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This article is geared towards older kids (high school or college). I chose this article because I like how it suggests individual strategies that you can use to address unconscious behavior and it also gives you a list of institutional strategies to address this problem.

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Unconscious Bias Training | Office of Diversity and Outreach UCSF

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Bertrand, M, Mullainathan, S. Are Emily And Greg More Employable Than Lakisha And Jamal? A Field Experiment On Labor Market Discrimination. American Economic Review, 2004, v94(4,Sep), 991-1013.

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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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This article gives valuable information towards bias that can be used in all ages, but is meant more for educators. I chose this article because it lays out the difference between explicit and implicit bias and how to avoid them both.

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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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This article is geared towards older people. It lets the reader know how to call out peoples bias in different scenarios, such as coworkers or family members, by avoiding shaming someone (because that doesn't work".)

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Not too long ago, I was chatting with someone about what I thought would be a uncontentious discussion about my early childhood in Indonesia. Shortly after, it turned into a conversation about colonialism and Dutch occupation. This person had a Dutch family member who was born and spent his childhood in colonial Indonesia. Then she said something that made me pause. "You know, I always got the sense that the relationship between the Dutch and the Indonesians were very harmonious."

Without getting into Indonesian colonial history, let's just say that statement ignores the numerous massacres and atrocities that took place during Dutch colonial rule. So it's a pretty offensive thing to say, especially to a person of Indonesian descent. Still, in that moment, my aversion to conflict kicked in, and I quickly replied, "I think it was a very complicated relationship," before changing the subject. Looking back, I regretted my response.

Confronting bias is a tricky thing. Had I responded with pointing out her ignorance, I know that she would have been defensive (and it would have ruined any future interaction I have with her). On the other hand, by ignoring the problematic nature of that statement (or glossing over it, as I did), I was letting her unconscious bias go unchecked. And those harmless statements and comments pile up to create the many forms of structural discrimination that we see today.

Why shaming doesn't work

We might live in an age of moral outrage and virtue signaling, but plenty of research shows that calling someone racist, homophobic, sexist, or any other label does nothing to change people's beliefs. This is because naming, shaming, or blaming people will "automatically put them in the defensive," says Alexis McGill Johnson, the cofounder and executive director of Perception Institute-an institution that aims to turn research on race, gender, ethnic, and other identities to solutions that reduce bias and discrimination. "It creates the fight-or-flight mode." In any situation, confronting bias requires you to start from a place "where most people are fair," Johnson tells Fast Company, but that they haven't been taught how to approach things in an inclusive way.

This is not surprising, but like many other people of color, I often struggle with calling out bias when I'm on the receiving end of it. The delicate dance between making my point and doing it in a way that doesn't offend or put the other person on the defensive is extremely difficult to execute. And then I also have issues with the idea that I had to be the one who thought about it in the first place. After all, it shouldn't be the job of minorities and marginalized communities to educate others about their blind spots, especially when they face enough additional emotional labor in their day-to-day lives.

But as I realized with that interaction, there are times when the opportunity cost of not confronting bias is too great. And as Johnson tells Fast Company, there are techniques I could have adopted that make these kinds of awkward and conversations less painful (and more productive) for everyone.

Confronting bias at work

According to Johnson, in most instances, people make biased statements at an unconscious level. When that happens in the workplace, it's important to understand, first and foremost, the kind of culture that you're dealing with. Is it the kind of workplace where people are comfortable calling out each other's biases in a respectful way? Because if it's not, then the responsibility is up to company leaders to create that kind of environment, Johnson stresses.

Calling out a coworker and a manager definitely carry different risks, but Johnson says that you can employ the same technique. The most important thing is to evaluate the nature of your relationship with that person, and what you hope your ultimate goal to be. Say you are in a meeting and someone mentions that a particular woman is aggressive, and you feel like that person isn't aware that their comments are rooted in gender stereotypes. The appropriate way to respond to that is "with specificity." Ask them, "What do you think makes her aggressive? What did she say specifically that made you say that?" This will force the person who made the comment to give specific examples and think beyond stereotypes.

