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6 Strategies for Teaching Special Education Classes

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6 Strategies for Teaching Special Education Classes

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1. Form small groups
2. Create classroom centers
3. Blend 'the Basics' with more specialized instruction
4. Rotate lessons
5. Try thematic instruction
6. Provide different levels of books and materials

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Special education classes provide a unique service to physically or mentally challenged students. The ideal special education classroom provides quality instruction to students with disabilities. While the push in education these days seems to be toward online education and the inclusion of special education students within mainstream classrooms, special education classes are still needed for more severely disabled students. The purpose of the special ed classroom setting is to provide more intensive, individualized attention to the students who most need it.

However, even in special education classroom settings there can be a wide a range of skill levels and abilities. How can teachers provide quality instruction to all students? Here are some strategies that special education teachers can use to benefit all of their students.

1. Form small groups

Forming small groups of two or three students within the class grouped according to their level can help with personalizing the teaching while not sacrificing class instruction time. For example, in math class, one group could be working on the basics while a more advanced group could be working on their geometry skills. Students would be grouped together according to similar skill levels and objectives along their education pathway.

2. Create classroom centers

Classroom centers are another effective way students can be grouped. Each center would specialize in one area or level. The centers would be self-contained in terms of instructions and all lesson materials. They would also be somewhat self-explanatory and self-guided to allow the teacher to rotate among the different centers and provide appropriate guidance. A teaching assistant, parent or volunteer could help facilitate the groups. Such centers would strike a balance between being self-explanatory, without totally giving up more direct teacher time.

3. Blend 'the Basics' with more specialized instruction

Still another way of instructing multiple levels of students is to teach general concepts to the whole group while pairing it with individual instruction. Since every school subject has some general concepts that could be relevant, individual students can benefit from this no matter what their level of proficiency.

Reading comprehension strategies, the basics of math, organizing writing ideas, or even a scientific theory are some examples of general concepts that could be taught to support what each student is learning in that area. Students can then apply this knowledge to their particular individual assignments. However, the teacher could always add some additional content for more advanced students.

4. Rotate lessons

Lessons within the different groups or centers could be rotated so that on any given day the teacher could introduce new material to one group, while only having to check in on others who are doing more independent activities. The teacher assistant could also be of service within such a lesson cycle.

5. Try thematic instruction

Thematic instruction is where a single theme is tied into multiple subject areas. This method of teaching has been shown to be very effective in special education classrooms. A "theme" could be anything from a current event, honing the skill of reading comprehension, a writing topic or a historical event. For example, a historical event could be tied into all other subjects. The theme should be attention-getting - something that will grab the students' interest and keep them engaged.

6. Provide different levels of books and materials

Since there will be a variety of proficiency levels in the classroom, be sure to have different levels of textbooks and other teaching materials available for each subject. Having a range of levels on hand will ensure that each student can learn at the appropriate level. This minimizes frustration and maximizes confidence and forward momentum in the student.

As you can see, teaching special education students effectively can be enhanced with some adjustments. Regardless of the severity of their disabilities, classes can be structured in a way that caters to the individual level of functioning.

Doing so does not mean giving up quality personal instruction time. No matter what the content areas or variety of levels your students are working on, harmony and integration are possible. Strategies such as grouping, learning centers, rotating lessons, choosing class themes and having a flexible array of texts and materials can help teachers to provide ideal instruction and support within their special education classes.

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6 Strategies for Teaching Special Education Classes | Resilient Educator

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Special education classes provide a unique service to physically or mentally challenged students. The ideal special education classroom provides quality instruction to students with disabilities. While the push in education these days seems to be toward online education and the inclusion of special education students within mainstream classrooms, special education classes are still needed for more severely disabled students.

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6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom

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6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom

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1. Be reflective and be objective
2. Get feedback from colleagues and students
3. Use gender-neutral language when appropriate
4. Explain the context
5. Seat and group students intentionally
6. Use project-based learning
(K-4th grade)

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6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom

contributed by Jesse Johnson

As young children begin to notice the differences in social expectations for gender roles, the ways teachers interact with students stand to have a great impact on their ability to participate in their education.

These interactions also create long-lasting effects in other areas of their lives, at times limiting their self-image and their perception of the opportunities that are available or appropriate for them. This trend is especially apparent in the shortage of women who pursue education and careers within STEM fields.

Here are a few ways some teachers create a gender bias, often unknowingly, as well as strategies for encouraging and also to promote gender equality within the classroom.

Whether they are causes or effects, three factors of gender equity in the classroom.

3 Factors That Contribute To Gender Inequality In The Classroom

Contributing Factor #1: Teachers Pay More Attention to Boys

According to a report sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), girls receive significantly less attention from teachers than boys do ( 1992).

This is due in part to the fact that, in general, boys are more likely to call out answers to questions posed to the class even if they haven't been called on by the teacher.

This trend may also exist because boys are often perceived as being more mischievous, causing teachers to monitor and engage with them more actively in class, giving a perceived 'opening' to speak without permission.

Over time, this can discourage female students from speaking up even when they feel like they have something worthwhile to contribute to a discussion.

Contributing Factor #2: Interactions with Boys are More Public

Teachers often have a tendency to talk to boys from a greater distance than girls. This is possibly due to an expectation that they should communicate in a more nurturing way with girls and a more business-like way with boys.

Because the entire classroom can often hear a teacher's conversations with boys, this contributes to - at least the appearance of - teachers communicating more often and more casually with boys.

This encourages girls to reserve their comments and questions for private conversations, denying them the chance to participate in primarily male-focused discussions.

Contributing Factor #3: Praise & Criticism Differ Between Boys & Girls

Though teachers aim to treat all students equally, there are often stark differences in the types of things boys and girls are praised or criticized for.

For example, boys are often praised more than girls for sharing correct knowledge, and wrong answers provided by boys are likely to be overlooked.

In contrast, girls are more often criticized for conveying incorrect knowledge, and teachers tend to provide less praise for correct answers given by girls. As with the lack of publicity in teachers' conversations with girls, this makes knowledge provided by girls less visible. From this, an expectation arises that boys' knowledge is more highly valued than that of girls, which can convince girls that they are less competent than boys.

Another difference comes in the fact that girls are more often praised for good behavior, whereas boys are criticized more for bad behavior in the classroom.

While this may seem like this difference would benefit female students, this trend actually places a greater emphasis on compliance as being essential to their academic success rather than simply learning and demonstrating knowledge.

6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom

1. Be Reflective and Be Objective

First, pay attention to the trends above and do your best to offer more gender-neutral responses to students.

You may feel like you already do a good job of this, but it can be difficult to judge your own teaching objectively. It may help to record a video of your classroom in order to take a closer look at your own teaching methods and interactions with students.

2. Get Feedback From Colleagues and Students

Consider getting feedback from colleagues on any differences they may notice that you don't. Further, consider getting similar feedback from the students themselves using an anonymous comment box.

Consider questions such as:
Do you notice any differences in how I treat boys and girls? What do I need to know about you, in terms of gender, to teach you well? Have I made you feel good or bad in regards to your gender at any point?
3. Use Gender-Neutral Language When Appropriate

You can also alter the language within your lessons to help expand students' perspectives beyond gender stereotypes.

For example, in assignments you can challenge students' expectations by including a female construction worker or soldier, a male secretary or nurse, and other professions typically associated with a particular gender.

Also, when referring to the group as a whole, avoid using gendered terms like 'guys,' which may make female students feel excluded. Instead, reach for gender-neutral pronouns like 'everyone.'

Similarly, you shouldn't refer to stereotypical characteristics like 'boys don't cry' or 'girls don't fight.' This language lays a foundation that may limit students' understanding of gender roles.

4. Explain the Context

If you hear students using phrases like 'you play like a girl' or 'man up,' it's important to point out the social implications of these statements rather than simply admonishing the use of that kind of phrasing.

The struggle for and history of gender equity parallels similar struggles and histories for race and religious equity. Understanding how individuals and groups become marginalized through the most basic of cultural tools like language can, depending on the grade level of your students, is more important than having 'clear rules' to simply 'protect students' from bias.

5. Seat and Group Students Intentionally

It's common for boys and girls to segregate when choosing friends and seating arrangements. Teachers sometimes encourage this by asking girls and boys to form separate lines in the hallway or even organizing separate sports activities for each group.

By creating a dynamic seating chart, you can break up boys- or girls-only cliques and encourage both groups to engage with each other.

6. Use Project-Based Learning

You can also be intentional about integrating a mix of boys and girls within small group projects.

The work can be purely academic, with the lessons on gender equity indirect and implicit. By working together, girls and boys can-if supported well-better understand the nuance of individual behaviors rather than stereotyping 'girls' and 'boys.'

Projects can also be created to explore concepts in and around gender and cultural equity, or to do work in select spaces and communities to nurture the growth of healthy human interdependence.

Conclusion

These trends aren't true for every teacher or every group of students, but they are worth considering as you attempt to curb gender biases within your teaching methods. Gender disparity is only one facet of a much larger issue of equity within education.

However, by making efforts to break down traditional gender roles in the classroom, you can better prepare students to seek knowledge and participate more fully in discussions and other learning opportunities in many fields, regardless of their gender.

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6 Ways You Can Promote Gender Equality In Your Classroom

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As young children begin to notice the differences in social expectations for gender roles, the ways teachers interact with students stand to have a great impact on their ability to participate in their education. These interactions also create long-lasting effects in other areas of their lives, at times limiting their self-image and their perception of the opportunities that are available or appropriate for them.

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Definitions
Suggestions & Strategies
Activities
Children's Books
(K-12th grade)

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Class is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theroy centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of a hierachy social categorie.

Socioeconomic Status is defined as people having the same social, economic, or educational status.

In America we have 3 classes low, middle, and upper class. Depending on where you fall with economical status can have effects in the education, health, and employment fields. People who are considered lower class typically can not afford a good education at a private school, are unable to purchase the healthier foods at stores, and tend to have more physically demanding jobs with not satisfaction. Also lower class are more prone to having trouble in school because of these issues.This is opposite of the upper class who can afford to send their children to private schools and on to college and that is why the also tend to get better jobs.

If a student ever finds themselves facing issues dealing with their class or socioeconomic status the first people recommended to help the individual is the parent. The parents have a better grasp on the situation, they are more likely to give better advice to the student while at the same time nurture the child. If the student is picked on for either being the "rich kid" or the "poor kid" the parents may explain to the child why this is. If the rich kid is picked on the family may tell the child that it is not a negative thing to live in a higher income and to always appreciate what you have. At the other extreme is the child who's family may not have much. I hope that the parents can motivate their child to not let this factor defer the child in going to school but to motivate them, knowing the very true fact that with a higher education the student will one day not be the poor kid anymore. Regardless of what issue may be at hand the parents will always have the best interest for their childforgotten of, all students should be treated with fairness. As educators we strive to provide the best resources possible so that all students may learn regardless of their socioeconomic class. B. Suggestions and Strategies for teachers and parents

Teachers may also provide the support a student needs because of any hardship. This is only to a certain extent though, which is why the parents are the ideal first people to go to if any issues should arise. In school the teacher holds the most responsibility. They determine what type of education everyone in the classroom receives, even though school location might be a factor the teacher can provide the best education possible regardless of any adversities. In the classroom socioeconomic class in a way can be
The school as a whole may also help individuals dealing with socioeconomic hardships. If the family does not have enough income for the child to eat breakfast in the morning, the school may provide a breakfast program for the student possibly funded by the government. The school may provide extra curricular activities at a small or no cost expense to the student, this allows them to maybe get an opportunity to do something that they otherwise would not have been able to do.

C. Activities

When teaching students of low socioeconomic status, you need to remember that they are students with the same rights and responsibilities as all other students, however they may require some extra care and support. If you, as the educator, don't come from a background of low socioeconomic status you may have to learn how to relate with these students and their families. You need to always treat all of your students fairly and that you offer the support that is needed by each of your individual students.

An activity you can do with your students would be to have the class learn more about their peers. In groups students can talk about what class they believe their from, how they relate their life to being in that class etc. If all the students know more about each other you might see less of a gap between classes.

Another great way to help students with socioeconomic statues is to get your class together and help rebuild a local playground or plant a garden. You can raise money through fundraisers, coming up with the ideas and calculating the money can all come together in a lesson. Getting kids together to help better their community is always rewarding! The students also get a better sense of different classes and where they come from.

Me and Rupert Goody also features a protagonist who does not quite fit in with her relatives. Jennalee Helton's immediate family is large and disorganized, so much so that there are not enough beds to go around. The girl prefers to spend her time with a neighbor, Uncle Beau-no actual relation-who lets her help out in his general store and pays her in candy bars. When a mentally challenged young African-American man named Rupert Goody arrives in town and claims to be Uncle Beau's long-lost son, Jennalee is afraid the newcomer will replace her in Uncle Beau's heart. Meanwhile, the townsfolk also have a hard time accepting Rupert, since Uncle Beau is white, and eventually a growing tide of racism provokes Jennalee into defending the young man. "How this stubborn but winning protagonist travels from complete resentment to acceptance of her rival for Uncle Beau's affections is a journey readers won't want to miss," concluded a Publishers Weekly contributor. Calling Me and Rupert Goody a "gutsy, heartwarming novel," Shelley Townsend-Hudson added in Booklist that O'Connor's novel "ultimately shows the capacity for love in the human heart." Me and Rupert Goody, Frances Foster Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/barbara-o-connor-children-s-author#ixzz2E9Vuo6jG

In How to Steal a Dog "O'Connor once again smoothly balances challenging themes with her heroine's strength and sense of humor," declared a reviewer in Publishers Weekly. After her father abandons the family, Georgina Hayes finds herself living with her mother and younger brother in the family car, evicted from their apartment. As her mother works two jobs to earn enough money to find another place to live, Georgina becomes inspired by a poster offering a reward for a lost dog. The young girl carefully formulates a plan to kidnap the pet of a seemingly wealthy woman, hoping to earn a generous reward when she returns the dog. The scheme begins to unravel, however, as a sensitive homeless man influences Georgina to reconsider her actions. Writing in School Library Journal, Robyn Gioia suggested that O'Connor's "gentle storytelling carries a theme of love and emphasizes what is really right in the world." Horn Book critic Kitty Flynn also commented favorably on the author's narrative skills, writing that she "knows how to spin a touching story." O'Connor, Barbara. How to Steal a Dog. New York : Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007.

