My next gig, Friday, February 13, 2015:
How Stereotypes Affect Academic Achievement In Every School
Think of a racial stereotype you’ve heard. Think of a gendered stereotype you’ve heard. These have real and statistically significant impacts on us and on our students. Some people are more susceptible to what’s known as a “stereotype threat” and some situations make the negative impact greater. More than 300 peer-reviewed studies support the dangers in self-identified stereotypes and how those self-fulfilling prophecies impact interest and performance in academic and career settings. This session will focus on who is most susceptible to stereotype threat, what situations exasperate the cognitive threat, and interventions that have been shown to mitigate the effect.
Presenter: Eric CastroRaised in Visitation Valley, Eric Castro is a graduate of Our Lady of the Visitation and St Ignatius (‘92). His undergrad degree is from San Francisco State. He had worked at The College Preparatory School in Oakland and Convent of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco, before returning to SI in 1998. He has taught World History 1, Public Speaking, and AP Psychology; he coached Speech and Debate for ten years, co-moderated Inside SI for three, and now supports the Track & Field teams and serves as the Educational Technologist. After Visitation Valley, Eric and his wife moved all the way to north of the Panhandle.
I’m a little more nervous about this presentation than I normally am for two reasons. First, I have an hour to present on a relatively small topic, and am therefore nervous about filling the time with relevant and valuable material. Second, this will be my first time presenting on an issue of Diversity and Inclusion; that is simply outside my realm of expertise. Fortunately, I’ve had good preparatory assistance from supportive friends and colleagues, including Sal Curcio, Naj Abrao, and Yosup Joo.
I should also point out that I still like the original presentation title that I submitted: “Fucking Stereotypes Fucking Hurt Kids.”