8.5 steps forward |
+86% |
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
For updated, interactive data on the distribution of wealth AND income, including relationships to policy metrics: Gordon, C. (2013) “Growing apart: A political history of American inequality.” Institute for Policy Studies. http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index
United for a Fair Economy’s State of the Dream reports: http://faireconomy.org/issues/racial_wealth_divide/state_of_the_dream_reports
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Adapted from United for a Fair Economy
Name: Class Culture Reading Discussion
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring cultural- or societal-level oppression
Instructional Purpose:To explore class culture patterns
Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will …
Time Needed: 30-90 minutes
Materials Needed: Reading assignments (assigned and distributed ahead of time OR distributed as handouts during the session)
Degree of Risk: medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: The risk level of this activity will vary depending on the readings assigned, the class diversity in the group, and the level of trust already established in the group. Depending on how risky you anticipate it will feel for participants, consider allowing them to choose their own small groups (to reduce risk in a mixed-class group), or assign small groups with a mixture of class backgrounds (to increase risk in a group that might otherwise not challenge themselves with the activity).
The last two discussion questions above are designed to help participants distinguish between class stereotypes and useful generalizations about class culture. This is a very important point for the activity, and facilitators should use targeted follow-up questions to make sure the discussion covers it thoroughly. For example, you could ask questions like, “What are potential downsides of overgeneralizing about class cultures? If someone says that they’re from a middle class background, or a working class background, or any other class category - what do you know about their class culture, and what don’t you know? How can you find out about elements of a particular person’s class culture that might be relevant to your interactions, without making assumptions?”
Recommended Readings/materials for Students: Selections from the reading list recommended for instructors, chosen according to the particular group and context. Facilitators must read selections before assigning them – some are not appropriate for all groups, and others are complex enough that they should usually be accompanied by more basic readings. Some are most appropriate for graduate- or advanced undergraduate-level study, others for educators, others for activists and many are appropriate for all groups. Some discuss class culture explicitly, and in others the theme is implicit but different terms are used.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Name: Guided Reflection on Class Culture Mismatches
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring cultural- or societal-level oppression
Instructional Purpose: To explore participants’ experiences of class culture mismatches, and to discuss implications for cross-class relationships, cross-class situations, and the reproduction of class.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 20-40 minutes
Materials Needed: Facilitators will need a visual presentation medium (markers and chart paper or marker board, OR smart board, OR projector, etc.). Participants will need writing materials.
Degree of Risk: medium to high (participants have leeway in deciding what to reflect on and how much to share)
Procedure:
Think of a time when you entered a class context that was unfamiliar to you, where the class culture was not your own. You might be able to think of many such memories, or you might have trouble thinking of one at first. You’re going to choose one memory of a situation like that, to reflect on for the next several minutes. For example, it might have been visiting relatives with more or less class privilege than you, or visiting a friend’s house, or being in someone else’s home as a babysitter or other kind of worker, or attending a professional conference, or arriving at college, or having a blue-collar summer job if you did not grow up around a lot of blue-collar workers, or visiting a homeless shelter as a volunteer or worker. … Call that memory to mind with as much detail as you can:
After a pause (the reflection will have taken 5-10 minutes), invite participants to open their eyes (if they’re closed) and immediately free-write for 2-5 minutes: How would you describe the emotional and cognitive experience of being in an unfamiliar class culture setting? Literal and/or metaphorical descriptions are welcome!
Have participants pair up and discuss highlights from their reflections (what they remembered and/or what they wrote down). Participants should be allowed to choose their own partners and decide how much of their reflections to share. (2-5 minutes)
With the whole group, invite participants to report out highlights of their reflections (while not repeating anything their partner told them during the paired sharing). Record responses so that everyone can see the list. Common responses include a variety of emotions, as well as metaphors like “I felt like I was on another planet,” “As if all the rules were changed,” “As if I were a kid and didn’t know anything about how to behave,” “As if no one there knew how to behave,” etc.
