Introducing this Quarter’s Theme: Valuing Ways of Knowing

By Katie (M.K.) Rainey

I’m standing on the sidelines, in the corner of the room, taking pictures as non-intrusively as possible. It’s probably the third or fourth workshop of Community-Word Project’s Teaching Artist Project (TAP)’s 8-month program (in-person and pre-pandemic) and today I’m capturing engaging photographs for a grant I’m writing. TAP’s mission is to train teaching artists and so this group of 30 or so trainees are split into groups and role-playing teachers who made an impact on their lives in the past—both negatively and positively. 

If you’ve ever been in a professional development for teaching artists, you know there’s probably a graffiti wall, probably a community building game, and most likely there is some kind of skit-making/role-playing game. We’re an experiential, empathic, and often goofy bunch, so naturally theater games come hand-in-hand with our collective learning. Today, each group acts out a classroom scene using the mannerisms and techniques of the teacher they’re role-playing from their past. The other groups actively watch the skit, then play a pivotal role in reflection, pointing out the positive and negative aspects of the teacher at the center. 

The idea behind this activity is to take what you’ve learned (whether consciously or not) and reflect on the components that made you feel seen and understood as a student, so that you can implement those positive behaviors as a teacher. The TAP facilitators didn’t tell the trainees how to positively facilitate a classroom environment. Instead, they tapped into their lived experiences and had them pull from what they knew and honor it. 

Tapping Into What You Know

Last quarter, I wrote about redefining eldership and the kids that are often considered “difficult” in a classroom. In this blog, I shared that I often gravitate to the “difficult” kids in the classroom because I was a difficult kid. As I’m thinking about this quarter’s theme, Valuing Ways of Knowing, I’m thinking about how I knew what to do with the students in my class who others had found so challenging. There’s not an elementary school teacher I can recall who I would mirror in the classroom. The first real teacher who made me feel seen was my graduate school thesis advisor. So how did I know what to do in the classroom?  

This makes me think about all the different ways we acquire knowledge. Consciously and subconsciously. Verbal and nonverbal. Tangible and intangible. I knew what to do because I knew what not to do and crafted my own path in the classroom through that knowledge. It’s just like with my students. Their lived experiences and what they’ve learned in their short lives contribute to a thriving, engaged community in our classroom. Only through valuing what they know and honoring it can we build that rich, meaningful learning space. 

Valuing Ways of Knowing

honoring how and what we know

All of our lived experiences affect the way we understand the world. During this series, we want to highlight the different ways we learn/experience/gain and share knowledge. There are many questions we anticipate exploring throughout these blogs: When was a time where you stepped back and allowed another person’s expertise to lead the way? Who was in the room? How did they describe their thinking? What did you do to make space for their thought leadership? How did bringing their ways of knowing affect the outcome of the situation? Change the way others think? When was a time where your expertise/knowledge led the way? And many more. 

And this quarter, we want to uplift your voice too.

Call for Submissions 

We’re looking for blogs on this quarter’s theme: Valuing Ways of Knowing. We want to collaborate with you and amplify what’s happening in your world, whether that’s direct in- or out-of-school arts and cultural education, administration, advocacy, field-wide services, or your personal artistic, cultural, or creative practice.

You should feel free to do any and all of the following:

  • Articulate your opinion;

  • Share trends you observe in your work;

  • Amplify the voices of young creatives;

  • Interpret academic writing;

  • Elevate projects and people; or

  • Document promising practices to support innovation in the field.

The post should be:

  • Be approximately, 500-750 words, though we can accommodate more or less, if the topic requires

  • Use headers to break up different sections

  • Embed links to references, whenever possible

  • Send us photos or videos to include!

  • Check out our blog guidelines here.