E. Agencies for help or assistance

United Way of Allentown Child Care Information Services of Berks County

1110 American Parkway 1111 Commons Blvd.

Allentown, Pa 18109 Reading, Pa 19612

610-758-8010 610-987-2247

Department of Labor and Industry

45 North 4th St.

Helps parents and teachers better understand how socioeconomic status affects the students, also gives great resources.

Education & Socioeconomic Status Fact Sheet

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Class and Socioeconomic Status - Diversity Resourses For Children

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Class is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theroy centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of a hierachy social categorie. Socioeconomic Status is defined as people having the same social, economic, or educational status.

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Webinar #1 - What's Law Got to Do With It?
Webinar #2 - Fostering a Culture of Respect
Webinar #3 - Applications for Elementary Educators
Webinar #4 - Applications for Middle Level Educators
Webinar #5 - Applications for High School Educators
(K-12th grade)

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Learning for Justice, then Teaching Tolerance, and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding teamed up to offer educators a free webinar series: Religious Diversity in the Classroom. The five-part series and accompanying resources (described in detail below) examine how awareness of religious diversity affects global citizenship, and how teaching about religion across grade levels and subject areas can help meet academic standards.

Webinar 1: What's Law Got To Do With It?

There's a lot of misinformation about what teachers are allowed to do when it comes to discussing religion in public school. But the truth is it's both legal and important to teach about religion and the diversity of religious and nonreligious worldviews. What's Law Got To Do With It? helps educators build a deeper understanding of the legal parameters relevant to including religion in the classroom.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blogs: A four-part series that responds to participants' questions and comments.

Webinar 2: Fostering a Culture of Respect

How do you help students of all religions-or no religion-feel safe, supported and accepted? By creating a classroom culture in which religious diversity is respected. That may sound complicated, but Fostering a Culture of Respect offers suggestions on how to do just that.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blogs: A three-part series that responds to participants' questions and comments.

Webinar 3: Applications for Elementary Educators

Are you looking for practical suggestions on how to explore religious diversity with elementary students? Applications for Elementary Educators offers recommendations on how to teach about religion and religious differences through critical literacy strategies and developmentally appropriate lesson plans and classroom activities-all while promoting empathy and respectful curiosity among students.

A transcription for this webinar can be found here.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blog: Agree to (Respectfully) Disagree

Webinar 4: Applications for Middle Level Educators

Turn what's often called "a tough age" into an age of opportunity by actively promoting respect for differences, including religious differences. Applications for Middle Level Educators offers recommendations on how to implement lesson plans that enable students to express their own identities while learning about diverse religious and nonreligious beliefs and how to use a variety of resources to explore common themes among different religious traditions.

A transcription for this webinar can be found here.

After-session pack: A PDF with activities and lessons.

Follow-up blog: Families Have Much to Share

Webinar 5: Applications for High School Educators

This webinar, designed for high school educators of all subjects, offers practical suggestions for teaching about religious diversity in ways that reduce prejudice, promote mutual respect and help students prepare for college and career. High school students will soon enter a wider world where they will engage with individuals from vastly different religious and cultural backgrounds. Applications for High School Educators can help you get them ready!

Classroom materials available in the Resource List within the webinar.

Follow-up blogs:

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Teaching Tolerance and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding teamed up to offer educators a free webinar series: Religious Diversity in the Classroom.

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Strategies for Addressing Implicit Bias In Early Education

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Strategies for Addressing Implicit Bias In Early Education

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This article gives Classroom Instruction - Use of materials and photos
Use of music, books, and other forms of literature (K-3rd grade)

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Addressing Microaggression in the Classroom

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Addressing Microaggression in the Classroom

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- Definitions
- Categories of  Microagression
- Responses to Microaggressions
- Videos
(9-12th grade)

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What are microaggressions?

Microaggressions are: "Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group" (Sue, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal, et al., 2007, p.273). Although this definition focuses on racial microaggressions, microaggressions can target any marginalized group identity, such as race, socioeconomic class, gender, sexuality, nationality, citizenship, ability, etc. Microaggressions can cause students to experience serious cognitive, behavioral, and emotional reactions, making it very difficult for them to learn ( Sue, Lin, Torino, Capodilupo, Rivera, 2009, pp.187-8).

In a KUOW interview, Derald Wing Sue noted: "All of us are socialized into the society, and it really is the height of arrogance or naiveté́ to think that any of us are immune from inheriting biases that are deeply embedded in this society and culture. They come out in ways that we're not aware of." In other words, we are all socialized to commit microaggressions, even if we have good intentions. Understanding microaggressions and the most effective ways to address them can help create and maintain classroom environments where all students can learn.

Ascription of intelligence (e.g. unintelligent or smarter than average based on appearance or accent)

Denial of racial reality (e.g. dismissing claims that race was relevant to understanding a student's experience)

Denial or devaluing of experience or culture (e.g. ignoring the existence, histories, cultures of groups of people - assuming that others are like you)

Making judgments about belonging (e.g. assuming people are foreign or don't speak English well because of their appearance; questioning someone's membership status such as "you don't look disabled" or "you don't seem that gay to me" or "if you were Jewish, wouldn't you do x?")

Assumption of criminality (e.g. guarding belongings more carefully when around certain groups or expressing fear of certain groups)

Assumption of immorality (e.g. assuming that poor people, undereducated people, LGBTQ people, or people of color are more likely to be devious, untrustworthy, or unethical)

Cognitive - internal dialogue about whether to respond

Behavioral - careful attention to word choice, tone, posture, and body language

Emotional - exhausted, angry, anxious

MTV series, "Look Different" (1-minute segments of microaggression examples):

"Your English is so good"

"I can't tell Asians apart"

"How'd you get into that school?"

More videos:

"How microaggressions are like mosquito bites"

Derald Wing Sue, "What is a microaggression?"

Strategies for dealing with microaggressions in your online, hybrid, or face-to-face classroom

Recognize and reflect on your own biases, interactions, and behaviors.

Understand a general definition of microaggressions. Consider the various ways that they might manifest themselves, and the impact they will have on everyone in the learning environment.

Understand intent vs. impact: that good intentions can have harmful impacts.

