Topics Map > Inclusive Teaching > Equity & Inclusion

Know Yourself

How our social identities influence our lives and can influence teaching and interactions with students.

Educators need to be aware of our social identities and assumptions and help students do the same. Why? Social identities impact the quality of our courses' social and emotional dynamics, which also impacts learning and retention. A critical consideration of equity- and inclusive-minded teaching is acknowledging that our students come to us with vastly different experiences, and those experiences are often tied to their social identities (i.e., race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, first-generation status, etc.). Therefore, equity and inclusion should be considered in every aspect of teaching. Building equitable, inclusive classrooms requires ongoing work and reflection.

Sathy and Hogan (2022, p. 11) describe a teaching inclusive mindset by explaining that every pedagogical decision should be countered with two questions:

  1. Who might be left behind as a result of my practice?
  2. How can I invite those students in?
“Our commitment is to create an environment that engages “the whole person” in the service of learning, recognizing that individual differences should be considered foundational to our strength as a community, and at the core of our ability to be an innovative, creative, and adaptable institution preparing leaders for the 21st century. As such, this framework acknowledges areas of individual differences in personality; learning styles; life experiences; and group or social differences that may manifest through personality, learning styles, life experiences, and group or social differences. Our definition of diversity also incorporates differences of race and ethnicity; sex; gender, and gender identity or expression; age, sexual orientation; country of origin; language; disability; emotional health; socio-economic status; and affiliations that are based on cultural, political, religious, or other identities.” — Forward Together, 2015 (from Diversity Inventory)

Our social identities influence our lives and our teaching, as well as our interactions with our students. An important aspect of developing a critically reflective teaching practice (Brookfield 1998) is awareness of how one’s identity impacts how we teach and how our students learn. Our identities inform how we understand the world, interact with it, and how others perceive us — including our students.

|

Summary

Our identities help us understand the idea of positionality or the way our social locations and positions are assigned and negotiated based on social factors like race, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. They also inform the perspectives we take when we teach.

References

  • Brookfield, S. (1998). Critically reflective practice. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 18(4), 197-205.
  • Sathy, V., & Hogan, K. A. (2022). Inclusive teaching: Strategies for promoting equity in the college classroom.


Keywords:
online, teaching, social identities, diversity, inclusion
Doc ID:
122421
Owned by:
Karen S. in Instructional Resources
Created:
2022-11-09
Updated:
2024-08-23
Sites:
Center for Teaching, Learning & Mentoring