Johnson gives a personal example. As a black woman, a common comment she often receives is, "Oh, you're so articulate." She says, "Often what I've said to people, even if they're clients, is, I'm not sure if you know the history of the word articulate. I know you mean that as a compliment, and I certainly hope that after years of training at Princeton and Yale, I can construct sentences together. But when you use that statement, there's an assumption [that comes with it]. I'd love to share that with you." Johnson goes on to say that when you're approaching everything from a learning perspective, rather than an intent to shame, people are more likely to listen and be respectful.

Johnson acknowledges that it can be hard to do when you're "managing up," but good managers understand that emotional and psychological safety are two key components to productivity in the workplace. The key is to "describe the bias without attacking the person," Johnson says, and with the mind-set that bias is a "human condition, rather than a personal flaw."

Confronting bias with friends and family

Engaging in difficult conversation with family and friends also requires you to think about the nature of your relationship, and what you want to accomplish by calling out their bias. With family and friends, it's likely that you have common ground on many issues, even when you disagree with each other. That way, when you start the dialogue, "you're coming from a place of shared values," says Johnson. The idea is to see the "biased statement as an opportunity to build a bridge, rather than to break it." This requires asking them questions around why and how they came to the position they did, which creates opportunities for them to provide context and history. The important thing, Johnson says, is not to lecture them.

She also cautions trying to fight facts with facts-which many people have a strong urge to do when it comes to debating charged issues. "Facts don't have the power, particularly when things are incredibly charged, around, say, issues of race," Johnson says. Lennon Flowers, the founder of an organization that hosts dinners for people who have experienced significant loss, previously told Fast Company, "We shy away from our feelings-we want to stick with academic arguments and have the long set of bullet points that's going to be what we use to sway the other person to think they're wrong. No humans make decisions that way. We think we rationalize our way into decisions, but when you get into it, we make gut responses."

Ultimately, Johnson believes that talking about bias and discrimination requires a commitment from both parties to provide a safe space for conversation. Both parties need to adopt the "failing fast" mind-set, Johnson says, because in these conversations, mistakes are inevitable. To move forward, we need to learn to have to "reset conversations so that people aren't worried about being perceived as biased, but are instead focused on growing where the challenges might be."

Johnson goes on to say, "It's the kind of mind-set and skill building and competency training that we need to do more of, as opposed to, 'Oh my gosh, Aunt Martha said something crazy, let's all ignore it.' That' s not really helpful."

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How to confront bias without alienating people

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Not too long ago, I was chatting with someone about what I thought would be a uncontentious discussion about my early childhood in Indonesia. Shortly after, it turned into a conversation about colonialism and Dutch occupation. This person had a Dutch family member who was born and spent his childhood in colonial Indonesia.

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5 Things Educators Can Do To Address Bias in Their School

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5 Things Educators Can Do To Address Bias in Their School

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This article is geared towards the educator. This article emphasizes the importance of how you should first focus on yourself and then start. The author also mentions how you must get over your own fragility and focus on the students.

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NEA is growing the movement to win education justice for our students, schools, and communities.

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Confronting Bias, Working Towards Equity

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Confronting Bias, Working Towards Equity

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This article mentions strategies that are geared towards 9th,10th,11th, and 12th grades. The "anti-bias" and "anti-bias education" sections are the important sections that has all the necessary information.

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Interactive anti-bias curriculum designed to help grade 9-12 students explore identity, understand bias and systems of power, and take leadership roles in promoting justice and equity. Lessons are Common-Core aligned.

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This is another article that can be applied to any age group. This article focus' on self-reflection and how that is one of the most important aspects of eliminating any kind of bias.

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Multicultural understanding and proficiency have never been more important to teachers than they are right now. Never before have we had so many young children entering schools populated by teachers who reflect neither their race, nor their language tradition, nor the communities from which they come. This growth in culturally diverse classrooms has unfortunately coincided with an "achievement gap" of historical proportions.

