The following three scenarios provide examples of how Teaching for Belonging enhances the classroom experience for all students. How instructors manage the planning of their curriculum or the ways in which challenging comments are dealt within the classroom enhances student learning and solidifies the credibility of instructors.
We invite you to pull out a copy of the rubric provided in Module 3. We also encourage you to think about the course you have decided to enhance and further develop using the EDI toolkit as you engage with the following 3 scenarios. Take notes, record ideas and reflect on what you see as you watch. You will also be prompted to participate by indicating what you think the instructor should say or do in the following scenarios.
In a psychology class, the instructor and 28 students form a circle to discuss learning through direct experience and navigating issues of power. Two (2) research journal articles were provided as reading material, and 3 students volunteered to compose questions that would help initiate the whole class discussion. Each volunteer prepared 1 to 2 questions.
Before the class discussion, what should the instructor do?
In response to a student-made question about examples of learning through direct experience, 1 member of the class, a White person, describes a summer program that involved living and studying on an Indigenous reserve. The student ends her description of the program with the comment, "They [Indigenous peoples] have nothing." The other students become silent, and there are 2 Indigenous students in the class.
After the student's comment, what should the instructor say? Keep in mind how others might perceive the student's comment.
The student reiterates her last comment and says loudly, "They've been destroyed! I was there [on the Indigenous reserve]'! They have nothing! They have nothing!" Everyone else in the class remains silent.
What should the instructor say?
The student calms down, and the discussion shifts to the next student-made question about the need for lessons that tap into learners' communities. During this segment of the discussion, one of the Indigenous student says, "I'm First Nations and learning about my people." She adds that she visits her people's reserve three times a year and has not seen what her White peer saw on the other reserve. It is possible that the Indigenous student would not have participated in the discussion if she did not observe the instructor addressing the incorrect view.
After the student calms down, what should the instructor say?
If the instructor does not respond to the student's misconception, the impact of such inaction would be alienating the Indigenous students in the class, and failing to model the poised critique of a problematic view. No response in this scenario is a sign of condoning erroneous statements.
In a psychology class, the instructor and 28 students form a circle to discuss learning through direct experience and navigating issues of power. Two (2) research journal articles were provided as reading material, and 3 students volunteered to compose questions that would help initiate the whole class discussion. Each volunteer prepared 1 to 2 questions.
Before the class discussion, what should the instructor do?
The instructor encouraged the student volunteers to read the articles early, so they have time to edit and refine their questions. Furthermore, the instructor advised the volunteers to ask questions that would stimulate their peers to think deeply about the topic. A point the instructor raised about power is that historical inequities have caused the groups with less of it to be viewed in terms of the group with more of it and not themselves (e.g., their sociocultural assets). To assist the volunteers, the instructor provided feedback on the first drafts of their questions. The student-made questions were completed and submitted to the instructor 2 days before the discussion.
In response to a student-made question about examples of learning through direct experience, 1 member of the class, a White person, describes a summer program that involved living and studying on an Indigenouse reserve. The student ends her description of the program with the comment, "They [Indigenous peoples] have nothing." The other students become silent, and there are 2 Indigenous students in the class.
After the students' comment: What should the instructor say? (Hint: How would other people interpret the student's comment?)
"I hear you. We also can't confuse what Indigenous peoples know and have with the atrocities committed against them. White people's mistreatment of Indigenous peoples is not the defining characteristic of Indigeneity."
The student reiterates her last comment and says loudly, "They've been destroyed! I was there [on the Indigenous reserve]! They have nothing! They have nothing!" Everyone else in the class remains silent.
What should the instructor say?
"The wealth of Indigenous cultures and the achievement of Indigenous peoples are a permanent part of the world. Nothing can erase that. Don't confuse the peoples and cultures with the wrongdoing they've suffered. Indigenous peoples must have something because you learned from them, the benefits of which went to you and the college."
The student calms down, and the discussion shifts to the next student-made question about the need for lessons that tap into learners' communities. During this segment of the discussion, one of the Indigenous students says, "I'm First Nations and learning about my people." She adds that she visits her people's reserve three times a year and have not seen what her White peer saw on the other reserve. It is possible that the Indigenous student would not have participated in the discussion if she did not observe the instructor addressing the incorrect view.
After the student calms down, what should the instructor say?
"It isn't easy to challenge what other people feel strongly about. Likewise, it isn't easy to be challenged about what we feel strongly about. This kind of discussion is good because it pushes us to expand and be critical of our views. We're really engaging with the topic in a bold way."
If the instructor does not respond to the student's misconception, the impact of such inaction would be alienating the Indigenous students in the class, losing credibility among all students and failing to model the poised critique of a problematic view. No response in this scenario is a sign of condoning erroneous statements.
An instructor has been teaching a criminology course for several semesters.
After attending an Equity and Inclusion dialogue on anti-Black racism, the instructor has realized that the current content reinforces false stereotypes of over-involvement in the criminal justice system. For example, rational choice and social disorganization theory as well as the unidimensional statistics such as the over-representation of Black and Indigenous peoples in the justice system without the context of structural and systemic factors that lead to hyper surveillance and targeting.
They would like to revise the syllabus and course material to be critical of the content and its impact on various communities.
What should the instructor ask themselves?
The instructor critiques the theories and statistics because the false stereotype of the over-involvement of Black peoples is embedded within them. The instructor provides additional resources to give the students a broader and more critical view of criminology.
What should the instructor ask themselves?
When encountering criminological theories in the future, students can ask the following questions to help them continue to think critically.
What should the instructor ask themselves?