Validate responses by acknowledging that cross-class experiences often carry complicated emotional resonance. One reason is that class culture is rarely talked about. Lead a discussion with the whole group using discussion questions like:
Facilitation Notes: This activity contains many opportunities for adaptation to meet a variety of learning needs and/or to address learning goals particular to a group or context. In terms of accessibility, it is important that facilitators emphasize the optional-ness of many of the specific instructions. For example, sitting in a group with one’s eyes closed can be scary for some survivors of trauma, so participants should know that closing their eyes is optional. Focusing on one’s body and physical sensations can be difficult for some people who experience chronic pain, and some people, in order to be comfortable, may prefer to stand, lie down, or move around rather than sit. Facilitators should make sure to communicate permission for participants to make their own adaptations as needed. Participants should follow the parts of the instructions that work for them, and adapt or bypass the rest, in whatever way will make them most able to reflect on the questions at hand. Also, some participants for whom writing is not a strong suit may choose not to write about their reflections but rather to continue to think silently to themselves.
Some participants may have memories of cross-class situations that were particularly difficult or bring up strong feelings for them. In the beginning of the guided reflection, facilitators should emphasize that participants have a choice about which memory to focus on and/or talk about. It is not necessary to choose the most salient or most difficult memory. Additionally, it may be helpful to remind participants that emotions are a normal part of learning. Expressions of pain, anxiety, sadness, or anger would not be unexpected during the discussion of this reflection. Facilitators should validate participants’ feelings as a normal and valuable part of learning about oppression, and offer support as appropriate to the individual and the group, which might include continuing the conversation, having a one-on-one check in with a facilitator, taking a break, etc.
The power of this activity is in the embodied sensory reflections and the first level of describing and making sense of those reflections, as encompassed in the question “How would you describe the emotional and cognitive experience of being in an unfamiliar class culture setting?” Further reflections, such as those prompted in the whole-group discussion questions above, will be valuable to some groups for making connections with broader concepts. For other groups, especially if the whole-group discussion reveals strong feelings right away, it may be appropriate to stay at that first level of description and not try to make connections to broader implications like the reproduction of class. The experience of the guided reflection can be a touch point that the facilitator and/or participants may refer back to later in discussing those broader implications.
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Developed by Davey Shlasko with Think Again Training and Consulting for a community-based workshop series on class culture for activists, in Berkeley, CA, spring 2011
Name of Activity: Cultural Capital Questionnaire (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege
Instructional Purpose: To help participants understand how our personal/familial culture and cultural assets intersect with class, class privilege, and class inequality.
Learning Outcomes: After this activity, participants will …
Time Needed: 30-45 Minutes
Materials Needed: Cultural Capital Questionnaire Handout
Degree of Risk: Low
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes:
The cultural capital questionnaire can be adapted to work for the needs of a particular group, including the range of class, race, and gender identities, ages/generations and work experiences, region, etc.
Some of the items in the questionnaire highlight a gray area between class culture and cultural capital. These items represent examples of class culture and class experience that sometimes (but not always) translate into material and/or social capital (making them part of cultural capital). For example, performing maintenance on one’s dwelling could be described as an element of class culture insofar as it is the norm in some class groups and not others to do this kind of work for oneself - not only because of financial constraints but also because doing for oneself is a value in those groups’ cultures. It might become cultural capital insofar as it either a) translates into material capital, by saving money that would otherwise be spent hiring a professional, or b) translates into social capital by allowing one to meet the expectations of adulthood within the norms of a particular social group (by class, gender, and/or other factors), thus giving one a respected status and increased access to the shared resources of that network. In the large group debrief, be sure to bring up these potentially confusing areas and offer opportunities for clarification. The large group debrief is your opportunity to guide participants back to the learning objectives of the activity; notice what comes up in the conversation and adapt your follow-up questions to address the learning objectives.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.