In our work as teacher educators over the years, we have carefully watched and listened as pre-service and practicing teachers struggled with their own understandings of diversity - and consciousness of their own racial, ethnic and class identities and how these identities affect their teaching. While white students are often confronting these identities seriously for the first time when they reach our classroom, this is work that all teachers need to do in order to reach their students effectively.

With few exceptions, the process of becoming competent in multicultural discourse is advanced by an initial event or "encounter" that challenges individuals to reconsider their beliefs and attitudes. The encounter, according to Gay, is "an experience or event that shatters a person's current feelings... It may be real or vicarious, personal or social, verbal or visual." The design and provision of such encounters is a decisive component of our diversity work.

While some of the most powerful encounter experiences involve immersion in a different culture, these experiences are not always available or accessible. Because of this, we have worked to identify encounter experiences that can occur within the walls of university classrooms or schools - and have found that many of these encounters can elicit similar outcomes.

The Teaching Diverse Students Initiative (TDSi), now available at www.tolerance.org/tdsi, includes a number of resources to help create an encounter experience. The section on "Understanding the Influence of Race" includes tools to help teachers examine their own biases and think critically about what "race" really means.

Another encounter experience that we use can be found at the website for the Public Broadcasting Service television series " Race: the Power of an Illusion." The "Sorting People" exercise asks participants to categorize individuals into racial/ethnic groups based solely on their visual appearance. Participants' error scores ease the transition into a dialogue about race as a social construct. The website provides support materials and other experiences to help students further explore this content.

We have also used more traditional means to provide opportunities for teachers to examine beliefs, attitudes and biases. One of the most powerful readings for our predominantly white, female students is Peggy McIntosh's 1999 article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Most of these students are unaware of the privileges they receive just by being born white in the United States and are startled to read this article. We often accompany it with another article, White Privilege in Schools, by Ruth Anne Olson (1999). These two articles examine racism on a systemic level and challenge students to consider the perpetuation of injustice on a larger, more daunting scale.

The experiences presented above encourage reflection in novel ways. We have found that individuals exhibit a range of responses when confronted with the potential of personal bias, and that these responses present important scaffolding opportunities for teacher educators. In the following sections, typical responses are detailed, along with strategies to facilitate processing and further engagement.

Dismissal

"None of this is true; the author obviously has a political agenda."

When individuals are presented with information or experiences that challenge their beliefs, one possible response is to reject the source. Taking the stance that "it's simply not true" can end the conversation quickly. This can be a convenient strategy to avoid the potentially painful process of reflecting on hidden bias.

One of the least effective strategies we have found in addressing this response is trying to convince the individual of the accuracy of the source. Approaching bias in a "hard sell" fashion is rarely palatable, and resistance will likely increase. By allowing individuals time to explore a variety of information on bias and listen as peers discuss the issues, we can provide a cooling-off period. Afterward, individuals may be more inclined to consider the potential of personal bias. We can then employ many of the strategies listed below.

Disbelief

"I don't think that I can really be biased. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, and I have a lot of friends who are African American." or "I didn't grow up privileged. My family didn't have a lot of money, and we worked for everything we got."

An equally common response is the disbelief that individuals experience when they encounter information that is incompatible with how they perceive their beliefs and practices. Teachers view themselves as "good" and "fair" people, and they are skeptical about being biased. They are typically eager to cling to the comfort of their perceived neutrality on such issues, which again can provide a roadblock to productive dialogue and reflection.

To address this response, we encourage teachers to consider how they were socialized as children. Many are quick to report that individuals in their family had racist attitudes, which they actively reject, but which may have played a part in the associations that are part of their subconscious. At this point, we share excerpts from films such as Mickey Mouse Monopoly (Sun, 2001), which examines how the "other" is portrayed in Disney films. In addition, we show the short documentary A Girl Like Me (Davis, 2006), where young African American girls recount their issues with race, and repeat the historic experiment asking children to choose the doll they want for a friend. As teachers watch young African American children consistently select the white doll, their eyes are opened to considering how such associations develop for children at a very young age. These experiences elicit rich dialogue about how associations may develop under our radar and, when unchallenged, potentially become ingrained.

