How one program can change the lives of LGBT+ students everywhere
I was lucky enough to speak with Jennifer Spiegler, the Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Kognito, about a program that trains K-12 educators in creating safe learning environments for LGBT+ students. Kognito offers “Dynamic, experiential learning proven to change student lives.”
The program is called Step In, Speak Up! It is a simulation where an educator can listen to AI LGBT+ students and hear their stories about feeling unsafe in their school environments, and learn helpful statistics, the correct terminology, and best practices for speaking to LGBT+ youth. The simulation also offers role-play scenarios to help educators learn the best ways to handle specific situations.
“LGBTQ youth frequently experience bullying and harassment in the school setting. Teachers are in an ideal position to prevent student harassment, yet most don’t have adequate training.”
The above quote is from a study published in The Journal of LGBT Youth about Step In, Speak Up! The study found that there were “significant differences between the training and control groups on learners preparedness, likelihood, and self-confidence in managing bullying behavior.”
Research suggests that Step in, Speak Up! really makes a notable, positive difference in students’ lives.
Step In, Speak Up! was not the first program developed by Kognito to improve student lives. After the Virginia Tech Massacre in 2007, the co-founders of the company created a program called At Risk. This program was aimed toward higher education faculty and staff to help them identify and help students who were in psychological distress.
These simulations play out much like a video game with dialogue options. You are given a scenario where you need to choose dialogue options to respond to the scenario. If you don’t choose the best option, you can undo your response and choose something different. You receive immediate feedback on the response you pick.
One anonymous user said:
“I enjoyed the scenarios, specifically with figuring out how to handle situations that can arise in the classroom with inappropriate language.”
Another said the following:
“I liked the actual practice but not with people. I think the simulation tech worked well and more trainings need to be done like this. More funding should go to this.”
I was able to take the 30-minute training course and it is very well-made. Kognito hires professional voice actors and has an in-house animator team to ensure the best quality of the simulation. As an avid video gamer, I would say it’s even better than some RPGs can offer in terms of quality.
In the wake of never-ending school shootings in the last few years, this technology is also being used to help in conversations about trauma, grief, loss, and violence. It is also being applied in helping conversations about mental health, bullying, sexual misconduct, substance use/abuse, and suicide prevention.
“I feel like Step In, Speak Up! is like a magic wand. It’s so short (30 min), but it can have such an enormous impact. It’s really awesome and humbling. We’d like every educator in the country to do this one little thing.” said Jennifer in a follow-up email.
You can learn more about Kognito and Step In, Speak up! on their website. You can even request a free demo to see what it’s like for yourself!