Yosso, T. (2006). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. In A. Dixson & C. Rousseau (Eds). Critical race theory in education: All god’s children got a song. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group
Cultural Capital Questionnaire
On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being very familiar and 5 being very unfamiliar, circle how familiar you feel with the following items. Familiarity could be because you have direct experience, or because people you’re close to have direct experience, or in some cases because you learned about it in school.
1 |
Dining at a restaurant that is set with white tablecloths, candles, three kinds of forks, two kinds of glasses, and cotton napkins |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
Dining at a small inexpensive family-owned restaurant |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
Attending a holiday networking party at a law firm |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
Staying over at a friend’s home, where the family employs a housekeeper, a cook, and a gardener full time |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
Personally speaking with a senator or congressman |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Attending a rural county agricultural fair |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
7 |
Attending a church bazaar |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
8 |
Going on a vacation that is completely paid for by someone other than you (including parents or other family members) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
Opening a new bank account |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
10 |
Applying for a loan (other than a school loan) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
11 |
Shopping for a new suit to wear to a job interview |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
12 |
Shopping for school clothes at the second hand store |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
13 |
Shopping for new school clothes at the mall |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
14 |
Shopping for groceries |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
15 |
Shopping with EBT (food stamps) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
16 |
Shopping with a credit card |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
17 |
Working in an office environment |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
18 |
Working in a “back end” environment, like a warehouse or commercial kitchen |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
19 |
Working in a service job (such as waiting tables, serving coffee, pumping gas, or retail sales) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
20 |
Speaking Standard English |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
21 |
Speaking in public settings the same way you speak at home |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
22 |
Investing money in stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, etc. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
23 |
Attending a tennis match |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
24 |
Attending a football game |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
25 |
Attending a monster truck rally |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
26 |
Riding a bus/figuring out how to get somewhere on public transportation |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
27 |
Driving a car to get to and from |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
28 |
Using a taxi for transportation |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
29 |
Calling a town car, limo for transportation |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
30 |
“Clocking in” for an hourly paid job |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
31 |
Having flexible work hours that you get to make decisions about |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
32 |
Understanding income tax law - what factors affect how much you pay in taxes each year |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
33 |
Understanding how home mortgages work |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
34 |
Understanding how the capital gains tax and inheritance tax work |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
35 |
Golfing |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
36 |
Hunting |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
37 |
Sailing |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
38 |
Navigating aide resources available in your community, such as applying for general assistance (welfare), MedicAid, unemployment, childcare vouchers, emergency funds (from churches or other local organizations), subsidized housing, emergency shelter … |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
39 |
Navigating the resources of a college campus, e.g. utilizing meetings with a dean, professors, career counselors, …understanding which offices can assist you with which kinds of services, … understanding what falls under the Dean’s Office as opposed to the Ombuds Office … |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
40 |
Performing maintenance on your dwelling (such as unclogging a drain, patching a wall, adjusting a door that sticks, mowing a lawn, etc.) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
41 |
Hiring a professional to perform maintenance on your dwelling |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Think about your familiarity with the work environments (daily schedule, normal activities/expectations of the job, scheduling, etc.) for people in the following professions. Circle the 3-5 with which you are most familiar.
plumbers
electricians
Lawyers
nurses’ aides
nurses
doctors
teachers
professors
politicians
lawyers
engineers
police officers
social workers
investment bankers
artists
clergy members
retail workers
factory workers
road service workers
commercial cooks
wait staff
childcare providers
in-home healthcare providers
agricultural workers
hotel housekeepers
academic researchers
Names of those to credit for this activity: Linda McCarthy, Adapted by Larissa Hopkins & Davey Shlasko
Name: Cultural Capital Brainstorm (Classism) Opt. B
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring cultural- or societal-level oppression
Instructional Purpose of Activity: To help participants think about: 1) the relationship between cultural capital and class cultures; 2) how opportunities can be affected by our cultural capital and class position, and 3) to help participants better locate their class category or position.