Acceptance

"It makes sense to me that I am biased, because I am white and I grew up only around white people." or "I do think I have received privileges because of being white, but that is how things are. There's nothing I can do about it."

When teachers read articles about white privilege, we find that many accept bias and privilege as realities in their lives. While individuals express regret, they indicate that they are not surprised, having relatively little exposure to diversity as a child, and working in a homogenous, majority setting. This line of reasoning rationalizes their bias and sense of privilege. They see bias and privilege as societal issues, rather than personal ones, and this allows them to avoid taking responsibility for their attitudes and biases.

The teachers with whom we work accept the societal factors that have contributed to bias but don't see their inaction as contributing to the problem. At this point, we use readings from Tatum's (2003) book, which provides the example of the moving sidewalk at the airport as analogous to racism in America. Her metaphor - of standing still while the walkway moves forward - shows how failure to challenge prevalent systems can unintentionally perpetuate injustice. This visual illustration effectively resonates with teachers as they consider their prior acceptance as problematic.

Discomfort

"Much of this is surprising to me as well as embarrassing. I am mortified by the fact that I have taken issues of privilege for granted that people of color struggle with on a daily basis." or "I have always been proud of being color blind and treating people fairly ... now I'm wondering if I was being unfair."

Discomfort is another common reaction to becoming aware of bias. Teachers are frequently distressed by what this might mean for their life and work. In this case, we usually reassure teachers that the first step to addressing their biases is to acknowledge them. We note that everyone has hidden biases, but that these are most dangerous when they are unrecognized. One of the resources that we refer to is the movie, Crash, which shows the devastating effects of overt and hidden bias.

Discomfort can manifest itself in other ways as well. Some teachers with whom we work frequently hold great pride in their pronouncement of being actively "color bind" when it comes to their students. They view this as an expression of their lack of bias, and it can be difficult to readjust this thinking. A powerful reading that we provide at this point is I Don't Think of You as Black, a series of written correspondences between Naomi Tutu and her friend, Rose Bator. This reading helps teachers recognize the impact that race has in all our lives, but particularly for people of color in the United States.

When teachers express discomfort, we encourage them to explore ways to take action to combat stereotyping and discrimination. We suggest examining materials in classrooms for racism and sexism, addressing and eliminating racist language, and examining school policies and practices that discriminate against particular groups of students. We encourage teachers to incorporate diversity into their classrooms in authentic ways in order to combat societal bias. Derman Sparks, Ramsey and Edwards provide teachers with some concrete strategies to begin to address such issues, even in environments where little diversity exists.

Disclosure

"Everything I am experiencing shows me that I have strong preference for African American individuals. I interpret this as a distrust of white people, which is unfortunately true."

A less common response is when individuals actually disclose a conscious bias. This differs from the acceptance response, where an acknowledgment of a hidden bias is recognized. This response is characterized by an open admission of prejudice - a step beyond acceptance. This confession requires a great deal of honesty and courage and can be disquieting to divulge.

Although there is the potential for this response to elicit alarm, our experiences indicate a level of self-awareness that differentiates these respondents from others. Individuals who disclose personal bias frequently express how hard they work to intentionally focus on others' abilities, without regard to race. Their consciousness of prejudice guides their active attention to guard against a translation of attitude to practice. They generally recognize the historical and contemporary roots of their prejudice, and they frequently articulate anger toward a society that perpetuates racism.

We find it critical to actively support teachers who have made this proclamation. The consequences of slavery and colonialism are decidedly visible in our society, and individuals' experiences with racism are real and must be validated. As individuals confront the realities of racism, their awareness is critical in making conscious decisions about themselves, others and their role in affecting change.

