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I choose this because there are different ways that might help educators treat all of their students with dignity, care and without treading bias.

Jill Suttie. (n.d.). Four ways teachers can reduce implicit bias. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_ways_teachers_can_reduce_implicit_bias

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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.

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I choose this because it talked about gender Bias in the classroom between boys and girls and how teachers can be bias against boys and girls even when grading their

Marco Learning. (2023, April 6). Teacher Bias: The elephant in the classroom. https://marcolearning.com/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom/

all grade levels

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Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom

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The principle is the same—whether it’s gender or race, student preference or handwriting, any factor that causes a teacher to have higher…

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I choose this because it talks about how to design classroom experiences with diversity especially when represented by the students in the classroom.

Gienapp, R. (2023, September 14). Five anti-bias education strategies for Early Childhood Classrooms. PBS SoCal. https://www.pbssocal.org/education/teachers/five-anti-bias-education-strategies-early-childhood-classrooms

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Editor's note: The author of this article is also the author of a resource listed below.
Too often, educators only offer activities about bias and racism on particular days, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. But anti-bias education is most effective when it's woven into everyday classroom experiences, rather than only taking place on special days. For children to internalize messages of affirmation, fairness and empowerment, anti-bias strategies need to be incorporated into all aspects of learning.

But how to begin? Few things interest young children as much as themselves! Anti-bias (and anti-racist) education works best when we start in our own classrooms. Although it might not seem like it at first glance, every group of children is at least a little bit diverse.

It's a good idea to design classroom experiences with diversity (race, gender, family structure, social class, language, religion and disability) in mind, especially the diversity represented by your particular students.

These strategies can help you begin anti-bias education, or go deeper into it, in your classroom.

1. Incorporate Diverse Books That Tell Stories About Children Experiencing Everyday Life

Guy W. Jones and Sally Moomaw, authors of " Lessons from Turtle Island: Native Curriculum in Early Childhood Classrooms," encourage educators to incorporate Native stories into existing preschool units such as homes, families and communities. This helps young children understand that Indigenous peoples are living in the present day - not just the past.

Jones and Moomaw stress this idea because most non-Native children are only aware of American Indians as peoples of the past. The principle of focusing on present-day life and ordinary experiences is important when talking about other groups of people as well.

Books that are explicitly about bias shouldn't be the only diverse books that children experience. Young children are especially interested in daily activities and topics such as food, play, families and work. One crucial anti-bias strategy is to provide many diverse books on these subjects.

For example, a unit on families might feature these books:

2. Create Activities That Allow Children to Share and Celebrate Their Identities

Providing art materials such as crayons and construction paper that can match many different skin tones helps children to feel seen.

Educator Katharine Johnson explores skin tones with her young students by reading Katie Kissinger's " All the Colors We Are/Todos Los Colores de Nuestra Piel: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color/La Historia de Por Qué Tenemos Diferentes Colores de Piel," which helps children understand why we have many shades of skin. In circle time, Johnson provides a variety of paint chips in shades of brown, tan and peach. After the children help her find the chip that best matches her skin, she scatters the chips throughout the room. Children then help each other find the best match for their skin.

Teachers can also blend acrylic paints together to provide many different skin tone shades for self-portrait making. This lesson plan from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) includes direction for both creating a self-portrait and having discussions about skin tones.

Another great idea comes from educator Rita Tenorio, who invites students to create "me pockets" by filling a clear, letter-sized plastic sleeve (the kind used for baseball cards) with photos, drawings and other things that help others get to know them. After everyone's me pockets are returned to the classroom, Tenorio creates a binder for them so children can look at them as if they were a book. As they look at them, children experience the cultural and linguistic diversity of their peers.

3. Prevent and Address Microaggressions with Role-Plays

Because children hear and absorb prejudices that are common in society, sometimes they will express them in the form of microaggressions. It's important to address these incidents promptly, but without shaming children. Scolding will lead to children hiding their behavior rather than unlearning biases.

Role-plays are one way to anticipate prejudicial comments that are likely to happen, as well as to respond after a microaggression has taken place.

Persona dolls (which the teacher introduces and gives a backstory to) can be used for role-plays about bias. The role-play can include lots of discussion, including what could be done differently or what a bystander could say. Since persona dolls can be expensive, it might be a good idea to ask if a parent from the class who can sew can make some. I have also printed out and laminated stock photos of children and created backstories for them as alternatives to persona dolls.

" Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves " by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards provides several examples of how to use persona dolls in roleplays. In one instance, a teacher introduced a doll named Lucia, who was upset because "when she drew a picture of her family - herself and her grandma - another child said to her, 'That can't be your family, 'cause there's no mommy and daddy in it!'" The teacher asked the children to name how Lucia might be feeling, and led them in a discussion about the many different forms families can take.