Learning Outcomes:
-Participants will be able to locate themselves more accurately in terms of class position
-Participants will develop a better understanding of the cultural capital associated with different class cultures and groups
-Participants will identify how differences in cultural capital can affect opportunities and access to resources
Time Needed: 60 minutes
Materials Needed: markers, newsprint/easel paper, tape, class category question prompts, definition of cultural capital
Degree of Risk: medium
Procedure:
-What do people in this group know?
-What do people in this group know about?
-What do people in this group find familiar and comfortable, in the areas of:
·Finances
·Schooling
·Travel/vacation
·Sports and leisure
·Popular media
·Material goods/shopping
·Norms of communication
·Norms of family relationships
·Food ways (what are the staples, what are considered special occasion foods)
*The reflection can alternatively be assigned for homework if timing makes this option best
Facilitation Notes: Some examples of cultural capital that participants generate may be stereotypical and require a nuanced discussion with the large group. For example, it is a stereotype that working class people are into Nascar, and it is also true that on average familiarity with Nascar is an expected piece of knowledge in some working class communities, while it is rarely an expected piece of knowledge in professional/managerial or owning class communities. It will be useful to remind participants to distinguish between recognizing that something is common within a community or class category versus assuming that it is universal in or definitive of that community or category.
In some cases, all of the participants in a group may be unfamiliar with the class category they are assigned. In that case they will likely generate vaguer (or more stereotypical) responses compared to groups who are closer to the class categories they’re brainstorming about. For example, participants may not be able to list names of elite private high schools, but may still generate the idea that owning class people know about the world of elite private high schools.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Yosso, T. (2006). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. In A. Dixson & C. Rousseau (Eds). Critical race theory in education: All god’s children got a song. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Name: Social Capital Activity: Option A: Exploring Your Social Network
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege
Instructional Purpose: To help participants identify the people in their social network and who they can go to for certain kinds of connections, resources, and advice. To help participants consider how they might like to further expand their social network and to assist participants with recognizing the relationship between one’s cultural capital and social capital.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 30-45 minutes
Materials Needed: Paper, writing utensil, prepared situation prompts
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure:
Depending on the level of trust in the group, this might be best accomplished in pairs or small groups. Before returning to the large group, give people a few minutes to individually (or within their small group) identify what information they are and are not comfortable sharing out in the large group.
Facilitation Notes: People often don’t realize how extensive their networks are. It may help to put participants in pairs or small groups to prompt each other to think further about people they may not realize they are connected with. This activity can provide participants with tools to navigate their real class situations by building social capital. Low-income participants might be resistant to the idea of social networking as it can appear self-serving, superficial, and at odds with the ideals of meritocracy. It is helpful to be prepared to deconstruct stereotypical approaches to social networking, to highlight how networks can be built off of the development of genuine and reciprocal relationships, and to discuss how relationships help secure employment with and without meritocratic hiring processes. This activity can become high risk in terms of self-disclosure (and disclosure of aspects of class people may not be very aware of) so participants may need additional support considering what to disclose and/or time to process what they have disclosed.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko and Larissa Hopkins
Name: Social Capital Activity: Option B: Quantifying Your Social Network (this activity can also be combined with the Social Capital Activity: Option A: Exploring Your Social Network
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring privilege
Instructional Purpose: To help participants identify the people in their social network and who they can go to for certain kinds of connections, resources, and advice. To help participants recognize the relationship between cultural capital, material capital, and social capital, and how class inequality is perpetuated.
Learning Outcomes:
Time Needed: 30-45 minutes
Materials Needed: Paper, writing utensil, prepared situation prompts
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: Participants can become overly absorbed in their social network scores (quantity) and not give full attention to the reflection questions. If this seems to be the focus of small group conversation it might be helpful to pause and process with the entire group using the questions, “What does the point system represent?” and “How is it problematic?”, before having them return to the other reflection questions.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko and Larissa Hopkins
Name: Family History In Context (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Exploring History
Instructional Purpose: To help participants make connections between the history of class and classism in the US and their own family histories.
Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to identify historical factors that influenced their families’ class trajectory.
Time Needed: 30-45 minutes
Materials Needed: Family history worksheet (attached).
Degree of Risk: low to high (varies depending on participants’ families)
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: Facilitators should complete the worksheet before assigning it to participants. When providing instructions, facilitators should model the assignment by telling a piece of their own family history in a way that highlights connections to historical legacies of classism and acknowledges relevant intersections. Facilitators may also mention examples (from the History Presentation) of historical factors that might impact family class trajectory, such as those listed on the worksheet and others that might be particularly relevant to the group (depending on their age and other factors).
This activity provides many opportunities for discussing intersections with race, gender, nationality, immigration status, and more. Facilitators should maximize these opportunities by reminding participants to consider how other social identities and systems of oppression have played into their family history.
Some participants may not know much about their family histories, perhaps just because they haven’t asked, and perhaps for reasons that are related to systems of oppression. They may have fraught relationships with their elders due to heterosexism; they may have language barriers that prevent them from communicating fully with their elders; they may have a family norm of not talking much about the past; they may have a family history complicated by adoption, estrangement, incarceration or other factors that limit their access to information. Facilitators should be sensitive to these differences and encourage participants to approach the activity in whatever way it will be useful to them. For some participants it may make most sense to only focus on the parts of their family about which they do have ready information. In other cases it may make sense to reflect on the reasons information may not be available. For some participants, “family” might mean “the people who raised you” whether or not those people were legally related to the participant or each other.
Additionally the assignment will have particular complications for students with recent immigration in their families. Because class manifests differently in different national contexts, information participants have about their family members’ class situations in another country may require interpretation. Since the U.S. has had global influence for many years, participants may still be able to name connections between their families’ experiences and U.S. historical legacies of classism, but they will be different connections than those of participants whose families have been in the U.S. for at least several generations. The significance of the historical moment in which a family immigrated is itself a valuable historical connection to make.
Adapting as a homework assignment: If participants complete the worksheet during the session, many will not have all of the information the worksheet asks for. In that case, they can still participate in the activity based on whatever information they do know. As a homework assignment, the activity can be expanded to include informal interviews with relatives, asking for further information about the family’s class history.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Classism Chapter
Zinn, H. (1995). A people’s history of the United States, 1492–present. (Rev. ed.). New York: Harper Collins
Takaki, R. (1993). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Boston: Little Brown.
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Worksheet: Family History in Context
(in-session version)
Make notes about your family history over the past 2 or more generations (if possible). For the purposes of this assignment, “family” can mean the adults who raised you, whether or not they were biologically or legally your parents – and, going back further, the adults who raised them.
Worksheet: Family History in Context (homework version)
Time Needed: 40-90 minutes
Materials Needed: easel paper, markers, plenty of wall space and movable chairs
Degree of Risk: low to medium
Procedure:
This activity is based on “The Five Faces of Oppression,” a model articulated by Iris Marion Young (1990) to describe different manifestations that oppression takes. Whereas the “levels of oppression” (micro, meso, macro) identify the scales at which oppression operates, the five faces describe qualitatively how it operates.
A brief version of the activity can be conducted in as little as 40 minutes, and more in-depth versions can take several hours. Based on your estimate of students/participants previous understanding, and your time constraints, adapt the timing to meet your needs.
Small group work (15-30 minutes):
Report out (10-20 minutes): After each group has rotated through all five stations, ask for a volunteer to read aloud the easel sheets from each station. This gives all participants an opportunity to see and hear what has been written by the groups that came to each station after them.