Conclusion

As teacher educators, we continue to challenge ourselves to provide varied opportunities for teachers as they engage in the exploration of education for social justice. This work is not achieved without challenge. As we present pre-service and practicing teachers with new ideology and experience, we also must acknowledge ourselves as cultural beings continuously encountering and interpreting ideas and interactions. This process of continuous mindfulness and self-examination seats us as co-learners, with each discourse providing opportunity for illumination.

We find it important to remind ourselves, and the teachers with whom we work, that the process of addressing personal bias isn't about reaching a destination. According to B.J Cahill and E.M. Adams, "No one ever arrives; they just bring more of themselves through each time." As we open our heads and hearts to new understandings through the invitation of persistent experience and inquiry, we embrace the journey.

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'Encounter experiences' help pre-service and practicing teachers confront their attitudes about race and privilege.

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I like this article because it clearly defines "implicit bias". The strategies mentioned in this article can be applied to all ages and students, but seems like some strategies, such as tone policing, seems more advanced and is something that somebody older can focus on.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education

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Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education

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I like how this article really focus' on self reflection, among other things, to ensure that all of the bias is eliminated. This is a good practice for educators of all ages.

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ability to access audio and video on your device;

pen and paper;

your lesson book for reference throughout;

and about one hour.

Learn:
Culture refers to a wide range of identity and community characteristics. Culturally responsive pedagogy engages identities and identity issues across all groups and communities: gender, ability/disability, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language and nationality.

Culturally responsive classroom culture exists when students are seen, valued, cared for and respected as their full selves.

In looking more directly at teacher leadership, keep in mind that culturally responsive pedagogy:

uses student-centered learning that values students' lives and what they bring to their own learning;

teaches students to engage critically with meaningful social issues and to build bridges across differences (within and outside of school);

addresses a range of learning styles and multiple intelligences; and

requires authentic, holistic evaluation that is consistent with anti-bias and social justice values.

In this professional development, learners will:

Increase self-awareness and cultural competency

Identify skills to speak up against and respond to prejudice, bias and stereotypes

Explore building allies

Define leading beyond the classroom

Learn:

Take a moment to think about today's objectives independently. List 10 words or attributes you associate with teacher leadership in a culturally responsive classroom.

Working in a cohort? Share your list with a partner.
Self-Awareness and Cultural Compentency:
Let's begin by looking specifically at self-awareness and cultural competency. Working toward these types of awareness is a deeply personal process, one that includes several key elements:

Asking oneself how issues of sameness, difference and power affect interactions with colleagues, students and families

Genuinely seeing diversity as a strength and an opportunity, rather than an "issue" or problem

Understanding how one's own life experiences can help build relationships with students and enhance curriculum

Thinking about what each of us still needs to learn and engaging in relevant professional development, dialogue, study or personal reflection

Developing skills and attitudes that can help bridge cultural differences. These include empathy, flexibility, listening without judgment, appreciation for multiple cultural perspectives and cross-cultural communication

Self-awareness and cultural competency mean that the teacher is aware of her own perceptions and how they affect others.
Go Deeper:
Think about yourself as a teacher. Life experiences leave everyone with biases and prejudices, but it is our responsibility as teachers to recognize them and adjust our actions based on our own self-awareness.

Teachers want students to learn, and many make an effort to be particularly responsive to racially and ethnically diverse students. Many of the beliefs we hold and lessons we are taught about racially and ethnically diverse students and how to best faciliate their learning have positive effects. Others, however, while seemingly sensible and well-intended, can have negative consequences.

Read each statement on the Common Beliefs Survey and complete the "First Thoughts" section after each statement. Try not to "over-think" the items, answering instead with your "gut response."

Next, read the entries for each statement on the Discussion Prompts. As you read each discussion prompt, reflect on your initial response in "First Thoughts," and write down additional thoughts, along with possible action steps that might help you better serve students.