If the instructor does not adapt the syllabus, equity-deserving students will not connect to the course materials and may not feel left out or further disenfranchised by the instruction. Research has indicated that students retain learning when they feel a connection to the material that is taught. It is pivotal for instructors to practice the depth of critical thinking that they should encourage in their students.
An instructor has been teaching a criminology course for several semesters. After attending an Equity and Inclusion dialogue on anti-Black racism, the instructor has realized that the current content reinforces false stereotypes of over-involvement in the criminal justice system. For example, rational choice and social disorganization theory as well as unidimensional statistics such as the over-representation of Black and Indigenous peoples in the justice system without the context of structural and systemic factors that lead to hyper-surveillance and targeting. They would like to revise the syllabus and course material to be critical of the content and its impact on various communities.
What should the instructor ask themself?
Instructors can ask themselves the following questions:
The instructor critiques the theories and statistics because the false stereotype of the over-involvement of Black peoples is embedded within them. The instructor provides additional resources to give the students a broader and more critical view of criminology.
What should the instructor ask themself?
Instructors can ask themselves the following questions:
When encountering criminological theories in the future, students can ask the following questions to help them continue to think critically:
What should the instructor ask themself?
Instructors can ask themselves the following questions:
In a community building class, the instructor organizes an examination of socio-economic group differences and their impacts. In this exercise, the meals students receive vary based on the socioeconomic group to which they are assigned. The socioeconomic groups in this exercise reflect different income levels within Canada. As an experiential exercise, students are treated differently based on the socioeconomic status to which they are randomly assigned by the instructor. The instructor brought in four facilitators to help the groups discuss questions about why they are in this group, how SES becomes entwined with race, and what can they do to move out of the group to which they have been assigned. Various scenarios move students from one group to another and the class explores the impact of that move. Groups take actions to try to change where they were allocated. The focus of this exercise is both socio-economic group differences and economic mobility.
What should the instructor do?
During the whole-group debrief at the end of the exercise, a White student asks, “Aren’t Black people just lazy?” A racialized student interrupts saying, “He does this all the time. I’m really tired of hearing this crap in my classes. His questions are incredibly offensive to racialized people.” Other students in the class nod in agreement. Silence descends on the class.
After the outburst, what should the instructor say?
After class, the male White student speaks with the instructor, indicating he was raised in a "very White small town". His secondary education did not discuss any of the material covered in his classes. Since he has been in post-secondary, he has learned so much about the experiences of others. He does not want to be offensive; he asks questions because he genuinely does not know. He asks how he should participate in classes going forward.
What should the instructor say?
If the instructor does not respond to the interaction in the classroom, the White student may be ostracized, the racialized students may feel alienated, and the instructor may lose credibility in the classroom.
In a community building class, the instructor organizes an examination of socio-economic group differences and their impacts. In this exercise, the meals students receive vary based on the socioeconomic group to which they are assigned. The socioeconomic groups in this exercise reflect different income levels within Canada. As an experiential exercise, students are treated differently based on the socioeconomic status to which they are randomly assigned by the instructor. The instructor brought in four facilitators to help the groups discuss questions about why they are in this group, how SES becomes entwined with race, and what can they do to move out of the group to which they have been assigned. Various scenarios move students from one group to another and the class explores the impact of that move. Groups take actions to try to change to where they were allocated. The focus of this exercise is both socio-economic group differences and economic mobility.
What should the instructor do?
The students were assigned a reading to prepare them for the learning exercise. They were also reminded to review materials from Week One on Empathy and Week Two on Privilege. The instructor invites students to a meal to be hosted by the professor. The instructor randomly assigns students to four income levels and treats the students differently based on that status.
During the whole group debrief at the end of the exercise, a White student asks, “Aren’t Black people just lazy?” A racialized student interrupts saying, “He does this all the time. I’m really tired of hearing this crap in my classes. His questions are incredibly offensive to racialized people.” Other students in the class nod in agreement. Silence descends on the class.
What should the instructor do?
After the outburst, the instructor says:
“I hear you both. This is a learning environment, and we all have different levels of knowledge and understanding. However, we must all be responsible for the impact of our words, not the intent behind them.”
“Your question is offensive because it reflects and reinforces false stereotypes and assumptions about people whose experiences are different from your own. Black people are not lazy. The research clearly demonstrates that Black people are less likely to be hired for positions for which they are qualified and often over-qualified due to systemic racism and implicit bias.”
After correcting the negative stereotype, the instructor adds, “Look around you. How many Black or Indigenous instructors have you had? There are numerous Black and Indigenous people with PhD’s. Why do you not see them here as instructors? Why are there so many racialized people with PhD’s and/or medical degrees driving taxis?”
“When we have these difficult conversations, problematic assumptions may be uncovered and we have to address them. It doesn’t mean the person who holds that assumption is a bad person. It’s about moving everyone away from faulty ideas and having more constructive dialogue.”
After class, the male White student speaks with the instructor, indicating he was raised in a "very White small town". His secondary education did not discuss any of the material covered in his classes. Since he has been in post-secondary, he has learned so much about the experiences of others. He does not want to be offensive; he asks questions because he genuinely does not know. He asks how he should participate in classes going forward.
What should the instructor do?
After the student explains his behaviour, the instructor says:
“You may not intend to be offensive, however, it’s the impact of your behaviour on others that’s important. Listen to your classmates. The way you worded your question framed racialized people in a demeaning way. Using empathy, think about the impact of your questions before you ask them. Remembering what we covered in Week 2, think about your privilege and the privileges others may not have had. Take time to reflect on previous class engagements and do some research on your own about the experiences of others.”
The instructor provides two articles about negative stereotypes and racism in employment to help the student be more critical of his assumptions and how he communicates to others
