Seeing Talking

Equity Maps v.2 for iPad by Equity Maps
February 1, 2019

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Answering the ever-present need to provide students and colleagues with accurate data, Equity Maps offers an intuitive approach to documenting our school conversations. Dave Nelson, a teacher and accredited Facilitator/Trainer for the National School Reform Faculty, helped develop a tool that can make transparent our biases in classrooms and collegial meetings. Full functionality offers the opportunity to record sessions by microphone, but at its most basic, Equity Maps allows a facilitator to map group discussions with ease by populating a classroom and then selecting a name as participants begin speaking. After a session concludes, numerous factors help pinpoint levels of participation, gender equity, and analytics for specific participants. As with many tools, the immediate impact of deploying Equity Maps in the classroom can be seen after simply stating the intention to use it to adhere to co-created norms. Even without immediate access to the data, students will be appreciative of the efforts to document interactions. After having access to the data, they will gain the kinds of self-awareness and group knowledge that can't come from a book.

 [At the moment Equity Maps are limited by the gender binary and to iPads, but the team seems appreciative of suggestions.]