Understand your own triggers and unpack them: what makes you uncomfortable, and why? How can you work with and through this discomfort?

In the beginning, focus on collaboratively establishing classroom norms for discussion or dialogue.

Acknowledge the moment and immediately take the lead in addressing the situation (slow down or stop the conversation).

Breathe. Pause. Stay as calm as possible.

Return to the class norms. Hold everyone accountable for their actions and ask for clarification. Explain why the incident is problematic. Support students in critical reflection on the situation.

Acknowledge the emotions in the room, both visible and invisible. Ask students if they would like to stay in class or take a break/leave.

While acknowledging the impact, make sure to validate and support those who have been targeted.

Follow up as needed, e.g. revisit in next class and/or see individuals after class. Identify other people as sources of support.

See more on responding when microaggressions your students, guest speakers, teaching assistants, or others in your class commit a microaggressions

Microaggressions that potentially target a student or groups of students

See more on preventing & responding to microaggressions committed by instructors

Carnegie Mellon University, Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation

Taking a passive approach and letting the class direct the discussion.

Disengaging from the conversation by accepting superficial responses or dismissing the topic.

Responding with hostility.

Looking to marginalized students/instructors to be experts on issues related to their identity group.

Giving full attention to the perpetrator while ignoring the target(s) of the microaggression

Focusing on (or allowing a focus on) debates about:

The intent of the micro-aggressor

What each person said or did

Who's right or wrong

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Addressing microaggressions in the classroom

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Microaggressions are: "Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group" (Sue, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal, et al., 2007, p.273).

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📹The Importance of Challenging Teachers' Micro Aggressions

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📹The Importance of Challenging Teachers' Micro Aggressions

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Personal examples included and what to do (9-12th grade)

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The new question-of-the-week is:
How should teachers respond when a colleague says or does something-knowingly or unknowingly-that is racist?
Today, Dr. Sawsan Jaber, Denise Fawcett Facey, and Felicia Darling "wrap up" this three-part series with their thoughts.
Dealing with "racist microaggressons" Dr. Sawsan Jaber, a global educator of 20 years in the U.S. and abroad, has a passion for facilitating critical conversations about equity. She is an OVA board director and the founder of Education Unfiltered Consulting. Follow @SJEducate:
I approach the topic of responding to the racist microaggressions of teachers and teacher colleagues with a personal lens since I feel this has been a scratched track in my CD of life that has insisted on playing over and over again. With that said, I believe that every response is contingent on the specific situation. There is no generic right answer.

What should be consistent is that whether the misconception was intentional racism or ignorance, it needs to be addressed for the sole purpose that teachers are interacting with diverse students consistently in class. Whether intentional or not, these behaviors are to the detriment of students' feelings of belonging and inclusion in classes, and the absence of those feelings hinders the learning process, ultimately disadvantaging those students-often students from historically marginalized groups that are victims of systems that have intentionally placed them at a disadvantage.

One example of a personal experience I have had was when a colleague interrupted my class after an ISIS bombing in France to ask me how I felt after what "my people" did. This incident took place in front of my students and took me by surprise. I wasn't sure how to react since my students were witness to her racist interjection into our class lesson, so I stood there in shock.

I realized that I needed to address the issue in two ways: I needed to address it by talking to my students and addressing what was possibly the elephant in the room for some of them. Equally important, I needed to address the teacher in a professional manner making her aware that her implicit bias translated into a blatant microaggression and that her racism would not be tolerated. I began with my students by using this teachable moment to ignite conversations about bias; most of what we fear is what we do not know or don't understand. This eventually led to a conversation about what they felt when they saw me as the only minority teacher in the district. I created an opportunity for my students to ask me anything, and they did. I worked to build trust and a culture of inquiry in my class until that point, so they were not afraid to ask questions and have critical conversations.

In dealing with the teacher, I approached her after school so that we could have a professional conversation. She became defensive and could not see the problem with her question. My next step was to discuss this with my union representative and my school principal. This teacher dealt with kids who looked like me every day. The union representative and principal needed to be aware that her views were not conducive to those students or any student. The administration, accompanied by union representation, addressed the teacher verbally, and the situation was brushed under the rug. I don't think the impact of the incident translated to those facilitating the conversation. They themselves could not relate and had not dealt with any situations that were similar before, so the impact of the conversation on the teacher was minimal. I realized that I was powerless with my administration and my power was in the classroom where I could integrate the critical conversations with my students. The more we did, the more students of color shared their experiences of being marginalized in the school context, an opportunity to teach students self-advocacy.

Eventually, I joined the school and district leadership committees because I felt that the principal and union representative's actions were not enough. What about the students I did not teach? Did they just have to navigate these situations on their own? In my capacity on these committees, I did my best to interject the conversations with every opportunity I was given; however, it was clear the committee members were not ready for these conversations. Eventually, it became too heavy for me to carry on my own, so I decided to move on, and my heart ached with that decision. I felt like I was abandoning my students. I still try to reach out to support the district and support their growth in this area. Unfortunately, they still are not ready.

It's not "only a joke"
Denise Fawcett Facey was a classroom teacher for more than two decades and now writes on education issues. Among her books, Can I Be in Your Class offers tips and techniques for whole-child education that makes learning more engaging and relevant:

A racist joke, the racist undertones of a comment, prejudiced behavior, an outright racist diatribe-regardless of whether it's supposedly done in a lighthearted manner or with overt malice, teachers who observe racism have to call it out. Racism does not persist merely because it's supported by its adherents. It also continues because those who oppose it remain silent. When teachers take an unequivocal stand against it, we ultimately protect our students, who are invariably the biggest victims of racist teachers.

When it's a supposed joke, for example, take a vocal stand against it. Remaining silent or laughing just to get along condones the behavior, which basically ensures that it will be repeated. Firmly stating that you find no humor in racism, and then walking away, likely prevents a recurrence. And athough some might say, "It's only a joke," the mindset from which such "jokes" spring is decidedly racist. Refusing to tolerate it compels the offender to consider-perhaps for the first time-the appropriateness of what is said.

Even when racists feign ignorance, observers can't do the same. Whether it's the insidiousness of stereotyping or the long-lasting harm of blatant exclusion, racist colleagues may pretend not to realize what they're doing. However, those who hear or see these racist behaviors have to correct the inaccuracies and reverse the exclusions.

It is the racist teacher who makes negative comments about students' names. It is the racist teacher who ensures that students of color are excluded from gifted classes. It is the racist teacher who pressures the Asian student to excel in math or science and assumes the Latinx student cannot. It is the racist teacher who disciplines boys of color more harshly than all others. And it is all other teachers who have the obligation to negate these efforts, to address the offense directly, to ensure that students are protected.

Teachers of color are often more observant of words and behaviors with racist overtones as each can recount myriad instances of both seeing and experiencing colleagues' racism. And while white teachers cognizant of the pervasiveness of racism are aware of having seen and heard it as well, those divergent experiences are distinguished by the extent to which one is personally impacted. That often determines our reactions as well, but it shouldn't. All teachers have a responsibility to respond in resolute opposition to a colleague's racism in any form. Our students' well-being depends on it.

