I definitely know I’m not perfect so I’m not trying to say that what I do is best, but I tend to spend a lot of time prefacing everything I say before I say it because I want to try and acknowledge my biases and shortcomings before I start talking. It is impossible to acknowledge them all in one go, but I think those three aspects (reflective, observant, and transparent) are of paramount importance for starting a conversation and to have an engaging, two-way conversation with students and instructors. Great post!

I can say that I’ve been extremely lucky that I haven’t had to struggle with inclusivity in the classroom to date, but I absolutely agree that it can (and should) be applied to every course. Even though it may be difficult for an instructor to see every student’s view it must be a priority to be inclusive. If not for the sole reason that you may be ostracizing someone who may want to contribute and would greatly add to the conversation!

You make a great point that I haven't thought about. Maybe we also have institutionalized racism in major journals. I agree, we need to take a step back and make more research in how these journals are being managed.

I'm sorry to hear that, remember at the end you must feel comfortable and blogging about it is a great first step. Hopefully when you see the positive impact of speaking up you will feel more comfortable doing it.

Again, thanks for sharing!

Thanks Homero! I agree with you that we need to keep the audience in mind. But again, we have to take a step back and see who is setting the standards for these journals. If it is the dominant group which is setting the standards, then we again have a problem of institutionalized discrimination when we ask people to stick to "journal standards". I know it is fine balance between being culturally inclusive and accepting writing which is difficult to comprehend. While all the people irrespective of their writing styles and language proficiency have the burden to make themselves understandable to the audience, the "audience" also has the responsibility of being more generous and inclusive of varied writing patterns in their definition of what is considered effective writing.

I did check the link which you sent. Unfortunately, we do not score high on institutionalized racism and this is exactly why "behave like a Roman while in Rome attitude problematic." It just perpetuates institutionalized racism.

And finally, though I did not talk to that guy about how is comment was discriminatory, but I did make sure that he gets to see this blog post. I know that is not the best thing to do but I am just afraid to speak up. I have been condemned (by the majority) in the past for speaking up and hence, have developed a deep fear of speaking against what I find unjust. Unfortunate, but true!!

Thanks for posting!

Two things I want to comment about your post. One if about the ongoing discussion on the concept of diversity and inclusion that sometimes is used interchangeable. One faculty member in my department uses a great example that I agree with a lot. For him, diversity is to be invited to the party. Inclusion is to be asked to dance.

I believe most of the discussion here is about diversity rather than inclusion. For me particularly, inclusion is the most important thing to promote and to be aware of. This merge into my second comment of the importance of having diverse classrooms.

I really like the way you describe the university system as a business, and I do think that diversity brings a lot of payback. I also think inclusion brings a lot of benefits for the institution as well. By having diverse classrooms students are faced with different opinions, experiences, and perceptions. That help them have a different view on the world. As a consequence, students can be improve their creativity, critical thinking, global awareness, and ability to collaborate with others, skills that are desired in every single major at the university.

Again, great post!

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Thank you for sharing! Thank you for sharing! You raise valid questions, but I believe it aids to some extent if the teacher is aware of their own hidden biases, cultural assumptions, and stereotypes that possibly could impede learning, and contingent upon the age of students, it can be advantageous to have an open dialog about sensitive topics. I like to think of it as, we don’t always have to agree, but the key is being respectful and valuing other people’s thoughts and opinions as well as including everyone within that course community.

Ultimately, I don’t think hidden biases are controlled 100%, because actions are done unconsciously to some extent, but being aware, open, and optimistic aids in moderating those biases. Create an environment where each student has a shared input on the expectations, roles, rules, and responsibilities within the course community, which provides him or her with ownership, self-regulation, and autonomy over what and how they learn.

Excellent post! I highly agree with you that a teacher should find out his/her bias in education and try to overcome them before teaching. Everyone has bias. It is really important for teachers to observe the reactions from each student and treat their feedback seriously. The feedback from students or TA or other instructors will be a great tool to have us to find out our bias or other weak points. Teachers should be brave when facing their bias. Then they will know how to face the bias from students and how to correct it.

I love your idea that to have a statement in the course syllabus to clarify the respect, and ask students to create the rule themselves! It is a great idea to have a small discussion at the beginning of the course and educate students about how to respect each other’s opinions and differences, like a ethic class. If I will be a teacher, I will try to create brave space by listening to each student’s perspective and encourage them to speak out the different voice. I will also try to build their confidence about themselves.

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I love your idea that to have a statement in the course syllabus to clarify the respect, and ask students to create the rule themselves! It is a great idea to have a small discussion at the beginning of the course and educate students about how to respect each other’s opinions and differences, like a ethic class. If I will be a teacher, I will try to create brave space by listening to each student’s perspective and encourage them to speak out the different voice. I will also try to build their confidence about themselves.

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Rafic, you bring some great points about interaction and collaboration among the students. I too believe that teacher--student relationship should not be the only relationship that students learn from in our diverse classrooms. Empowering students to be their authentic selves and learning from each other should be supported and emphasized in most-if not all classrooms. Additionally, students should be equipped with skills (by various classes) to open up and share the diverse views, experiences and cultures instead of jumping to conclusions about their peers.