Community contribution #3

How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved? 

Prior to this week, I had not realized how important it is to prioritize inclusion in a PLN. I had thought about the value of having different perspectives but not connected that the way to do that is to be inclusive. If you are surrounded only by people who share your opinion, it won’t get you very far because the same ideas/perspectives will just be recycled. It is not a bad to thing to be around those who you agree with but I think there is a large value in having conversations with people who have different viewpoints. And conversations with the intent to understand, not to just change the other person’s mind. We all have reasons why we think the way we do, often without even being aware of why. I think talking to people with differing opinions can be a way to figure out why we think a certain way, who it helps, and why it may be good to change your opinion. Or, at the very least think about who it impacts. When reading the article about Two-Eyed seeing, I learned that it “is the gift of multiple perspectives treasured by many aboriginal peoples” (Bartlett et. Al, pg 338). The article also explains that while there has been open acceptance, there has also been a resistance. I am curious as to why this is because I don’t think there are many (if any at all) downsides to trying to see issues from multiple different perspectives.  

References 

Bartlett, C., Marshall, M., & Marshall, A. (2012). Two-eyed seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together indigenous and mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2(4), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-012-0086-8