Universities assigning PiS as homework
April 8, 2024
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The questions were structured for a student to know what information and ideas they should be looking for as they watch the film. Below are the answers to the questions with a brief explanation to help better understand the topic.
We’ve also provided descriptions of the scenes from the film. These are great prompts for teachers to build into their lessons and class activity.
Perceptions influence how we understand ourselves, the choices we make, the quick judgements we make of a person or group of people, and the way that we interact with each other.
All of these answers are correct – they ALL influence perceptions of ourselves and of the world around us. They’re not always bad either. Our brain likes to make these quick judgements because it is a tool our mind uses to quickly understand something.
But sometimes, that can be harmful when it means you are judging someone unfairly based only on a perception, or bias, you have in your mind. That’s why you must be aware of it and catch yourself when it is happening.
The good news is: when you understand what has been influencing you to develop ideas about the world around you, you can fight back against the biased messaging in your mind. And, in turn, if you’re ever treated in a negative way — you now know that it most likely isn’t your fault and, hopefully, just by knowing it’s probably the other persons fault, it won’t hurt your feelings as much.
13:04
“In computing there’s a strong societal bias about who does tech.”
13:40
“It’s a bias that we’re bringing to the table but we don’t realize it.”
When a person experiences subtle bias-based microaggressions or discriminatory setbacks in their life (like not being picked for a project, or being treated differently, or not being seen as a leader), they can end up feeling like they’re all alone, are misunderstood, and must work harder to prove themselves. And, when a person feels like they are not being seen as someone who can do the job — or that they don’t have potential, it can be very defeating.
All of these answers are correct – they ALL can help a person combat the unfair treatment they experience.
When you feel like you aren’t taken seriously and that people aren’t treating your fairly, it’s best to realize you should reach out and build your community of friends and supporters. Like we saw in Question 1, we need to be aware that biases exist and how you’re treated rarely has anything to do with who you really are. But, it can be hard to move past it when you feel alone.
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coming April 1
An ally is a person who stands with you when you’re experiencing unfair opportunities and treatment. An ally will stand next to you with a sense of responsibility and purpose.
All of these answers are correct — the people in your life can be allies, in addition to someone who may not know you personally. We can ally for ourselves and others by doing what’s right, by doing what is recommend in Question 2.
Sticking up for your friend who is talked over in class is being an ally. When a teacher makes sure you are ready for a test, they are being an ally. Your parents are your ally when they support you in your passions. Your boss at work is your ally when they advocate for you to be promoted.
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Sometimes we think that if we don’t succeed the first time, then we are not good enough or may never be good at it. When we receive criticism or are perceived unfairly, we can become defensive.
Having a growth mindset is a trait that allows you to believe you are smart enough and have the personality to achieve your goals. That you can get better and better.
All of these answers are correct — having a growth mindset means that you believe in yourself and can improve through hard work, being curious, and having grit and perseverance.
People with growth mindsets will experience success.
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coming April 1
TRUE
Unconscious biases are everywhere. From the friends that we have, the clothes we want to wear, to the cars that we drive. It doesn’t make you a bad person to be biased — because not all bias is negative or hurtful.
Unconscious biases are a natural human trait that our brains create to quickly interpret the world around us. They come from past experiences our brains have evolved from. Like in caveman days — a person learned quickly that a bear is scary and can hurt them. Today our brains make the quick judgement of, “stay away from that bear!” We no longer need to think it through and analyze whether or not we’re going to be safe. We look. We run.
Our brains make all sorts of quick judgements to protect us from a lot of things in our daily life. Some good, and some that it doesn’t need to protect us from – like people who don’t look like us, or food we’ve never tasted, or clothes that other people wear.
Even though your brain is just doing it’s job, we must learn to catch ourselves when we make these snap judgements, forgive our brains for the bias you’re feeling, and then correct the judgement.
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FALSE
Unconscious biases are opinions or stereotypes that affect our understanding, decisions and actions. Realize that unconscious biases could prevent you from learning more about someone or trying new things.
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TRUE
When it comes to how people perceive you, they are (mostly without realizing it) relying heavily on assumptions they are making in their mind. Their brain is telling them what they see, how to interpret it, and how to remember it.
Sometimes it’s about what they expect to see. A person can expect to see you play poorly at a sport because you’ve done it before, or because there is a stereotype that “girls can’t play this sport.” The unfortunate thing is that, without even realizing it, that person might completely ignore evidence that contradicts their assumption. So, they will see what they expect to see.
What are you supposed to do? Call people in. When you call someone in, you are helping someone understand why their thinking is not appreciated. Using a gentle approach, they’re more likely to hear what you are saying. And, if this doesn’t work, feel proud that you offered a new perspective of you are and you did so with respect, and then you walk away.
coming April 1
FALSE
When someone doesn’t know who you truly are, they may make snap judgements based on your appearance, your cultural background, or even the scores you received on tests.
You know you are ambitious and have a lot of goals you want to achieve, but others just don’t see you that way.
Unfair perceptions can prevent someone from choosing you for an opportunity or thinking of you as someone who can do the job. It can make you doubt yourself and wonder if you’re good enough. And, over time, this can lead to you having a tougher time pursuing your ambitions.
The good news is: Change starts with you. When you set an example, others will follow. Catch yourself before you make an assumption about someone.
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FALSE
Unfortunately not all women are seeing the same progress. Even though in some industries women do very well at the beginning of their careers, their representation and their pay drops soon after. This slide is particularly steep for women of color (Black, Latina, Asian).
Why is that? On average, women are significantly less likely than men to be promoted after they start their careers. When women are not getting promoted at the beginning, it is challenging to equalize gender diversity later on when they are at more senior levels. Layer in biases and other factors that give women unique setbacks, the intersectional gender gap tends to be too large to catch up.
coming April 1
TRUE
When you think of a plumber at first, what did you think of? Same goes for a nurse. The whole world around us gives us a perception of who is in what role and we don’t even realize it’s sticking in our brains.
When you think of a doctor, what do you see? When you think of a dancer, what do you see? Unconscious biases exist for all genders, not just women. And we need to catch ourselves when we have these quick thoughts – forgive ourselves – and correct it.
That’s how we make unconscious biases conscious. And that’s how we slowly change our culture!
13:04
“In computing there’s a strong societal bias about who does tech.”
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