Discussion (20-60): During and/or after the report-out, pose questions to the group (and encourage participants to ask questions of each other). If needed, some questions should prompt participants to fill in gaps in the examples generated, to make sure that examples address different levels/scales of oppression (micro, meso, macro). For example you might ask:
Other questions should support participants to get more specific in their descriptions of manifestations by specifying who is targeted, under what circumstances, and in what ways the manifestations are linked to larger system of power. For example if someone wrote “incarceration” as an example under “powerlessness,” you might ask:
These questions often draw out parallels and intersections among –isms, such as the fact that transgender people, People of Color, and young Black/Latino men more specifically, are all groups that are disproportionately vulnerable to incarceration, in addition to poor people overall. Further questions can focus on the relationship incarceration to systems of power:
After concluding the discussion of examples generated by students/participants, continue with one or both of the follow-up options: Web of Institutional Classism or Identifying Opportunities for Coalition. Both options expand upon the examples generated in the Five Faces of Classism to generate more specific analysis and build toward action planning. The easel sheets from the Five Faces stations should remain posted for the following activities.
Facilitation Notes: This activity involves a lot of time- and task-management. Facilitators should think through timing and room logistics carefully in order to effectively direct participants.
The discussion questions are key to this activity’s effectiveness. Facilitators should have follow-up questions on hand and be ready to improvise based on their knowledge of the group and its particular goals.
Accessibility: In this activity, participants often end up standing around an easel sheet together for lengthy periods. Many participants who can walk and stand may nevertheless need accommodation because of the length of time spent standing. Facilitators can easily address this by inviting participants to bring chairs over to each station as needed.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Young, Iris Marion. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Selection 7 in RDSJ4.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
Young, Iris Marion. “Five Faces of Oppression.” Selection 7 in RDSJ4.
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Time Needed: 20-40 minutes
Materials Needed: ball of yarn
Degree of Risk: low
Procedure:
Examples for facilitator to use, in case participants need help generating examples:
Names of Social Institutions |
Examples of Religious Oppression |
K-12 schooling |
Funding formulas at the state and district levels. Tracking. Enforcing professional-middle class cultural norms. Requiring students or their families to purchase books, pay for field trips, etc. Expecting families to take time off work to attend school events. |
The media (TV, magazines, newspapers, radio) |
Stereotyped or missing representations of poor and working-class people (give specific examples from relevant media familiar to your participants). Overemphasis and unrealistic normalization of extreme wealth.News reporting on poverty that perpetuates misperceptions. |
local police |
Profiling based on race and class, including disproportionate policing of poor neighborhoods. Police harassment of people who are or appear homeless. Disproportionate enforcement of “quality of life” laws, e.g. those that prohibit loitering. |
local, state and federal courts |
Inadequate funding of public defender system. Fines and fees that disproportionately penalize poorer people. |
businesses and workplaces |
Underpayment of “unskilled” labor. Wage exploitation. Unreasonable restrictions on workplace behavior (e.g. restrictions on how many bathroom breaks employees may take). Enforcement of professional-middle class cultural norms. Expectation that employees can spend money for job-related expenses and be reimbursed later. |
colleges and Universities |
Financial aid system that does not meet people’s needs (for example, grants and loans cover only tuition and not books). Financial aid system that contains assumptions about family structure (e.g. assumption that both of a student’s legal parents will financially support their education). Enforcement and rewarding of professional-middle class culture. Cocurricular activities not financially accessible. Legacy admissions. |
Facilitation Notes:
The success of this activity depends largely on the participants having sufficient information to provide examples of institutional oppression – from the previous activities, readings, videos, discussions, observation, and their own experiences – to generate examples quickly. The facilitator should have examples in mind to help out if participants have no examples, and in order to keep the process going.
