Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the Classroom Kaatje Kraft and Tessa Hill

Why is diversity important in the geosciences? See my comments earlier – not sure we need this 1 slide, or if perhaps it should be at the very beginning? I believe Rachel & I went back and forth on this—we ended up putting it at the end in case we ran out of time, but also to close it with that acknowledgement of why this is something we care about and that it continues to be ongoing conversation. But 2015 is now more dated than it was last year. ;) Old text: In December’s Fisher v. University of Texas case, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. posed two questions: “What unique perspective does a minority student bring to a physics class?” “I’m just wondering what the benefits of diversity are in that situation?”

Questions to frame today’s discussion What biases do we bring into the classroom? Defining issues & how they impact student learning and performance What strategies might we employ to make our classrooms more inclusive? Tessa suggested changes: -I modified the 2nd bullet so that it was more broad, see suggestions on later slide -I am not sure we need the final bullet – it seems like we could start out by stating some of the benefits without actually putting this as a bullet or a slide, or even start out with that as a discussion question.

What biases might students bring into the classroom? 2016 NIH study on how college biology students view classmates’ intelligence and achievements: Males more likely than females to be named by males as knowledgeable about course content Males overestimated male grades by 0.57 on 4-pt scale Females appraised students based on performance without showing bias https://hbr.org/2016/06/are-u-s-millennial-men-just-as-sexist-as-their-dads# Discuss effect on group dynamics, class dynamics and confidence Grunspan et al., 2016, Males Under-Estimate Academic Performance of Their Female Peers in Undergraduate Biology Classrooms. PLoS One 11 (2): e0148405

Bias & micro aggressions in the classroom “I’m almost guaranteed to have two seats next to me open, unless one of my black friends is in my class.” “It wasn’t so much that the professors made the class hard, it was the study groups and stuff…Sometimes you are not even invited into the study groups.” “One day I was standing in the hallway and there was this group of white kids talking, and they basically said that the only way you come to this school as a black kid is if you’re on an athletic scholarship or if they lowered the standards for you.” Alexander et al., 1998. Minority Undergraduate Retention at UW-Madison; LEAD report

Types of biases & assumptions Stereotype threat Imposter syndrome Implicit bias Microaggressions White privilege I modified this slide to include imposter syndrome and implicit bias. I think one thing we could do is to ask people to define what each of these terms mean to them, and then circle back with some data/research on what they are? I always struggle with the white privilege one… it gets folks so defensive, but considering our population, it’s kind of important to acknowledge. That’s why I like the biking article, it helps put it in terms that they can understand… agreed.

Reading article

Equitable teaching strategies With the provided article, consider each suggestion and mark a: “N” for never used “O” for occasionally used “R” for used regularly “W” for something you’d like to try “?” For any that need more explanation or examples For the activity: Ask participants to mark as N (never used), O (use occasionally) R – use regularly W – would like to try or ? For would like an explanation or example (could include 9-13 as separate page instead of individual slides) Tanner, 2013, “Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity.” CBE – Life Sciences Education, v. 12, p. 322-331.

Equitable teaching strategies Allow students opportunities to think and talk about geoscience Encourage, demand, and actively manage the participation of all students Build an inclusive and fair classroom community for all students Monitor (your own and students’) behavior to cultivate divergent geoscience thinking Teach all of the students in your classroom For the activity: Ask participants to mark as N (never used), O (use occasionally) R – use regularly W – would like to try or ? For would like an explanation or example (could include 9-13 as separate page instead of individual slides) Tanner, 2013, “Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity.” CBE – Life Sciences Education, v. 12, p. 322-331.

Diversify your Syllabus Make a concerted effort to include readings from diverse authors & perspectives on your syllabus Example: “History of Oceanography” Include a statement about inclusion on your syllabus “[Our Department] embraces a notion of intellectual community enriched and enhanced by diversity along a number of dimensions, including race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, class and religion. We are especially committed to increasing the representation of those populations that have been historically excluded from participation in U.S. higher education.” –example from Brown University https://ctl.yale.edu/DiversityStatements

What strategies might you employ to create a more inclusive class in your next course? (biology article example, or jigsaw, or filling out questionnaire from article or discussion here or pointing out key examples?)