Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:
A Faculty Toolkit

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Grounding Teaching & Learning in Responsiveness to Students’ Identities

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Content Knowledge

Content knowledge should include information about the biased decision-making processes behind published works distributed in a college, shared on social media and accepted as valid or legitimate.

Why?

To equip students as knowledge builders, they must learn that what is regarded as valid knowledge is social and subjective.

Pedagogical Knowledge

Pedagogical knowledge should include a plan and support for students to work in pairs where they can be co-leaders of a learning project.

Why?

Students become knowledge builders and active learners through opportunities for self-empowerment.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Pedagogical content knowledge should include activities where students can draw on knowledge of themselves (i.e., their identities and communities) to facilitate learning of the subject matter.

Why?

Students learn more effectively when they build on self and prior knowledge.

Student-Student or Student-Instructor Interactions

Student-instructor interactions should involve students leading to explain the links between their identities and the content ; in student- student interactions they should question the biases that affect what is “valid”, “alternative” or “not valid.”

Why?

Students engage more with learning when instructors model the sharing of leadership (i.e. power) and are critical of the content.

Assessment

Assessment should include an independent project where students demonstrate the application of course content to the critical evaluation of data from their peers/communities outside of school.

Why?

Knowledge building occurs when students can crystallize their learning inside and outside of school as a coherent construct.

Apply It!

Refer to a course you are currently teaching or have recently taught.

Name of course you will be using for this exercise:

Can you provide an opportunity for students to draw on knowledge of themselves to facilitate learning of any of the subject matter? Briefly describe the material and how you can create an opportunity for students to make personal connections:

Is there an activity or an assignment wherein students can work in pairs and be co-leaders of a learning project? Briefly describe the activity/assignment: