ETHN30: INTRO TO CHICANX/LATINX STUDIES

ENGAGING, STUDENT-ACTIVE-BREAKS, ANALYZE CONTENT

Reflection on Instructional Change:

In my Intro to Chicanx/Latinx Studies course I implemented Student-Active Breaks during just about every class session. I usually provided a lecture and then I would pose a question on my lecture slides or series of questions that were open-ended meaning that there could be multiple correct answers. I then had students break out into groups and discuss for a few minutes. Afterwards, I would have students come back to the larger class and share what they discussed with the larger class. In one specific class which I used for my obeserve and analyze session we watched a Bad Bunny short film for his song Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. Our class had been discussing histories of colonialism and gentrification in Puerto Rico and this film was a way to get students to engage with the topics of the course in a fun way. I asked students to answer one of two questions in groups: 1.) How is colonialism, gentrification, extinction, and cultural erasure reflected in Bad Bunny's short film for DTMF? 2.) What role does memory play in the film DTMF? What role can memory play in resistance?

Implementing this practice--getting into groups to analyze and discuss--worked out really well. Students were engaged, had a lively discussion and provided really insightful comments on the film noting how neighborhoods were changing as a result of gentrification, as well as cultural traditions that showed me they were understanding how histories of colonialism and exclusion impact the island today.

The resources that most helped me were the Implementation Resources: Downloadable PDFs. These will come in so handy in my future teaching as well as I can go back and implement new practices to enhance student learning and engagement.

My Observe and Analyze session was really helpful--especially the feedback I received from the participants in my group. A few participants mentioned to me after watching my video that I should have a slide that defines key words I used in my slides just to ensure that students understand the topics we are discussion like "gentrification" and "colonialism." This was really helpful advice that I will implement.

Evidence of Instructional Change

Evidence of Instructional Change
screen shot of my observe and analyze video where I asked students to discuss in groups a short film for the song Debi Tirar Mas Fotos	lecture slide where I asked students to get into groups and discuss the following questions about the short film we watched.	ACUE course Promoting Active Learning badge

Practice and Reflect on: Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions

Course Syllabus : ETHN 30: Intro to Chicanx/Latinx Studies

Faculty Bio

Faculty Biography
	Vanessa Guzman is an Assistant Professor in the Ethnic Studies department at Cal State Sacramento.

Sponsors
	This work was supported by: National Science Foundation Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM Zone DUE 1832335 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project Degree with a Purpose P031S210061 US Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution Project STEM4Equity P031C210012 *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the US Department of Education.