The uncertainty of our educational environment has caused us all to pivot our efforts. Gone are the days of bringing people together (in the same room) to reflect and share deep thoughts and feelings. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that we put equity and diversity at the forefront of our efforts to enlighten educators, staff and students. Kinect wants to provide some easy tools to help you with this endeavor. Please use these freely and share with others. We need EVERYONE to work toward the goal of inclusion and understanding. In addition to these free activities, visit our online store to view hundreds of training tools that can be instantly downloaded or purchased in a physical form. We invite you to use this code: FALLFRENZY to take 25% off your order until September 4, when you shop at: https://www.kinecteducationgroup.com/shop-kinect.
Now for the activities . . .
VIRTUAL CHARADES
Start off a meeting or create a full training with VIRTUAL CHARADES.
1. Create 2 or more teams
2. Privately message someone with a phrase or word.
3. Give the “actor” 1 minute to act out the word.
4. Ask other participants to chat their guesses or shout them out.
5. Award points to the winner or winning team.
6. Consider picking a topic for charades. For example, choose LGBTQ awareness, microaggressions, Women’s herstory or social justice.
2 TRUTHS and a LIE
Ask each participant to think of 2 things that are true about themselves and one thing that is a lie.
1. Ask for a volunteer to type one of the true statements or the lie into the chat.
2. Ask the group to vote by raising their hand (either physically or in the chat) if they believe it is true.
3. Have each participant tell a short story about their truth or their lie.
MASK PARADE
Ask each participant to wear their favorite mask or make one out of paper that conveys their personality. Have a mask parade and ask participants to vote on their top 3 favorite masks. Alternatively, choose a theme for you mask parade. Use a diversity or equity content area or ask participants to create a mask that demonstrates their commitment to inclusion.
CASE STUDY TRAINING
Use case studies to create an educational moment about equity and inclusion. Kinect Education has a transformative case study book that offers progressive case studies just for this purpose. Each case study has three versions that demonstrate how information can be misconstrued and result in damaging or false outcomes. In advance of the training, split the group into 3 and email each sub-group members one of the case study versions. Once the group is assembled via Zoom, ask som
eone from group 1 to read their version of the case study aloud. Proceed by having each group read their version. Hold a virtual discussion about the reactions to the full case study experience. Apply the learning outcomes from the case study to tangible outcomes for your organization. You can purchase this book at https://www.kinecteducationgroup.com/shop-kinect and use FALLFRENZY for 25% off until Friday, September 4.
MESSAGING
Don’t forget about the importance of messaging, even while you are in a virtual state. You can purchase our Zoom equity backgrounds, equity face coverings, posters, and badges that will demonstrate your value of INCLUDING ALL. Visit https://www.kinecteducationgroup.com/shop-kinect to see our full line. If you become a Kinect site member, you’ll get a welcome packet that includes free stuff!