C4

From The Eco-STEM Wiki

Climate C4: Creates an inclusive environment

Practices

  • Sharing of one's own personal background, interests, etc. will help the instructor establish a common “language”, so to speak, that all the class speaks. The instructor and the students can become part of a community with a common language and shared passions. This is a great place to create analogies, spoken in that common language, in order to discuss and learn concepts about the subject matter of the class, with added familiarity.
  • Acknowledging the roles of power and privilege in the classroom helps create an inclusive environment [1]. Taking public ownership of one’s own position relative to social structures supports marginalized students.
    • The practice of “understanding of the diversity and complexity of one’s own social location” (p. 45) is referred to as critical reflexivity [2]. How does your social position - including within the educational institution – compare to those of your students? Practicing critical reflexivity better positions you as an instructor to support your most marginalized students.

Activities

  • To help establish common "language" through shared interests, share your own interests with the class. For example, if, besides being an instructor, one is also a musician, plays a musical instrument, or has a special affective connection with music, one can take advantage of that fact not only for ice-breaking but also for identifying human connections with the students that build up to creating a more inclusive environment. One can introduce oneself to the class and share our love and experience with music at a personal level, letting the students see a side of our human dimension with which (some) students might identify. Typically, in turn, some students will share their own connection to music, what instruments they play or would like to learn how to play, what music genres, artists, etc., they like. Even students that do not play a musical instrument or have no formal connection with music would, in general, be able to participate in this dynamic.
  • Collectively establish classroom community norms, mutually agreed-upon standards of communication and behavior
  • Address inclusivity explicitly within your course syllabi. Here is an example of an inclusive syllabus statement from Dr. Silvia Heubach:

    CLASS COMMUNITY: Active participation is expected from each student because that is how we learn as a class community. You will regularly be put into breakout rooms to work in smaller groups, and we will also have whole-class discussions. To establish a learning environment where we can learn from each other and everybody can be successful, we need to be respectful of each other, allow everybody to speak and participate, and to listen to all classmates and value their opinion. I value the perspectives of individuals from all backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the Cal State LA student body. I broadly define diversity to include race, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, religion, social class, age, sexual orientation, political views, and physical and learning ability. My goal is to make this classroom an inclusive space for all students. If you see ways I can improve, please let me know.

Further Learning

  • Harvard's "Project Implicit Bias" includes self-tests for Implicit Bias, which can help you discover your implicit associations about race, gender, sexual  orientation, and other topics

Observable Behaviors:

C4.1: Presents divergent viewpoints where appropriate 

C4.2: Values all students and their contributions

C4.3: Shows respect and sensitivity to diverse learners, including different ways of knowing

C4.4: Adequately addresses student concerns

  1. ↑ Riley, D. (2003). Employing liberative pedagogies in engineering education. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 9(2). https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/00551c876cc2f027,3d9caafe4b5772d9,0cbccc1f29d50082.html
  2. ↑ Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2017). The practice of qualitative research (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-practice-of-qualitative-research/book240120
  3. ↑ Sandler, B. R. (1996). The chilly classroom climate: A guide to improve the education of women. https://journals.psu.edu/wepan/article/download/57839/57527
  4. ↑ Camacho, M. M., Lord, S. M., Brawner, C. E., & Ohland, M. W. (2010, October). