From Chaos to Order: Understanding and Applying Anti-racist Pedagogy in Everyday Teaching

During the past two years, unfamiliar terms, such as antiracist pedagogy, have been pushed in front of educators and we can no longer ignore them. In this session, we will explore and delve deeply into the what, why, how, when of antiracist pedagogy: what antiracist pedagogy means, why educators need to apply it in teaching, how antiracist pedagogy looks like in classrooms and virtual learning environments, when it is most appropriate to use,  its connections to other pedagogical approaches, and a handful of cases where antiracist pedagogy is applied in college level courses, in learning materials, in learning activities, or in assessments. We will also brainstorm together how antiracist pedagogy and inclusive pedagogy can be applied in participants’ teaching. 

1. Current hot topics 1.1 Jamboard Audience Interaction & Group Discussion: 

What hot topics are grabbing your attention in the past two years? Which topics do you feel like learning more about but haven’t had time to learn in depth or to figure out how to apply? 

1.2 a Current Hot Topics for Educators 2. Goal of Education

2.1 Jamboard Audience Interaction & Group Discussion: What do you think is the goal of education? Why? 

2.2 Goal of Education

In 1916, in Democracy and Education, Dewey wrote that “the aim of education is to enable individuals to continue their education… the object and reward of learning is continued capacity for growth” (Dewey 1916/1980, p. 107). In 1921, in an essay on “Aims and Ideals in Education” contributed to the Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Education, Dewey again defended “growth as aim and ideal” in education (Dewey 1921/1983). In 1930, in the essay “Philosophy and Education,” Dewey wrote that “the ultimate aim of education is nothing other than the creation of human beings in the fullness of their capacities” (Dewey 1930/1984, p. 289). 

“helping all students be the very best and most capable people they can be (Marc Prensky, 2014; https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-the-goal-of-education-is-becoming/2014/05 )”

What are the 7 Goals of Education? By Lee-ann Meredith. (February 12, 2014, Opinion, The Educators Room. https://theeducatorsroom.com/7-goals-education/ )(future problem-solver; critical thinker; troubleshooter/strategizer; moral; a good citizen; enjoy life with passions; happy; The purpose of education is to help each person reach their human potential.)

3. Anti-racist Pedagogy 3.1 Definition. 

Antiracist Pedagogy is a paradigm located within Critical Theory utilized to explain and counteract the persistence and impact of racism.(Blakeney, 2011)

3.2 Examples of Anti-racist Pedagogy

a.              Great Ideas in Philosophy: re-evaluate the learning materials provided to include indigenous philosophies, black philosophy, polynesian philosophy, African philosophy, and twentieth century religious thought on christianity, Islam, Judaism and Eastern Religions as either optional learning materials or required/selected learning materials, in case any student might be interested in those topics which are not typically included in a western philosophy core course. 

b.              Equine Stable Management Course: The original welcome week discussion prompt was to ask students to introduce their “favorite 4-legged critter.” After considering potential learner variability, the prompt was modified by adding the following option: “If you do not have a 4-legged critter right now, what would it be if you could?”

c.              in Math 251, “Differential Calculus” and in may online courses developed with Ecampus support at Oregon State University, learning materials were provided using multiple means of representation to provide options for perception, language and symbols, and comprehension. [analyze this choice a bit]To help learners understand the Optimization concept and process, a scenario is provided: suppose a beet farmer has 500 feet of fencing to build the fence. She wants to build a rectangular pen with four equally sized sections separated by three partitions. What are the dimensions of the fence that maximize the total area of the pens? An animated video was created with assistance from multimedia developers from Ecampus to help the instructor explain the process of solving this problem. The linked image shows major steps in the problem solving process. Instead of using a typical white male farmer, the graphic designer used a woman of color to represent the farm in this animation story problem, as an example of applying inclusive design and anti-racist design. 

3.3 General Guidelines on Implementation of Anti-racist Pedagogy

 anti-racist pedagogy in action first steps: 1. Self-educate and acknowledge racial trauma; 2. Interrogate your positionality and (un)conscious biases; 3. Address curricular gaps with intentional course design; 4. Foster a compassionate class community and meet students where they are; and 5. Engage the wider campus community and commit to action beyond classroom.

4. CONNECTIONS      4.1 ANTI-RACIST PEDAGOGY AND OTHER PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES: HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED? 

            Inclusive frameworks include but are not limited to:

·                 Inclusive Pedagogy (Tuitt, et. al., 2016)

·                 Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (Harris, et. al, 2001)

·                 Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995)

·                 Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies (Paris et. al., 2017)

·                 Funds of Knowledge (Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N., 1992)

·                 Humanizing Pedagogy (Del Carmen Salazar, 2013)

·                 Intersectional Pedagogy (Case, 2016)

·                 Universal Design for Learning (CAST) 

          Connection to neuropedagogy

          Connection to UDL

          Connection to cultural responsive pedagogy

          Connection to other pedagogical approaches

5. Jamboard Audience Interaction & Group Discussion: What is one thing you have tried or could do to implement anti-racist pedagogy in your teaching or work? Any plans for implementing more than one thing? 
  6. TakeAway Handout/Electronic Resources Provided