Accessibility: Participants not able to stand (or not able to stand for long) can sit for the activity, or the whole group can sit (although that makes it harder for most people to throw and catch accurately). Participants who are not able to throw and catch can still participate fully by having the group pass the yarn around to them, and then to the person they pass it to next, rather than throwing and catching. (You may not be able to tell by looking if someone is unable to throw and/or catch, so it’s helpful to ask before anything is thrown.) Because this activity is so physically engaging, it is not really possible for participants to take notes during the activity. Facilitators can increase accessibility by giving several minutes for silent reflection and note taking after the discussion concludes. Or, after the yarn tossing has concluded, have the participants put the web down on the ground (so people can still see it, but not need to continue holding it), before initiating discussion. That way participants who benefit from note taking can do so during the discussion.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:
Core Concepts section in RDSJ
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator:
same
Name(s) to credit for this activity: TDSJ2, adapted by Davey Shlasko
Name:Acting Accountably
Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process
Instructional Purpose:To introduce a framework for participants to think about accountable action for liberation.
Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will …
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Materials Needed: “Liberatory Consciousness of Effective Allies” handout
Degree of Risk: low to medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: If additional time is available, participants may be asked to assess themselves aloud, in small groups or with the whole group. The risk level of the activity varies depending upon whether participants are expected to share their assessments aloud.
Some participants may struggle to apply the 4As to their own lives. In particular, some participants may have difficulty understanding the concept of analysis and how it applies to themselves. One way to explain it is to ask how they approach novel situations that may be classist. Do they count on others to tell them whether something is or isn’t classist? Or do they feel confident using their own knowledge, frameworks and reasoning to ascertain whether what about a situation is classist?
Other participants may have difficulty understanding the concept of accountability. One way to explain it is to ask what relationships in their lives (whether personal or professional, in-person or virtual) help them “double check” how their actions and beliefs do or do not support people who are more severely impacted by classism than they are. Accountability does not mean letting someone else do all your thinking for you (that would be tokenizing, and a sign of lacking analysis); accountability does include being regularly available to receive feedback from people who experience more severe impacts of classism than you (including those with less class privilege and those whose class privilege is mitigated by intersections with other systems of oppression). Accountability can include simply reading the analysis and action recommendations of people to whom you see yourself as accountable in working against classism, as well as being in active personal relationships with such people.
Some participants may experience some defensive feelings upon being asked to assess themselves. They may feel that their desire to be an ally, or their good intentions, should be given more “credit,” rather than focusing on how they can do better. It can be helpful to remind participants that impact can be different from intention, and that everyone (including the facilitators) have room to learn and grow in our work for justice. The purpose of self-assessments using the 4As is not to blame or rank people, but rather to identify specific areas in which we can each develop our capacity to act effectively and accountably for justice.The remaining activities in the quadrant may assist participants with identifying additional examples for themselves, and returning to the 4As through brief follow-up questions during later activities can be helpful.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students:“Developing a Liberatory Consciousness,” Barbara Love. Selection 131 in RDSJ4.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: “Developing a Liberatory Consciousness,” Barbara Love. Selection 131 in RDSJ4.
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko
Name of Activity: Action Continuum and Spheres of Influence
Instructional Purpose Category: Developing action plans
Instructional Purpose: This activity uses two simple frameworks, the action continuum and spheres of influence, to help participants identify actions that are within their reach
Learning Outcomes: After this activity participants will …
Time Needed: 30+ min
Materials Needed: Action Continuum Handout, spheres of influence handout (from Chapter 4: Core Concepts); larger version of each that can be displayed in the classroom on an easel pad, as a slide, on a marker board, etc.
Degree of Risk: Low- Medium
Procedure:
When we as individuals maintain the system of oppression, it can be because we are doing one of the following:
When we as individuals or as an institution begin interrupting the system of oppression, it can be because we are…
This is a transitional stage where one goes from maintaining the system of oppression to interrupting the system of oppression.