Role-plays with dolls or photo cards can also address incidents of bias after they happen. Before doing this, it's important to privately talk to the child who was the target of the microaggression about what happened and how they're feeling. Ask their permission before having a role-play with the class. During the roleplay, be sure to talk about feelings, as well as what other children could say if they witness a similar incident. The goal is not to shame children who have committed a microaggression, but to help all children understand why the comment was hurtful.

4. Explore the Stories of Social Justice Movements

As we talk with children about injustice, it's important to share stories of the people and movements who have worked to change these injustices. This lays a foundation for children to see that all of us, no matter our age, can find ways to speak up.

As teachers introduce children to brave leaders for justice, they can share what these people were like as kids through books. For example, " Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis," written by Jabari Asim and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, describes how Congressman John Lewis learned about peacemaking and speaking up for the vulnerable as he cared for his chickens.

"Side by Side/Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La Historia de Dolores Huerta Y César Chávez," written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Joe Cepeda, shows how César Chávez and Dolores Huerta's childhoods inspired them to fight for farm workers.

Adults should also offer stories that counter the idea of a single person being the only force that changed injustices like segregation. Look for books and other materials that tell the stories of ordinary people who were part of movements for justice. " Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation," written by Andrea Davis Pickney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney, talks about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King's roles in the Birmingham bus boycott. However, the main focus of the story is the sacrifices of the ordinary citizens of Birmingham that made victory possible.

5. Provide Children with Opportunities to Speak Up About Bias

One of the best ways to teach children that they can challenge bias and injustice is to give them concrete opportunities to do this!

"Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves" shares how educator Nancy Spangler provided such an opportunity to her class.

Spangler's 3 and 4-year-old class was a place where teachers and students worked hard to make everyone feel included. But one day when she pulled out a game, the teacher noticed that all the characters in the game were white.

She drew the children's attention to this and asked them if the cards "look like all the people you know?" The children said no, identifying many kinds of people who were missing from the card set.

Spangler helped the children draft a letter to the maker of the cards, where the children shared what they thought was wrong with cards. The children also used skin tone pens they already had in the classroom to recolor the existing cards so they would "look real."

More Anti-Bias Resources for Early Childhood Educators

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Five Anti-Bias Education Strategies for Early Childhood Classrooms

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Here are a few strategies and resources that can help you begin anti-bias education, or go deeper into it, in your classroom by incorporating messages of affirmation, fairness and empowerment into all aspects of learning.

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Scholastic offers book lists and teaching strategies for promoting diversity in the classroom. With teacher providing literature and multicultural perspective of different book, they can have an understanding among students and confront bias and discrimination.

Collections. Scholastic. (n.d.). https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/collections.html

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I choose this website because it provides different resources and advocacy for inclusive education to practice the support for students with disabilities, so that as future educators can support learning environments for all students.

About Us. Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. (2021, November 10). https://dredf.org/about-us/

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Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), founded in 1979, is a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities.

Americans with disabilities make up one of the United States' largest minorities. More than 25% live in poverty and only about 20% have gone to college. Seventy-five percent are unemployed. Such economic and social disenfranchisement is not an inevitable consequence of the physical and mental limitations imposed by disability; it is the result of society's historic response to those limitations: lack of accessibility in the built environment and policies that encourage or even require exclusion, segregation, and institutionalization. The result is a legacy of prejudice and paternalism that is deeply embedded in the social consciousness.

Our Mission

To advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development.

Our Vision

A just world where all people, with and without disabilities, live full and independent lives free of discrimination.

We work with the core principles of equality of opportunity, disability accommodation, accessibility, and inclusion by employing the following strategies:

We train and educate people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities about their rights under state and federal disability rights laws so they can use the laws as tools to challenge exclusion and discrimination, and advocate effectively for full participation in the lives of their communities.

We educate lawyers, service providers, government officials, and many others about disability civil rights laws and policies

For over two decades we have operated a disability rights legal clinic in collaboration with law schools in the San Francisco Bay Area including Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

We represent clients in leading edge disability rights litigation

We serve as co-counsel and prepare amicus curiae briefs on behalf of parties that include disability community representatives and members of Congress in disability rights cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court

We advocate for the legal rights of individuals and families

We design and carry out strategies that strengthen public policy and that lead to the enactment of federal and state laws protecting and advancing civil rights for people with disabilities such as the Handicapped Children's Protection Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act, the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, and the IDEA Amendments Act.

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About Us - Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), founded in 1979, is a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities. Americans with disabilities make up one of the United States' largest minorities.

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I choose this because this website it has a lot of different strategies that can help a educator with students who have autism in their classroom and how to help them.

L., R., Kathryn, & Elizabeth. (n.d.). Autism speaks. Autism Speaks. https://www.autismspeaks.org/

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Gender Spectrum provides resources and training for educators on creating gender-inclusive schools. Their materials include policy guidance to help schools address bias and discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Gender spectrum. Gender Spectrum. (n.d.). https://www.genderspectrum.org/

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I choose this because it helps teachers provide resources and strategies on creating for gender-inclusive students. This will help to address bias and discrimination based on gender identity and expression to students.