"We have to speak up" Felicia Darling, Ph.D., is an instructor, author, researcher, and teacher educator. She wrote the book, Teachin' It! Breakout Moves that Break Down Barriers for Community College Students and research articles including Incorporating Cultural Assets in Yucatec Maya Classrooms: Opportunities missed? Currently, Felicia teaches math at the Santa Rosa Junior College in California:
Many of us who are not persons of color, who do not personally experience discrimination on a daily basis, have this tendency to think that racism occurs out there, away from us, in the media. We have this erroneous idea that racist acts are these dramatic or violent behaviors that are captured on video and posted on Instagram. However, racism is ubiquitous. It happens every day through small, almost invisible acts, in our classrooms, in our parent-teacher conferences, in our tenure-review meetings, and in our faculty meetings.

Also, racism does not just happen. We do it. In any given day, white colleagues interrupt colleagues of color during meetings; leaders take up the ideas of faculty of color less frequently than those of white faculty sitting at the table; teachers have lower expectations for students of color; students disproportionally use words like "aggressive" more frequently on teacher evaluations of Black women; and Black students are suspended more frequently than white students for the exact same behaviors.

We arethe agents of racism. Therefore, the responsibility for disrupting systems of inequity falls directly on our shoulders. When a colleague says or does something racist, we have to speak up. While the specific thing we say or do does matter, what is most important is that we say or do something. If we do nothing, we are complicit in the racist act.

We cannot place the burden of speaking up onto people of color, either, given their precarious position in the existing power structure. White people are uniquely positioned to exert significant influence to disrupt the existing inequitable systems, and they must speak up. Here are some things that are better than doing nothing when encountering racist comments or acts among your colleagues. They are listed somewhat in order of increasing potency: Be loudly silent by frowning and glaring; tell the offending teacher privately that their speech or behavior is not OK and why; give the teacher anti-racist readings; publicly express your dismay about the comment or behavior in the moment or later; ask an administrator to provide a schoolwide training, submit a written complaint to your supervisor for repeated or egregious offenses; privately communicate empathy to those who might have been slighted by the remarks or acts; procure funding for a community of practice around equity to transform campus discourse and behavior; and solicit funding for ongoing equity education. Responding in more than one of the above ways is even more powerful.

The important thing to remember is that if we do nothing when someone acts in a racist manner, we are complicit in the act. Stopping racism is the responsibility of each and every one of us.
Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column

Thanks to Sawsan, Denise, and Felicia for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

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The Importance of Challenging Teachers' Microaggressions (Opinion)

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The new question-of-the-week is: How should teachers respond when a colleague says or does something-knowingly or unknowingly-that is racist? Today, Dr. Sawsan Jaber, Denise Fawcett Facey, and Felicia Darling "wrap up" this three-part series with their thoughts. Dealing with "racist microaggressons" Dr. Sawsan Jaber, a global educator of 20 years in the U.S.

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📹Strategies for Countering Unconscious Bias

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📹Strategies for Countering Unconscious Bias

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Includes discussion ideas for teachers to have with students
(9-12 grade)

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In June, a mathematics professor from a California community college unwittingly made national headlines after sending an email to a Vietnamese student asking her to "Anglicize" her legal name. He told her that the pronunciation of her given name sounded offensive, like "an insult in English." She refused, telling the professor that his request was discriminatory, but he repeated the request. Once administrators learned of the incident, Laney College put the professor on administrative leave.

While this example may be extreme, it illustrates one way that unconscious bias seeps into university classrooms, creating an uncomfortable environment for international students who already face a host of challenges when adapting to a new culture and an unfamiliar academic system.

Such expectations of conformity and attempts to suppress or alter cultural identity may interfere with international students' sense of belonging on campus, explains Christina Yao, PhD, assistant professor and coordinator of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at the University of South Carolina.

"The potential implications [of situations like this] could be feelings of alienation, or feelings of being [viewed as the] 'other,'" Yao says.

Recognizing Unconscious Bias

Unconscious, or implicit, biases are the attitudes, preferences, and assumptions that any person holds toward another individual or group of people. These beliefs-centered around a wide range of characteristics, from race, ethnicity, and gender to religion, speaking accent, physical appearance, and physical abilities-are formed from birth, outside of a person's awareness. However, they play a role in perceptions of and interactions with others.

Issues and perceptions around racism and unconscious bias affect international students studying in the United States, as well as those studying in other parts of the world-including U.S. students studying abroad. In the classroom, these biases can manifest in a number of ways:

A professor calling on certain students most frequently-for example, research shows a tendency by teachers at all levels to call primarily on white, male students

The readings and multimedia materials chosen for any given lesson not representing or reflecting the diversity of the classroom

A presumption that international students have expertise or an interest in issues related to their race, ethnicity, or home country

A tendency to equate lower proficiency in spoken English with poor writing skills

Initiating a discussion on a hot topic, such as racism in the United States, without realizing that international students in the classroom may not understand the historical and cultural circumstances linked to the issue

Faculty members are not the only ones who hold biases; students do as well. Yao points to research showing that non-native English speakers tend to be marginalized when it comes to group work, possibly because they struggle to comprehend or speak in an unfamiliar language or may not grasp the norms of peer collaboration.

Unconscious biases can hinder student recruitment, engagement, and success. In professional settings, it may stifle innovation or hinder efforts to diversify the leadership pipeline.

"If we're really trying to use education as a force for positive change, then we have to be constantly shifting and challenging ourselves to see the things we do that exclude or marginalize or devalue others," says David Wick, EdD, assistant professor with the MA program in international educational management at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. "The only way to do that is to begin dismantling our implicit biases."

Here are a few tips for identifying, acknowledging, and actively working to counter unconscious bias in the classroom.

1. Get real-and embrace discomfort.

Addressing unconscious bias starts with awareness and acknowledgment, says Holly Carter, PhD, associate professor of sociology and interim principal of Harlaxton College, which is part of the University of Evansville.

"First and foremost, we must be aware that these biases exist, [everyone has them], and they don't make you a bad person," she says. "Secondly, [we all] have to be willing to acknowledge the fact that they can have some interplay in our life. And then I think we have to be open to experienc[ing] things that will change that socialization."

By the nature of their profession, international educators likely are interested in learning about different cultures and people. They should take time to reflect on how personal belief systems develop and how a person's worldview impacts their interactions with people and places that are different.

"If we're really trying to use education as a force for positive change, then we have to be constantly shifting and challenging ourselves to see the things we do that exclude or marginalize or devalue others." -David Wick

Malaika Serrano, MA, vice president for diversity and inclusion at WorldStrides, has worked with students to boost self-awareness through a process of naming their "privileged" identities-characteristics that give a person an advantage over others-and "targeted" identities-those that can hold someone back. The exercise sparks open conversation about biases and strategies for change. "We just take a deep breath and then lean into the discomfort," Serrano says.

