Cultivating Identity: The power of identity development in the environmental education

by Morgan Malley

For some time now Rupi Kaurís words “fall in love with your solitude” have been delicately swirling in my head. As a child I struggled to formulate an understanding of my identity due to being mixed-race. Being perceive as never ìfullyî a part of either identity I felt isolated. My yearning to feel a sense of belonging led me on an identity journey as an adult. My exploration came to ahead when I realized that my identity is a collection of multiple identities, each containing my unique experiences. Therefore, there will never be another person who will feel exactly like myself, because there is no one who is exactly like me. The realization that everyone lives in their own solitude provided me the belonging I was searching for.

There are few opportunities in education to discuss and learn how to navigate self-identity. Even though everyone questions their identity at some point in their life. That is why as an educator I seek opportunities to teach students about identity. As a graduate student in the University of Washingtonís masters of education program in partnership with Islandwood I have the unique opportunity to weave identity education into my lessons. Islandwood is a residential outdoor school located on Bainbridge Island. It hosts 4th through 6th grade students for a week-long program focusing on stewardship, science, and teamwork. Here I have seen firsthand the value of helping students explore their identity.

Islandwood students striving to balance the Whale Watch element during teambuilding.

What is identity?

Identity is ìthe collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing or a person is definitively recognized or knownî (Social Standards, n.d.). The formation of identity begins early in development as ìadolescents start searching for self-defined values, norms and commitments and are increasingly questioning their identificationsî (Erikson, 1968). The formation of identity is critical to because ìadolescents who have explored their identity commitments increasingly identify and become more confident about these identity choices over timeî (Grotevant, 1987). By providing students with the opportunity to discuss identity not only do we create a comfort with it, but we also improve their confidence with their own identity.

Perspective Storytelling

One of my favorite ways to teach identity education is through perspective storytelling. Storytelling is a powerful tool as ìa well told story can help a person see things in an entirely new way. We can forge new relationships and strengthen the ones we already haveî (Gonzalez, 2018). Perspective storytelling is a thought provoking writing activity where students narrate from a point of view other than themselves. Since perspective storytelling can be challenging to describe I will provide students an example by reading them a perspective story. Students then get to craft their own which could be a short story, comic strip, or diary entries about any creature we learned about that week at Islandwood. It is essential to provide students with a decent amount of time to construct their stories. Because of this I have students re-visit their perspective stories to work on their identity reflection at a later time.


PHOTO Islandwood students writing perspective stories on the Suspension Bridge

Identity Reflection

My time as a student and instructor has taught me the importance of reflection. Reflection is ìthe intentional attempt to synthesize, abstract, and articulate the key lessons taught by experienceî (Di Stefano, Pisano, & Staats, 2015). When perspective stories are paired with intentional reflection students are able to examine their narrative and identify pieces of who they are woven in. When re-visiting perspective stories I open with the book ìFish is Fishî by Leo Lionni. This childrenís book shares the story of a tadpole leaving his fish friend behind to explore beyond the pond. The Frog returns to describe to Fish all of the new creatures he saw above water. The illustrations show Fish picturing these creatures, such as birds, with fish bodies. This story opens up a conversation with students about our inability to remove our personal experiences from our thoughts. Students are then prompted to take a look at their perspective stories and write about how it reflects themselves. I have found that students are happily surprised when reflecting upon their narratives. They formulate a deeper connection to the character they created, and enjoy sharing about how the character emulates elements of themselves.

One memorable perspective story and reflection came from a student named Kira*.

“We all went to frog’s birthday, mom, me, dad, and sister. Me, frog, and slug went to a mushroom and played on it— except me I’m too small but I have fun with them so I’m happy, soon we ate garbage, spider ate insects with frog.”


Kira bravely shared the following in her reflective writing.

“My perspective reflected me because I think worms have friends of different races/species and have birthday parties, and the main protagonist named stuff that he/she hears about and sees”

During the quiet reflective time I sat with Kira and asked her verbally expand on her answers with me. I asked her why the worm was too small to play on the mushroom. She replied that the worm had been small its whole life. I recognized this as an opportunity to share how I had seen myself as small my whole life. I shared with Kira that I felt this way because I had repeatedly been called small by my peers. This opened the door to have a conversation about how society influences our identity and that we have the power to accept or reject it. Kiraís perspective story reflection also demonstrated her ability to recognize diversity in an ecosystem, and connect it to her community. This story illustrates how students are already recognizing identity similarities and differences in their everyday lives.

During the open discussion, I have seen students demonstrate an increased comfort level with talking about their identity. Often students can be heard expressing how they feel connected to those who have similar identities to themselves. Yet, recognize the necessity of having differences in identity within their communities. By providing a space for students to reflect upon their identities we allow them to cultivate a stronger bond with themselves. This confidence then transcends into their communities creating new interpersonal ties to those with similar identities, and different identities. By helping create a space for identity education, we are helping students fall in love with their solitude.

*Student name changed

References

Di Stefano, G., Pisano, G., & Staats, B. R. (2015). Learning by Thinking: How Reflection Aids Performance.†Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings,†2015(1), 1. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.5465/AMBPP.2015.12709abstract

Erikson, E. (1968).†Youth: Identity and crisis. New York, NY: Norton. 10.1126/science.161.3838.257

Grotevant, H. D. (1987). Toward a process model of identity formation.†Journal of Adolescent Research,†2, 203ñ222. 10.1177/074355488723003

Gonzalez, Jennifer. Cult of Pedagogy. (2018, July 29). A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Narrative Writing. Available at: HYPERLINK “http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/narrative-writing/”
www.cultofpedagogy.com/narrative-writing/.

Social Justice Standards | Unpacking Identity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2018, from HYPERLINK “https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/social-justice-standards-unpacking-identity”
https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/social-justice-standards-unpacking-identity

Morgan Malley identifies as an environmental educator, social justice advocate, and graduate student at Islandwood where she is pursuing her Masters in Education at the University of Washington.