Source: Pixabay (Mohamed Hassan) |
The horrific video of the Minneapolis police officer killing George Floyd in a cold-blooded way has shocked the whole world. People marched in protests in several cities around the globe to denounce racism and police brutality. As teachers and educators we have the moral obligation to engage our students in healthy discussions around the issue of racism and the problem of race and try to enlighten their minds about the vast possibilities for developing an anti-racist culture (contains Amazon affiliate link). To this end, the Learning Network in The New York Times has this excellent collection of resources curated specifically for use with students.
The compilation contains a wide variety of educational materials and teaching ideas culled from different online sources to help students make sense of not only of George Floyd’s protests but of the whole issue of racism and its implications. Some of the topics covered by these learning resources include : understanding systemic racism, the history of policing in the United States, the right to protest, misinformation and disinformation, the role of the media, and many more. Under each of these resources there is a section entitled ‘Reflect and React’ featuring questions and prompts to engage students in thoughtful discussions. You may want to sift through the resources and use your creativity to think about ways to adapt these materials in your own teaching.