Provocations provoke thoughts and actions that allow a learner to experience the world through open-ended activities without being overtly guided; they help to expand on ideas or areas of interest; they practice the maker mindset.
Throughout this week we were invited to take part in formal and informal provocations. Below is a sample of these experiences.
STEAM/Coding- Cultural Diversity & 2SLGBGTQ+
Watch this video: Ad Council - Love Has No Labels | Diversity & Inclusion
What do you think: the video makes me emotional - which in itself makes me emotional. I feel strange for feeling inspired or a sense of pride by watching these people have normal interactions - but because more often than not, "love has labels" in our society, my emotions get the better of me. It's hard to comprehend that our global history has never viewed people equal, and that still today, we all have bias lenses on wether we are aware of them or not.
What do you see: I see everyday people showing love - I also see their actions getting a reaction. Watching all the different couples and all the types of love makes me incredibly happy.
What do you wonder: While I am watching this video and feel true to myself that no love is greater than the next and that love requires no labels - I can't help but wonder, "do I feel that way because I can see "age, gender, race, religion, sexuality, disability"? - wether I want to "see" that or not. How do we bring down barriers, embrace difference, and model that all love is love - so much so that future generations wouldn't understand what provocation this video might start.
How might you use this video in your own role? I did not know about this video until going through this activity. I am happy to have been exposed to it as well as the website that it directs the viewer to, https://lovehasnolabels.com/ . This video can be shared in my own life and in any grade or subject in the curriculum. It embraces EDIDA principles which can be used to spark conversation and change.
This video be used to discuss 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities through STEAM and Making? Currently, much of STEAM education is largely dominate by males - and traditionally - even more largely by caucasian males. We are beginning to see a change in this field, but this video may act as a reminder that all people can and should explore the world through their passions - just as there are no boundaries to who we love, there are no boundaries to the things we are interested in and what we love doing - STEAM and making should also have no labels or stereotypes and must embrace principles of EDIDA to ensure their inclusive intentions and nature are actually considered and met.
Indigenous Ways of Learning, Knowing, Doing - Decolonizing Curriculum
What is your relationship with these materials? There are several relationships that I can see within these materials - first, when I see them grouped in this fashion, they quickly embody indigenous materials (not that I can speak on behalf of why or which ones - but my mind makes that connection). I see nature - I see representation of animals, the land, and of the water (and envision how they work together in an ecosystem); the relationship between these materials feels harmonious. I see what people can make with nature when they work with it. I see stories - whether it be from the actual book or cards on display, stories behind the making of certain material, or stories from the perspective of each material. I see Indigenous art and know that each piece of art tells a story (but cannot speak to the stories themselves). I see connections between the materials and the place a grew up - Kemano BC - both because of the Indigenous elements but also because of statements that the materials make about nature and interconnectedness.
What stories do you have? Most of the stories that these materials make me think of are related to my time growing up in Kemano The materials on this table were part of every day life in some aspect or another - they were a continuous part of our relationship with the land. I have stories of the animals, water and trees from my own experiences - two in particular about crossing paths with wolves. The water elements make me think about stories from across many experiences in my life from around the world - particularly that I am always in search for it and a deep rooted calling to it. I feel so fortunate for the places I have settled and for the water affordances in my life. The forest elements bring joy to my heart - I can smell the forest just by looking at the materials - particularly cedar in a damp west coast forest - I spent a lot of my childhood in the forest - and many years fighting fires to protect them,
How do these materials inspire you? When I look at these materials I see endless amount of knowledge and resilience. I know there is infinite things to be learnt from each of them, including how they are all connected. Bringing loose materials into a classroom is a creative way to provocate thinking and learning. This would be another great way to start a unit or to start conversation and inspiration throughout a unit. Or of course, just to have materials out on display at random to let provocations take place naturally with no need to connect them to curriculum.