Week 15: Closing Rituals
13.0 (Week 15) Closing Rituals and Cultivating Joy
Orientation
The end of a semester is (hopefully) not the end of students’ experiences with antiracism, but a transition to another phase of it. But end-of-semesters commonly center on assessing final products. Antiracism is an ongoing process of which courses and coursework play an important but small role. To conclude an antiracism course requires more than asking students to share their final projects, it is also to reflect on the situation and circumstances surrounding each project and to celebrate labor, collective and individual. Joy is an essential component of the antiracism process that recognizes labor, acknowledges transitions, and cultivates rest, self-care, and communities of care. Closing rituals provide students space to reflect on the process of antiracism, storytelling and their practices of it, and how to mobilize their next steps. There are three types of closing rituals described below, each seeks to honor, acknowledge, and recognize different relational dynamics among the class. The first, letter of recognition, is a letter written from teacher to students that recognizes the affective risks and intellectual endeavors demonstrated by students, appreciates the cultivation of communities of care, and offers encouragement for students moving forward. The second category, showcases, describes ways in which students relate to the course (content and processes), outcomes (projects), and community; it invites students to share their projects, celebrate each other’s efforts, and receive celebration from peers. There are three approaches that are contingent upon the students’ needs, organized from low to high stakes, they are: show-n-tell, class exhibition, and community showcase. (The latter are iterations of the gallery walk.) The third closing ritual centers on the relationships among project groups, which, for many students, are the only points of connection formed during remote instruction. Taking the form of the letter, it asks students to communicate what they learned, how being a community member supported that pursuit, and next steps for their creative and antiracism practices that reach beyond the semester’s end.
Activities
[to acknowledge the teacher-students dynamic]
The purpose of Letters of Recognition is for teachers to recognize the affective, communal, interpersonal, creative, and intellectual dimensions of the class. One approach could be to recall the 100s of collective hours the class devoted to their projects. Another is to celebrate specific moments in the classes’ history. It could take the form of a Top Ten Memories, or reviewing their collective journey. The point is for the teacher to engage and to affirm emotionally and affectively with students, to acknowledge and to recognize that their contributions emerged from particular contexts, people, and situations. Sending letters before the last week of the semester allows time for students to metabolize feedback and it helps support their personal closing rituals.
[to recognize whole class participation]
Show-and-Tell
We will end our whole class sessions (insert dates) much like we began the semester with a show-and-tell. The motivation is to give everyone a chance to address the class before it concludes in a low-stakes, informal way. For this show-and-tell, please choose one from the following three options. Regardless of option, your show-and-tell should be 1-2 minutes in length.
- Option 1: Learning Reflection. Share something specific you learned from this course, whether content (i.e., Asian American studies), process (e.g., writing; working in writing groups), research, a joke developed in your writing group, or something else.
- Option 2: Project Description. Use the show-n-tell to describe your final project to the class. Helpful questions to address might include: what is my project about? How am I structuring it? Who is my audience?
- Option 3: Project Share. The final choice is to share an excerpt of your final project with the whole class. Rather than provide a description of your project (i.e., Option II), show it to us via screenshot, performance, live reading, or some other way. Regardless of options, your show-n-tell should be 1-2 minutes in length.
Lastly, the show-and-tell is an informal presentation, this is not high stakes, nor does it require hours of preparation; it is pass/fail so as long as you complete it during class time, and you will fulfill the “A” Labor Contract. Everyone must be ready to present on (insert date), but some of you will present on (insert date). Please add your name and option to our sign-up sheet [teachers: add hyperlink] by (deadline).
Exhibition
Exhibitions are informal ways for students to share their projects with the whole class.
Option 1. Poster Presentation
- Create a poster = work-in-progress snapshot of research that concisely elicits intellectual engagement from an audience
- Prepare a 3-4 minute snapshot of your research that invites and elicits communal engagement.
Option 2. Artifact + Statement
- Artifact. Share a published copy of your project with the class.
- Statement. In 150-250 explain the inquiry, scope, approach, and outcomes of your project, or tell its story concisely. The statement will accompany your artifact.
[to honor project group relationships]
The purpose of letters of resolve is to allow students to bring their project groups to a close. For many students, their project groups will be the only contact they have with other students (during remote semesters), and so, it is important to allow them the space to conclude their groups. Below is a sample introduction to the LoR.
“Our last asynchronous day will meet sometime between (insert dates). The motivation here is to thank your group members and celebrate all the work you’ve accomplished. To prepare for this final meeting, we’re asking each of you to organize your thoughts into a letter addressed to all members of your writing group in which you share three things: a) how you’ve grown as a writer and reader over the past four months, b) how your writing group has impacted your writing process specifically, and c) what specifically you’ll carry forward beyond this semester. The spirit of this exercise is celebration of all your labor. You’re welcome to share them, but you’re not obligated to—even with [insert teacher(s) names] (i.e., you’re not turning these in). Please complete your letters before you meet with your writing group and have one group member add your meeting time here.”