Grassroots (Pro Bono Coaching for Teachers)

Grassroots (Pro Bono Un-Biasing Initiative for School Teachers)

Introspective Pro Bono Group Coaching for Teachers to mitigate biases

Teachers encourage and guide students by acting as knowledge facilitators. While the intent is sublime, teachers, however, are not immune to biases like any other person.
These biases can affect how teachers interact with students and have an impact on the learning environment, whether they are conscious of it or not. We examine the possibility that teachers have biases and work with the assumption that these biases impede an equitable and inclusive education.

Reality

Teachers may unintentionally introduce their biases into the classroom, which may have an impact on how they interact with students. These prejudices can be connected to a variety of things, including financial position, academic achievement, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Threat

Biased behaviour might result in unfair treatment, favouring some students while excluding others. The students who are adversely affected may experience unequal opportunities, diminished self-esteem, and restricted academic advancement as a result. Their capacity to learn and succeed intellectually and socially is hampered by such an inequitable setting.

Initiative Focus

Grassroots is a community outreach initiative by Vital Signs that aims to focus on the well-being and development of professionals in organized spaces to allow sustainable growth.
The major themes of the workshop are the identification and impact of unconscious biases on decisions, thought processes, and behaviours. This is followed by understanding values that guide north stars, and how to deal and align with them, respectively.

Initiative Goals

Raise awareness among teachers about the presence and effects of biases in their teaching strategies
Encourage teachers to self-reflect and introspect
Equip teachers with the information and techniques they need to effectively mitigate their biases
Foster a long-term commitment among teachers toward equity and inclusivity
Make an effort to influence systemic change inside educational institutions

Initiative Structure

Commenced in 2022 in Bangalore, India

Type: Pro-Bono group/cohort based Introspective workshop
Target Group: Teachers across various educational institutions and expertise
Duration: 2 - 3 Hours/session

Outcomes

‘The foundation of taking care of others is self-care’, is what Grassroots aims to encourage among the targeted groups of teachers, further the workshop-

Creates an interactive and introspective space, enabling self-development and professional growth
Uses a set of energizing activities to help the participants to reflect on both internal and external aspects
Encourages teachers to create a long-term commitment toward equity and inclusivity by making an effort to initiate systemic change in educational institutions