2. "Spend time with people who are not like yourself."

A longtime volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Carter quotes fellow Habitat supporter President Jimmy Carter as frequently saying, "The most important thing you can do in this world is to spend time with people who are not like yourself." An openness to hearing other people's stories can foster a deeper understanding of the vast range of human experiences.

At the University of Evansville, the weekly I-House series gives students from different regions of the world an opportunity to share with the campus community about their customs, beliefs, and culture.

"Sometimes we dance, and sometimes we eat, but these opportunities have been valuable in helping us to understand people in a different way," Carter says.

Following months of highly publicized acts of violence against Black Americans, Serrano led "Listening Circles" for employees at WorldStrides to discuss the personal and community impact of this violence. Serrano facilitated respectful conversations around questions such as the following:

What is your understanding of recent events that have transpired?

How has this made you feel?

What is one thing you would like to learn about someone from another community?

3. Apply intercultural communication techniques.

Globalization is a force that has led to more frequent and powerful intercultural interactions, and navigating those interpersonal relationships is more complex than ever. With one of her colleagues, Kathryn Sorrells, PhD, communication studies professor at California State University-Northridge, developed the Intercultural Praxis as a guide for "critical, reflective thinking and acting" in the context of global engagement. The process involves several steps:

1. Inquiry: Ask questions to understand more deeply another person's beliefs, or ask ourselves how we learned to think a certain way. "Fundamentally, our assumptions come from unasked questions," Sorrells explains.

2. Framing: Look at issues from different perspectives. "We develop certain ways of seeing the world based on our cultural frames [gender, race, etc.]," Sorrells says. "[Become] aware of your cultural frames and then [learn] through practice how to expand those."

3. Positioning: Consider the access to power in any given situation, based on materialistic and/or symbolic circumstances.

4. Dialogue: Engage in conversation to build bridges of understanding, tolerance, and acceptance.

5. Reflection: Create a better understanding of ourselves and how we relate to others, as well as the willingness to change our perspectives and actions.

6. Action: Use what we learn about ourselves as motivation for doing our part to make the world more peaceful and just.

"We've used the model as a way to understand that people bring very different perspectives and frames and they're positioned differently," says Sorrells, "but how can we benefit from our differences?"

Be the Change

Even taking the smallest steps toward countering unconscious bias can make a big difference. Educators should learn to pronounce international students' given names, for example, and ask for their help when needed.

Wick uses a technique called Pair Share to expand equity in the classroom. The method enables each student to reflect on class topics with a partner, then each group shares their insights with the entire classroom.

"[It can be difficult] to get educators to become conscious enough to ask these kinds of questions and start challenging themselves. ... By asking the questions and putting it into a public forum, I model that I'm continuing to push myself and asking for that kind of feedback in front of other people." -Tasha Willis

"One of the benefits of this teaching technique is that it can change which voices are heard," Wick says. "The pair conversation makes it more likely that every person in the room has a chance to express their ideas."

Technology also can be used to expand equity, Wick says. For example, students can contribute ideas through platforms such as a Doodle poll or a Google Form, reducing the risk of feeling like their ideas are wrong or unpopular.

And though it is not always comfortable, international educators should be honest about their own unconscious biases-for their benefit and that of their students.

"[It can be difficult] to get educators to become conscious enough to ask these kinds of questions and start challenging themselves," says Tasha Willis, EdD, associate professor in the School of Social Work and faculty director for internationalization at California State University-Los Angeles.

"By asking the questions and putting it into a public forum, I model that I'm continuing to push myself and asking for that kind of feedback in front of other people," she says. "That helps humanize me to other people around me-faculty, staff, and students-and lets them know that this is just part of being human, and that we have all inherited the world as it is." *

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Strategies for Countering Unconscious Bias in the Classroom

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NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange.

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📹How to Promote Diversity in the Classroom

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📹How to Promote Diversity in the Classroom

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Includes 5 Activities to try in the classroom
(K-5th grade)

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At the foundation of early education is the belief that all students have inherent worth and should be treated with equity. Regardless of a child's gender, socioeconomic status, or other background factors, every person has the ability to succeed in school.

But even when we want to promote tolerance, subconscious attitudes can prevent us from treating students fairly.[6] These attitudes are called implicit biases, and they often rely on inaccurate or stereotyped information. If we're unaware of them, however, they can be particularly difficult to correct.

By understanding your own implicit biases, you can make your classroom a safer place for everyone. Read on to discover a few examples of implicit bias and how educators can combat them to promote diversity in schools.

Defining Implicit vs. Explicit Bias

To better understand how teachers can prevent implicit stereotypes from entering the classroom, it's important to understand what, exactly, they are. The definition of implicit bias is an unconscious attitude or stereotype that affects our actions, beliefs, and memories.[1] When we're unaware of these attitudes we may hold, they can lead to unintentional discrimination.[21]

Why do implicit biases happen? Our minds process about 11 million bits of information every second, so our brains often resort to stereotypes as a shortcut to make sense of so much information quickly.[9] The more information we're exposed to, even if the information is unfair or inaccurate, the stronger and more deeply ingrained our biases become. Our cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, and exposure to certain beliefs can all contribute to our implicit biases.[22]

There is a difference, however, between an implicit and an explicit bias. Explicit biases are conscious attitudes that a person holds, which can be measured through self-reports in ways that implicit ones can't. In many cases, a person's explicit biases might not match their implicit biases.[8] Someone could, for example, explicitly believe in gender equality but implicitly treat women unfairly.

Though unintentional, these subconscious attitudes can create destructive outcomes like gender or racial biases in education.[22] For this reason, it's all the more important for teachers to recognize and overcome their implicit stereotypes.

Implicit Bias Can Worsen the Achievement Gap in Education

Even when teachers have good intentions, implicit biases can cause unfairness and discourage diversity in education.[9] Part of this is because the makeup of the teaching field does not represent the demographic of students they serve. Minority groups, for example, make up over half of all U.S. students, yet 84% of all teachers are white.[1] In part because of implicit biases, minority students are at a higher risk for school failure and negative experiences with their teachers.[17]

Because of this disparity between minority students and their predominantly white teachers, an educator's implicit biases can cause them to project different outcomes for marginalized students and unconsciously help them less.[14] Achievement gap statistics show that children from under-resourced and minority families are most likely to fall behind in school, but not due to their own potential. And due to limited time and resources at home, many under-resourced children are already behind by the time they enter school.[20]

Unconscious racial bias is one of the biggest barriers to closing the achievement gap between white children and students of color, particularly those who come from under-resourced homes.[12] In these cases, socioeconomic disparities between students and social segregation within schools can also worsen existing achievement gaps.[13] Without training on how to better accommodate these students and avoid implicit biases, teachers may treat them differently than their peers.