When we work to change ourselves, other individuals, or institutions, it can be because we are…
This activity can conclude with (6) above, or it can continue with (7) and/or (8) as follows:
Facilitation Notes & Considerations:
As written, the activity is pretty fast-paced. For groups that are ready and eager to identify their next steps, this can work well. Other groups may need to take the discussion more slowly, or may need more guidance or examples to support a fruitful discussion. Facilitators should plan their time accordingly. Assigning some reflection as homework before the activity may make it feasible for a group to go deeper more quickly.
The activity helps participants identify what they might want to do next, but not how to do it. In some contexts this is enough; in other contexts, it will be important to follow up with a more concrete activity, such as the action strategy planning or specific skill-building.
Participants may have emotional responses to locating themselves on the continuum, particularly if they are further toward the “actively participating” end than other participants. People may feel ashamed and/or defensive. It can be helpful to remind participants of the systemic nature of classism, and of the realities of socialization: We are not at fault for what we have been taught, but we can take responsibility for our actions now that we know better.
Similarly, when moving to where they want to be on the continuum, participants may feel pressure to move further toward the “initiating and preventing” end than they are actually ready for, and/or may feel embarrassed that they don’t “want” to be as far along as some of their peers. That’s why the activity focuses on a specific time frame. It can be helpful to remind participants this is not their “last chance,” and that it is okay to not always be at the very most active end of the continuum.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: Optionally, the two handouts can be assigned as reading in advance of the activity.
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: N/A
Name(s) to credit for this activity: This is a legacy activity we have learned from many generations of facilitators, most recently adapted by Lee Anne Bell and Davey Shlasko.
Name of Activity: Closing Activity Sentence Stems (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process
Instructional Purpose: This closing activity enables participants to make a positive, forward-looking closing statement to the group.
Learning Outcomes: After this activity participants will …
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes (depending on size of group):
Materials Needed: Sentence Stems prepared on handout, easel pad, marker board or slide
Degree of Risk: Low - Medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes & Considerations: This activity is appropriate for any group, but particular those which came together just for this workshop and may not have ongoing relationships beyond the workshop space. The goal is to create a sense of closure and continuity. Depending on the overall goals of the workshop, and the learning needs of the group, facilitators may choose different or more specific sentence stems.
Recommended Materials/Readings for Students: N/A
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Facilitator: N/A
Name(s) to credit for this activity: This is a legacy activity we have learned from many generations of facilitators, most recently adapted by Larissa Hopkins.
Name: Asking and Offering (Classism)
Instructional Purpose Category: Processing / debriefing the process
Instructional Purpose:To bring closure to the learning experience, and help the group integrate new learnings into their ordinary work together
Learning Outcomes:After this activity participants will …
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes
Materials Needed: none
Degree of Risk: Medium
Procedure:
Facilitation Notes: This activity is a good option for closing a workshop with an intact group – one in which participants have preexisting relationships and will continue to work together after the workshop is over. It should be nearly the last thing that happens in the workshop, after sharing action plans and final reflections (but before feedback/evaluations for the facilitator).
Note that the “requests” should be taken as real (not hypothetical) requests, but not as demands or requirements. Someone may request something that the group is not able to provide. This activity does not establish a plan for meeting everyone’s needs; it does make public the needs and resources that exist in the group, so that the group can move forward together in a compassionate and coordinated way.
Accessibility: The activity as written above is accessible for most wheelchair users, but may present challenges for individuals who do not use wheelchairs and and walk but not for very long. Remind participants that as always anyone who needs to sit should feel free to do so. If you know that one or more participants will find the physical aspect of the activity a barrier, you can conduct the verbal elements of the activity without having participants stand or step anywhere. However the physical parts are there for a reason - they engage people with kinesthetic learning styles and create a powerful emotional experience for the group. Look for ways to integrate people into the experience, moving in whatever ways work for their bodies.
Recommended Readings/materials for Students: None
Recommended Supplementary Materials/Readings for the Instructor or Facilitator: None
Name(s) to credit for this activity: Davey Shlasko