Learning patterns/Project/Diversity learning patterns campaign
Learning Patterns Campaign: Let's talk Diversity
- Have you preserved your cultural or national history through photo contests and editing events?
- Have you worked to enrich a particular language or cultural group on Wikimedia?
- Have you studied diversity issues in online communities?
- What have you learned about encouraging diversity on Wikimedia?
Multiple ways to contribute!
1. Describe a Problem
2. Offer a solution
3. Describe a Problem and Offer a Solution
4. Endorse others
5. Create a Learning Pattern based on a Problem and Solution set
Problem: Writing for non-native English readers: density and complexity
Sometimes it is hard to know what level of complexity written documentation is and you need to know whether someone with a basic reading ability will understand (User:JAnstee (WMF)).
- Solution: How about using the Hemingway App? (link) -- JAnstee (WMF)
- Solution: How about having a white list of terms/phrases to be preferred and a black list of terms/phrases to be avoided?
- Solution: en:w:Fry readability formula, en:w:Automated Readability Index, en:w:Flesch–Kincaid readability tests, en:w:Gunning fog index and en:w:Raygor Readability Estimate all seem pretty straight forward to implement in javsscript. It should be pretty easy to integrate such as script into the AfC, DYK and/or other processes. Stuartyeates (talk) 01:55, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
Problem: Writing for non-native English readers: idiomatic language
Native speakers may make frequent use of idiomatic language that makes it harder to translate (even mentally translate for one's own understanding) for non-native speakers.
If one makes a conscious effort, proper idioms like "the whole nine yards" or "busman's holiday" are relatively easy to avoid. Much harder to avoid is the idiomatic aspect of a core feature of English -- phrasal verbs, meaning verbs that combine with a preposition or particle to create their actual meaning. Phrasal verbs are often opaque (as well as harder to find in the dictionary!) to non-native speakers. For example, "blow up" may be harder to understand than "explode" or "enlarge"; "repeat" is more understandable than "do over"; "choose" easier than "pick out". Ijon (talk) 01:49, 13 February 2015 (UTC)
- Solution: consciously avoid idiomatic language, and when you find yourself using an idiom, replace it with a more literal version (in writing), or follow it up (in speech) with a literal re-statement of what you meant. It's hard at first, but experience shows it does become habitual, with time. :) Ijon (talk)
- Solution: Even when I try to avoid using idioms, they still show up in my writing. One thing that helps me detect idioms is to translate a sentence from my native language (English) to my second (Spanish) or third (Flemish) language. I am not as good at speaking Spanish or Flemish as I used to be, so if reading the translation is difficult, I know that I need to choose new words to explain myself (in English). --KittyCarmichael (talk) 06:30, 13 February 2015 (UTC)
Problem: Talking points for diversity
Sometimes, its hard to know how to talk about diversity to new wikimedians or partners. What resources are out there with data and links that we can use?
- Solution: *Mind in Croydon Equal Opportunities Policy, maintaining equal opportunity when serving a community with mental health challenges
- Solution: *Volunteer diversity in sports in Australia
- Solution: *"If you're facing internal resistance, get somebody from outside the organisation to talk to the organisation or deliver diversity training. People are far more willing to accept change when it's suggested externally rather than internally. If your organisation's capacity allows it, make sure that meetings, forums, equal opportunities monitoring questions etc are totally confidential, or as confidential/anonymous as possible ...Lots of diversity training is crucial, particularly around the importance of language. People can cause tremendous offence through language without meaning to, and training can address this problem."-- Involving LGBT Volunteers Case Studies, p. 6
- Solution: *Involving LGBT Volunteers
- Solution: *"Every delegate has the right to experience MUN in his or her own way. They do not have the right, however, to negatively affect the experiences of others. Conference organizers would also do well by remembering this. For every delegate who throws a culturally insensitive remark, there is a member of staff who is allowing this negative environment to fester." From Cultural Insensitivity in Model United Nations: A paradox.
- Solution: *Retention of Aboriginal Volunteers
- Solution: *Case study on diversifying your volunteer base, an example of training
- Solution: *"It is clear that a wide range of interventions are required in disadvantaged communities to address the multi-faceted challenges connected to disadvantage and barriers to volunteering specifically." Interventions may include: investing in civic leaders, offering accreditation, offering short-term opportunities. From Volunteer Now’s Response to the Urban Regeneration and Community Development Policy Framework, p. 8
- Solution: *When addressing questions of diversity in an international setting, it may be helpful for staff and volunteers working in organizational development to be familiar with generally accepted best practices in the private sector worldwide. Example: Society for Human Resource Management Diversity Page, a professional organization serving over 60 countries.
- Solution: *Urge the The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees to adopt and implement a Diversity and Inclusion Policy, such as these examples: The Prince's Trust Diversity and Inclusion Policy, United Way U.S. National Board of Trustees Statement on Diversity and Inclusion, Healthwatch Worcestershire Diversity and Inclusion Policy --Djembayz (talk) 15:22, 14 February 2015 (UTC)
Problem: What is a good way to promote your cultural heritage?
- Solution: Add any solutions here!
Problem: Uncertainty as to what constitutes sexist incivility
Problem: How to handle African American firsts biographies, and history of desegregation in universities
As a followup to Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/African Americans in STEM, I am having my first discussion at Talk:Donald R. Brown regarding biographies about African American firsts in desegregating professional schools. I am not an expert on this subject. Can some more experienced people weigh in on this? --Djembayz (talk) 04:58, 27 February 2015 (UTC)
- Solution: [Your solution here]
Write a Learning Pattern
List of diversity learning patterns that have been created
All Diversity Patterns
No pages meet these criteria.
Gender Diversity Patterns
No pages meet these criteria.
About this initiative
For many years, the Wikimedia movement has acknowledged language, culture and gender diversity as important for its goal to share the sum of all human knowledge.
The Wikimedia movement faces many diversity challenges.
Several initiatives have tried to understand the problem and work towards increasing diversity in participation and content coverage to address these gaps (e.g., Writing Diversity back in Wikipedia toolkit and Charting diversity). We want to add one more!
We are awarding Learning and Evaluation barnstars!
Diversity Learning Pattern Campaign Calendar