Teachers are most likely to act on their implicit biases in the following situations:[9]

When they have vague or incomplete information about a topic or student

When they're acting under time constraints

When they're tired, burned out, or have a lot on their plate

Unfortunately, teaching is such an intensive job that many educators work under these situations every day. But culturally responsive teaching can help close the achievement gap and prevent discrimination in school.[11] By recognizing examples of implicit bias in education and making a conscious effort to improve, teachers can make their schools a better place for each of their students.

How to Use Implicit Bias Training to Embrace Diversity

Although many teachers understand the importance of diversity in schools, few are good at estimating their own implicit biases.[17] Teachers from privileged backgrounds, for example, are more likely to show subconscious biases than their colleagues with marginalized identities.[15] Luckily, educators are starting to understand the benefits of inclusion training to combat implicit bias and close the achievement gap.

Implicit bias is like a bad habit: with practice and self-awareness, we can reduce it over time. A 12-week study found that implicit bias training can significantly reduce racial biases.[2] In addition to implicit bias activities and training, teachers can take an Implicit Association Test to discover their own subconscious stereotypes.

Harvard University's Project Implicit offers a variety of free online tests to help people measure their implicit biases related to a variety of different factors, such as:[10]

Race or ethnicity

Disability

Gender or sexual orientation

Religion

Skin tone

Simply being aware of what implicit biases are and how they can affect judgment can help educators better treat their students and colleagues with equity.[1] Adding antidiscrimination laws to your school or classroom rules can also help everyone feel safe and like they belong.[4] Additionally, administrators can work to hire faculty members from a variety of different backgrounds and lived experiences. Friendships and regular contact between people from different backgrounds is particularly proven to fight implicit bias.[3]

5 Tips and Activities That Promote Diversity in the Classroom

Teachers aren't the only people who can make their schools a safer place through diversity training. Children also often display implicit biases from a young age, especially those who come from privileged backgrounds.[5] But luckily, implicit bias activities can teach students to avoid treating their peers unfairly because of subconscious stereotypes.

Use these five diversity activities and teaching tips to help your students recognize and overcome implicit biases against their classmates:

Get-to-know-you games can help students bond over similarities instead of differences. Whether you're closer to the first or last day of the school year, use icebreaker activities to bring your classroom together.[19]

Mindful meditation can reduce implicit bias by encouraging reflection and self-awareness. If your class is too young for a full meditation session, try practicing breathing exercises instead.[7]

Teach curriculum that promotes tolerance towards people of all backgrounds, particularly those from stigmatized groups.[8] A few children's books that encourage inclusion are Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, and Lovely by Jess Hong.

Celebrate holidays that promote inclusivity in class, like Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Autism Awareness Month.

Adapt school activities for students with disabilities so that every child in class can play. If you have a student who uses a wheelchair, for example, find ways to include them in outdoor games.[18]

Sources:
The National Education Association (NEA). Confronting Implicit Bias Through Exemplary Educator Preparation. Retrieved from nea.org: https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/23840%20Confronting%20Implicit%20Bias%20Thru%20Exemp%20Teacher%20Prep-v2.pdf.[1]

Devine, P.G., Forscher, P.S., Austin, A.J., Cox, W.T.L. Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, November 2012, 48(6), pp. 1267-1278.[2]

Aberson, C.L., Shoemaker, C., Tomolillo, C. Implicit Bias and Contact: The Role of Interethnic Friendships. The Journal of Social Psychology, June 2004, 144(3), pp. 335-347.[3]

Beagenstos, S.R. Implicit Bias, "Science," and Antidiscrimination Law. Harvard Law and Policy Review, 2007, pp. 477-493.[4]

Newheiser, A., Olson, K.R. White and Black American children's implicit intergroup bias. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, January 2012, 48(1), pp. 264-270.[5]

Kelly, D., and Roedder, E. Racial Cognition and the Ethics of Implicit Bias. Philosophy Compass, May 2008, 3(3), pp. 522-540.[6]

Lueke, A., and Gibson, B. Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Implicit Age and Race Bias: The Role of Reduced Automaticity of Responding. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 2015, 6(3), pp. 284-291.[7]

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Implicit Bias. Retrieved from stanford.edu: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/implicit-bias/.[8]

Staats, C. Understanding Implicit Bias: What Educators Should Know. American Educator, 2015, 39(4), pp. 29-33.[9]

Project Implicit. Take a Test. Retrieved from harvard.edu: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html.[10]

Howard, D. Want to Fix the Achievement Gap? Reconsider How You Teach. Retrieved from educationpost.org: https://educationpost.org/want-to-fix-the-achievement-gap-change-how-you-teach/.[11]

Harrington, T. Educator asks teachers to examine unconscious racial bias. Retrieved from edsource.org: https://edsource.org/2018/closing-the-achievement-gap-requires-teachers-to-examine-their-unconscious-racial-bias-teacher-trainer-says/595408.[12]

Johns. D.J. Disrupting Implicit Racial Bias and Other Forms of Discrimination to Improve Access, Achievement, and Wellness for Students of Color. Retrieved from ed.gov: https://sites.ed.gov/whieeaa/files/2016/10/Disrupting-Implicit-Bias-FINAL.pdf.[13]

Castillo, J.E., Downer, J.T., and Corbin, C.M. The Link between Teachers' Implicit Bias, Exclusionary Discipline, and Expectations for Students: Does the Racial/Ethnic Match between Teachers and Students Matter? Retrieved from virginia.edu: https://curry.virginia.edu/uploads/resourceLibrary/SURP_2017_Research_Presentation_Jasmin_Castillo.pdf.[14]

Schlosser, E. Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Implicit Bias: Implications for Closing the Achievement Gap. The University of Southern Mississippi Center for Science and Mathematics Education, December 2017, pp. 1-71.[15]

Diallo, A. Teachers go to school on racial bias. Retrieved from hechingerreport.org: https://hechingerreport.org/teachers-go-to-school-on-racial-bias/ [16]

Van Den Bergh, L. The Implicit Prejudiced Attitudes of Teachers: Relations to Teacher Expectations and the Ethnic Achievement Gap. American Educational Research Journal, June 2010, 47(2), pp. 497-527.[17]

West Virginia University Office of Human Resources. Diversity and Inclusion Activities. Retrieved from uh.edu: https://www.uh.edu/cdi/diversity_education/resources/activities/pdf/Inclusion_Activities_Book.pdf [18]

Clark, D. Diversity Activities and Ice-Breakers. Retrieved from nwlink.com: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/diverse2.html.[19]

Reardon, S.F. The Widening Income Achievement Gap. Educational Leadership, May 2013, 70(3), pp. 10-16.[20]

Payne, B.K., and Vuletich, H.A. Policy Insights From Advances in Implicit Bias Research. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2018, 5(1), pp. 45-51.[21]

Handelsman, J., and Sakraney, N. Implicit Bias. Retrieved from archives.gov: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/bias_9-14-15_final.pdf.[22]

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How to Promote Diversity in the Classroom: Recognize and Challenge Implicit Bias - Waterford.org

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Discover a few examples of implicit bias in education and how educators can combat them to promote diversity in their schools.