Working in a cohort? Complete discussion prompts in small groups.
Speaking up and Responding to Bias and Stereotypes:
The next piece will look specifically at speaking up against and responding to prejudice, bias and stereotypes. True responsiveness has several key features:

Learning proactive responses to injustice and addressing incidents of bias, discrimination, exclusion and bullying in a timely manner

Intervening every time students tease, bully or use slurs and stereotypes

Speaking up against jokes and criticism about different identity groups

Avoiding assigning roles for group work that may privilege or pigeonhole students based on identity

Pointing out unfairness when it comes up in class discussions

Finding respectful and open-hearted ways to stand strong when faced with familial resistance to "controversial" curriculum topics, such as race and LGBT experiences

Learn:
One key component of speaking up against and responding to prejudice, bias and stereotypes is the use of visual supports and symbols of inclusion and safety.

Teachers can display posters, stickers and signs in their classrooms to signal their commitment to standing against bias, discrimination and bullying. These materials offer messages like "Hate-Free Zone," "Safe Space (for LGBT Students)," "Bullying Stops Here," "All Families Welcome" and "No One is 'Illegal'."

Here is a poster example to print and hang up.
Go Deeper:
Conduct an audit of your classroom space. What visual signals inform students that your room is safe and welcoming for all?

Are they be placed in a prominent location? Can you add any others to your environment?

If no signals are present, what symbol(s) can you add that would benefit your population?

Add at least one new visual symbol to your classroom environment.

Working in a cohort? Share your thoughts with the group.
Building Alliances:
In the next section, we will look specifically at the importance of building a network of allies. Building allies is about making connections and working together toward a common goal with common values, supporting one another's ideas and creating a sounding board for anti-bias curriculum planning. By building allies, a stronger foundation is laid for more significant work to be done.
Learn:
Building alliances is about working together, giving and receiving support and creating a sounding board for anti-bias curriculum planning. Alliance-building also gives teachers space to discuss critical practices for anti-bias education.

Diversity and social justice topics such as race, immigration and LGBT issues may be difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. Having a critical mass of support can help forward the agenda and provide support in the face of resistance. If the ally group includes a diverse range of members, the work won't become identified with the perceived interests or agendas of a specific group.

More voices means a broader platform from which to deepen the impact in your classroom and school community.
Apply:
Educators have many options for networking and building allies, some of which are listed below.

Which of these options do you currently utilize or participate in? Which of these options will you consider utilizing?

Fill in the chart by placing an X in the column under "currently use" for those activities you participate in and an X in the column under "would like to use" for those activities you will consider participating in.

Reflect on the items you put into the "would like to use" column, choose one to act on immediately. Some possible starting points include:

Name three support system details that are necessary to your success.

Working in a cohort? Share your thoughts with the group.
Leading Beyond the Classroom:
Let's now look at leading beyond the classroom.

As advocates for social justice, teachers shape curriculum and demonstrate anti-bias leadership outside the classroom. This means discussing anti-bias education with colleagues, school leaders and powerful community partners. These discussions can benefit not only students, but also families, community members and the larger professional field.
Learn:
In developing of confidence, navigating different groups in society, knowing where to direct one's leadership efforts and in making a difference, demonstrating leadership beyond the classroom supports the four anti-bias domains: Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action.

This work is unfamiliar-even uncomfortable-to many schools and communities. It may take advocacy and support to break through resistance related to time restraints, teacher overload, parent negativity and so on. Teachers also have the power to "lead by example" by showcasing their ongoing learning about diversity and justice and their commitment to creating a better world.
Go Deeper:
Some questions to ask when considering leading beyond the classroom are:

What is the role of the anti-bias education in our classrooms and schools? How can the curriculum's focus on the four anti-bias domains (Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action) be woven through all aspects of teaching, learning, school climate and policy?

How does our own behavior (and sharing of personal knowledge) at school model values from the anti-bias curriculum? Would we like to do more?

Are there relevant community issues that we would like our classes or schools to actively address?

What successes, ideas or lessons from our work might interest immediate colleagues or the larger professional community?

