Daniel Baron is a long-time affiliate of SRI and has worked around the country to support students, schools and communities. I recently had a chance to visit with Daniel and hear how he has utilized the Kiva protocol to help students share their narratives with their teachers.
Why do you use the Kiva Protocol? What difference can it make in a school?
I have used the Kiva Protocol many times, but will highlight one specific example to share the power of the protocol, particularly when students are properly supported throughout the entire process.
A school where I was working had instituted a 9th grade grade academy as a way to help support students as they enter high school and provide more personalized supports. Part of their data analysis had shown that there was a large achievement gap with their 9th grade students, many of whom had already received failing grades in their first semester of high school. Knowing the research that demonstrates students who fail one or more courses their first year of high school have a much higher chance of not graduating from high school, this school wanted to find ways to support the group of students who were failing. In this case, the highest number of students who were failing were students of color, particularly the Latino students in the school.
I met with many of the Latino students who had received at least one, and sometimes more than one, failing grade, to begin to talk with them about their school experiences. I worked with them for several days, in preparation for a teacher in-service day focused on supporting this group of students who were struggling. I asked them what questions they wanted the opportunity give answers to, the answers that they wanted their teachers to hear. What do they want their teachers to know so we could design an experience that allowed these students to share their stories. Over time, the theme that kept surfacing was that they wanted their teachers to know their narratives of their life both in and out of school.
The day of the in-service, the 9th grade teachers were seated in a large circle. In the center of the circle, were six or seven students who had volunteered to help lead this process. Additional students were interspersed with the teachers in the larger circle. The Kiva protocol begins with each of the ‘elders’ in the center of the circle, responding to the first guiding question. We intentionally use the term ‘elders’, borrowed from the Hopi ceremony. We use elders because they have had unique experiences and knowledge that most of the adults in the room have never experienced. They are literally the most experienced in the issue at hand.
Prior to the day of the in-service, the students and I developed two questions that they would be responding to as a way to launch the dialogue that would take place: “What is your life like outside of school?” and “What do you want your teachers to know about your life in school?”.
The process of the Kiva protocol is that the each student in the center is facing outward, seated with their backs to the other students in the center of the circle. Each student in the center remains seated, and each gets a chance to respond to the first question. While the entire room can hear the answer, they are looking directly at a sub-section of the larger group – 1/7th of the total faculty, who will later become their discussion group.
The first round is having each student answer the first question that they had developed. The second round can be one of two things: it can be the students responding to what they heard their fellow students say; or, they can respond to a second guiding question. Most times when I do this with students they opt for a second guiding question, rather than having to respond to what has been said – it allows them to be more focused. The important part of the Kiva protocol is that the ‘elders’ in the centered are listened to without interruption and without dialogue. The first part of this protocol is about listening to a story, told by the person in the center, and hear the stories of the others in the center.
In this case, students wanted their teachers to know how hard they worked, the responsibilities they had outside of school, etc. Some had to work in order to support their families, others had to care for siblings or other family members. A few students spoke about their immigration status and the fear associated with being undocumented. Then, they talked about their experience in school. How they were treated by other students, being called racial slurs; how they felt when their teachers didn’t believe in them and had low expectations.
After each student was heard on both questions, they then joined their section of the Kiva circle and the large circle collapsed into seven small circles. In the smaller circle, the first part of the dialogue begins with the participants sharing back what they heard the students say. Then they moved into a conversation about what kind of supports could be put in place so that all students were known better and supported. One specific outcome in this place was that teachers identified students in the 9th grade that they would check in on every day, so that each student had an adult ally to be their support and check-in.
How do you develop this process with students? How do you support them in the Kiva process
It is really important to honor the student voice in this process, not just during the actual protocol, but also in the preparation. In another school I worked with, I implemented a similar process with refugee students. Students were told about the process and were allowed to self-select into the conversation. I met with students multiple times to talk about the culture of the school. Then, asked for students who may be ready to share their stories and talk in front of all of the teachers. Once students self-identified and self-selected, then I met with each of them and interviewed them, and typed up the narrative as they shared it. Each of these steps are important and help support the student in the process of finding language to share their narrative in their own voice.
In this instance, the two questions were similar to the previous story. The students wanted teachers to know their experiences both in and out of school. The first issue that they wanted to talk about was making sure their teachers knew how to pronounce their names. This was a recurring issue for many students when their teachers did not learn how to speak their names correctly or would give them nicknames, and the students wanted to address this. With their permission, I recorded them speaking their names. Then, during the Kiva, the student said their name, and then the entire faculty said their name.
Having the print-out of their interviews allowed the students to have their stories on paper and could be used as needed. None of them used them, but the notes were a safety net prop. Students had practiced with the microphones; had practiced responding to their questions, etc. Lots of support. During the protocol, I sat nearby to each student as they were speak to provide a physical support as needed. After each student spoke twice, their conversation in the small groups focused on how the school community could create a more welcoming culture for all students.
It is also important to do a debrief with the students after the experience. Just like the preparation for the protocol was strongly supported, the debrief is just as important.
What have been the lasting effects in schools where you have facilitated this process?
In one of the school, I had the opportunity to visit on a monthly basis and to see what had changed. In the first monthly visit, students said that many teachers came to introduce themselves and ask about their names and were checking in on how they are doing. The month after that, things were better, but there was much less explicit awareness of their presence.
Like a lot of transformation, the protocol is one tool in the process. The Kiva is outstanding, particularly for use with students, as a way to hold students up as ‘elders’ in a community that know something, and to have their voice and narrative be shared, honored and respected. And, it is one experience. A focus on building a culture of knowing students and welcoming students takes time.
Can SRI friends contact you to learn more about the Kiva protocol?
Yes – email me at dhbaron@me.com