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📹Four Ways Teachers Can Reduce Implicit Bias

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📹Four Ways Teachers Can Reduce Implicit Bias

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Here are tips to help teachers treat all their students with dignity and care (K-8th grade)

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A friend of mine recently told me about an incident involving students at Berkeley High School. On the first day of classes, African-American juniors and seniors were being asked by their honors course teacher to show him their schedule when they entered the classroom. The teacher, who was white, apparently assumed the black students were lost and in the wrong room, and his gesture made them feel unwelcome and humiliated.

This is an example of implicit bias-a behavior that arises from subconscious associations, which may even contradict someone's explicit values. Implicit racial bias plays a role in many classrooms and schools with potentially devastating effects. In one recent experiment with preschool teachers, researchers found that when teachers were primed to look for behavioral problems while watching a classroom video with black and white children (none of whom were misbehaving), teachers gazed much longer at black children than white children, as if anticipating the behavioral problems would come from the black children.

In another experiment from the same study, teachers read a vignette about a behavioral problem with a preschooler randomly identified as a black boy, black girl, white boy, or white girl, and then were given details about the child's background or not. Providing the background information on the child increased the severity of suggested disciplinary actions when the race of the teacher didn't match that of the child, supporting the idea that we are more inclined to punish those who look different from us.

In fact, disciplinary actions are more likely to be perpetuated against African Americans-boys and girls alike-than any other group of students, regardless of the infraction. And while it's understandable that teachers would want to prevent disruptions in the classrooms and take actions to avoid them, some seem to have little idea of how to do that without turning to ingrained biases.

Of course, teachers are not alone in having racial biases. Their behavior reflects how social messages are hard to escape, even for people of color. But studies like these show how racial disparities can be perpetuated in classrooms, too. If left unchecked, this kind of biased treatment can haunt a student well into elementary school and beyond, making the promise of "schools as the great social equalizers" a false one.

The good news is that teachers can learn to combat their prejudice, even the implicit kind, if they become more aware of it and take steps to actively fight it in themselves. Here are some of the ways that might help educators treat all of their students with dignity and care.

1. Cultivate awareness of their biases

Teachers are human and therefore influenced by psychological biases, like the fundamental attribution error, when we assume that others who behave in a certain way do so because of their character (a fixed trait) rather than in response to environmental circumstances. In-group bias leads us to assign positive characteristics and motivations to people who are similar to us.

Biases like these are natural, used as cognitive shorthand for making quick social judgments in ambiguous situations, especially those involving people from unfamiliar ethnic or social groups. They become a problem when we're not aware of their impact on other people. And if we're part of a majority group with more social, economic, or political power than a minority one, then accumulated unconscious bias can be extremely destructive, limiting the life opportunities and hurting the well-being of the minority group.

Many researchers believe that becoming more aware of our biases can help us improve our interactions with others, decrease our sense of unease in interracial contexts, and make better decisions. Though most of this research has been done with other professional groups or the general public, the same lessons are likely to apply to teachers.

However, many teachers feel pressures not to cop to those biases, perhaps out of fear they will be accused of racism. This leaves them blind to the ways that biases work at an unconscious level. Pretending to be colorblind is not helpful and in fact adhering to a color-blind philosophy has been shown to increase implicit bias, at least in college students. Admitting that we are all subject to biases creates a safer space to examine them more carefully and to take steps to fight them.

2. Work to increase empathy and empathic communication

Empathy -the ability to understand another's perspective and emotions-is important in all human social encounters, including teaching. Yet, often teachers have little understanding of the communities where their students live and have trouble understanding their perspectives, leading them to treat these students more harshly.

One solution: learning about the lives of students and showing that you care. At least one study has found that actively trying to take the perspective of another person-as opposed to trying to be "objective"-increased one's ability to not fall prey to stereotypical views of others. Actively inducing empathy for another person has been tied to a willingness to consider environmental circumstances more closely when handing out punishments for misbehavior. And, one recent study has found that training teachers in empathy cut down student suspension rates in half.

Though perhaps more research has been done on empathy in other professionals (such as physicians and police officers), teachers may want to take note of the ways that they have learned to increase their empathy through a combination of stress reduction, learning how to manage difficult emotions, and practicing empathic communication. Treating students with kindness and consideration is a sure way to bring out kindness in them, too.

3. Practice mindfulness and loving-kindness

Mindfulness practices-such as paying attention in a nonjudgmental way to one's breath or other sensations-has been shown to decrease stress in teachers, which can indirectly have an effect on reducing bias. But according to some research, mindfulness may also have a direct effect on bias reduction as well.

In one study, young white participants who listened to a 10-minute audiotape with instructions in mindfulness showed less implicit bias towards blacks and older people than those who listened to a 10-minute discussion of nature. This suggests that nonjudgmental awareness, even when not specifically focused on reducing prejudice, can help reduce unconscious biases.

Loving-kindness meditation-a practice that involves consciously sending out compassionate thoughts toward others-may also help. In a recent study, the random assignment of a short-term loving-kindness meditation reduced implicit bias toward a targeted group, though it didn't decrease implicit bias for other groups not targeted by the meditation.

4. Develop cross-group friendships in their own lives

While it's important to take steps in the classroom, the relationships we form outside of the classroom can also have an impact on bias.

Cross-group friendships have been shown in several studies to decrease stress in intergroup situations, to decrease prejudice toward outgroup members, and to decrease one's preference for social hierarchy or domination over lower-status groups. These findings alone might encourage teachers to seek out cross-group friendships in their lives so that they can be more receptive to the diverse students they find in their classrooms.

Another reason for teachers to consider developing cross-group friendships is that they may influence their students to do the same. When people see cross-group friendships working out in positive ways, they tend to be more willing to engage in cross-group friendships themselves.

In addition, positive cross-group friendships can have contagion effects in other people within social groups, turning whole communities into warmer, more receptive spaces for cross-group interactions. All of this bodes well for teachers role-modeling the kind of behavior they want to see in their students.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean teachers should indiscriminately approach someone just because they are from a different racial group. Instead, teachers can reach out to colleagues at work, or get involved in activities or perhaps attend events where people with different backgrounds and perspectives come together for a common cause. Developing friendships can be one of the best ways to break down barriers of prejudice, and it's more easily done when people have some common interests.

Is this a lot to ask, given all the burdens our society heaps on teachers? Perhaps. Teachers should get more support than they do, and, ideally, school districts should make reducing implicit bias a priority backed up with money, policy, and training. Individual teachers can only do so much.

Luckily, the teaching profession tends to attract altruists who want to teach in a way that helps their students. By working at countering implicit bias in themselves, they can truly make a difference in the lives of their students, making them feel safe, cared for, and welcome in the classroom.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Four Ways Teachers Can Reduce Implicit Bias

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We're all subject to bias. Here are tips to help teachers treat all of their students with dignity and care.