Developing a gender inclusive school. Welcoming Schools. (n.d.). https://welcomingschools.org/resources/framework-for-developing-a-gender-inclusive-school

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School-based or district-wide steps that help create a foundation for gender inclusive practices.

Educate staff to understand the complexities of gender as well as specific methods to stop gender based harassment, bullying and hurtful teasing.

Provide training for all school personnel-from teachers, aides and counselors to administrative staff, bus drivers, recess aides, and cafeteria workers.

Policies / Administrative Regulations

Ensure anti-bullying policies are enumerated and specifically name groups that are more frequently targeted for harassment. Make sure these policies include actual or perceived gender identity and sexual orientation. Naming it, helps stop it.

Provide access to gender neutral restroom/facilities with options for privacy that do not stigmatize any students.

Allow children to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.

Have policies in place regarding gender inclusion.

Have policies and procedures in place regarding challenges to books or curricula.

Reframe dress codes to describe what the school considers appropriate clothing without assigning clothing options to particular genders.

Student Records and Student Information Systems

Review parent/guardian forms allowing them to specify their relationship to the child regardless of gender.

Allow families to specify a child's gender marker, preferred name and pronoun.

Review forms used in your school that include children's names or pronouns such as attendance records or class lists to ensure accurate names and gender are used.

Ensure privacy for transgender students. Clarify who has access to records.

Take a look at these steps a school can take to welcome and provide safety and clarity for an individual student, Gender Support Checklist for Transgender and Non-Binary Students.

Relational Approaches

Individual interactions and communications can reinforce the school's commitment to gender inclusion.

Inclusive Messages

Develop classroom messages that emphasize "All children can..."

Use inclusive phrases to address your class as a whole - students, children or scholars.

Group students in ways that do not rely on gender - table groups, letters in their names, colors of their clothes...

Be a role model! Give examples of how you or people you know like to do things outside of gender stereotypes. Model gender diversity in your own manner of expression.

Individualized Attention

Let students know that you see their strengths and that you can appreciate their unique qualities.

Encourage students to find activities that they enjoy and that respect their interests. This helps children develop social connections.

Honor the name and the pronouns that a student uses.

Stopping Gender-Based Bullying and Teasing

Ensuring Good Communication with Parents and Caregivers

Be ready to support families with gender expansive children. Help parents/guardians see their child's strengths - academic, artistic, athletic, dramatic or interpersonal.

Hold an evening event for parents and caregivers in your school community to help people understand the importance and complexity of gender for children.

With families, share ways to talk about gender that are affirming, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate.

Instructional Approaches

Some ideas to integrate gender inclusion in your planned curriculum.

Lesson Plans

Use lesson plans that help students see, appreciate and understand one another as individuals.

Use lesson plans that help children identify gender stereotyping and limits such as examining popular culture, advertising, picture books or toys for children.

Discuss and practice ways students can stop gender stereotyping and put-downs in school.

Teach ways for students to be an ally and stick up for one another.

Integrate gender topics into the curriculum through story problems, writing prompts, readings, art assignments or music.

Classroom Activities

Read books that encourage discussion of gender assumptions and that challenge gender stereotypes and limits.

Provide role models through books - biographies or fictional - that show a wide range of occupations and achievements for all genders.

Invite guest speakers who expand the vision of ways to achieve and thrive that are gender-expansive.

Based on Gender Spectrum's Framework for Gender Inclusive Schools and Welcoming Schools Gender and Children: A Place to Begin.

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School-based or district-wide steps that help create a foundation for gender inclusive practices. Educate staff to understand the complexities of gender as well as specific methods to stop gender based harassment, bullying and hurtful teasing. Provide training for all school personnel-from teachers, aides and counselors to administrative staff, bus drivers, recess aides, and cafeteria workers.

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I choose this because it gives 5 different examples on how to create anti-bias in your classroom. To teach our children and classroom community to carry anti-bias and to work together so that they can advocate for themselves and their peers.

Teaching young children to understand and accept differences. Teaching Young Children to Understand and Accept Differences | Lesley University. (n.d.). https://lesley.edu/article/teaching-young-children-to-understand-and-accept-differences

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Teaching Young Children to Understand and Accept Differences | Lesley University

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Through anti-bias education, early childhood educators can create learning communities that support human differences. Discover how you can foster an empathetic classroom.

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I choose this because it gives 5 ways of strategies for teachers that can address their socioeconomic gaps in the classroom. It also talks about how students probably are facing at home and how it affects their behavior at school.

Hayes, J. (2023, December 29). 5 ways teachers can address socioeconomic gaps in the classroom. Social Studies. https://www.socialstudies.com/blog/5-ways-teachers-can-address-the-poverty-gap-in-the-classroom/

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5 Ways Teachers Can Address Socioeconomic Gaps in the Classroom - Social Studies

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For my first permanent teaching position, I was lucky enough to fill a history position at a small K-8 school in a rural community.