It is important to have conversations regarding social justice.

Answer the following question while watching the interview with Tracy Oliver-Gary, 2011 Teaching Tolerance Award winner:

How does conversation have a lasting impact on Ms. Oliver-Gary's students?

Working in a cohort? Share your thoughts with a partner.
Apply:
Think about how you could initiate a schoolwide conversation about social justice education in your school.

Can discussions be initiated in faculty and staff meetings? Are faculty meetings regularly held? Who makes decisions about training sessions and professional development?
Ongoing Reflection and Learning:
In the next section, we will look specifically at ongoing reflection and learning.
Learn:
Ongoing learning and reflection support one of the four anti-bias domains: Action. Without ongoing efforts, anti-bias education becomes unsustainable and irrelevant. Personal exploration helps prepare teachers to address a broader range of anti-bias topics more deeply.

Ongoing learning and reflection can occur individually and within groups. Examples of such reflection and learning are personal reading, journaling, blogging, attending conferences, taking courses and joining a study group.

Pick one of the following suggested strategies to implement in the coming semester:

1. Journaling: It may be helpful to keep a journal as a place to record evolving thoughts on anti-bias content and curriculum, classroom or school dynamics related to identity and diversity, personal experiences related to these issues and relevant insights from discussion groups and training sessions.

2. Professional development: Professional development workshops and conferences can be a great way to keep current and build content knowledge, skills and leadership on issues related to culturally responsive pedagogy and anti-bias education.

3. Critical friend relationships: Collegial friendships, such as those among allies within the same school, can provide safe, constructive opportunities to work through challenging curricular material, implementation issues or difficult interactions with students, parents/guardians or administrators. "Critical friends" can observe each other's classes, review assignment ideas and openly discuss the joys and complexities of teaching. One of their most important roles is helping colleagues grow by pointing out potential oversights in content or process and by naming any biases or assumptions they observe. To be successful, all of this must be done within a context of mutual care, regard and trust.

Working in a cohort? Share your plan with the group.
Reflect:
At the start of this professional development module, we identified our objectives.

Let's return to them now:

Increase self-awareness and cultural competency

Identify skills to speak up against and respond to prejudice, bias and stereotypes

Explore building allies

Define leading beyond the classroom

Take a minute to remid yourself of key ideas from each objective.

Working in a cohort? Share key ideas with the group.

Let's review the critical practices for teacher leadership introduced here:

Self-awareness and cultural competency

Speaking up against and responding to prejudice, bias and stereotypes

Building allies

Leading beyond the classroom

Ongoing reflection and learning

Take a minute to remind yourself of the key features of each practice.

What is one action you can take to implement the practice? Include reflection for each if necessary.

Working in a cohort? Fill in the table with a colleague.

Lastly, let's extend the exercise.

What can you change tomorrow to incorporate one of the teacher leadership critical practices into your teaching? Keep in mind that this change should be something that takes very little (or no) money or outside resources.

What steps will you take to make this change?
Before you go:
At the beginning of the module, you listed 10 words or attributes you associate with culturally responsive teacher leadership. Return to that list now, and cross out words or attributes you no longer feel apply. Add new words and attributes based on your learning here.

Working in a cohort? Share your thoughts with the group.

For continued reflection purposes, consider starting a journal where you can jot down your thoughts and ideas as you implement Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. Remember that this work is not in addition to what you already do; rather, it should frame what you currently do so that you can be more inclusive in your work with students.

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Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education: Teacher Leadership

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Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators-teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners-who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

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I chose this articles because it is good for preparing teachers of all ages how to treat every student equally and how to put aside any bias they may have. Again, this is effective for many types of bias. That includes cultural, racial, socio-economical status.

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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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I chose this article because I think it does a really good job addressing many issues facing implicit bias. This article gives possible strategies to help avoid race, religious, soci-economic, gender, and other types of biases. As mentioned in the article, these are practices that can be used at any grade level.

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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.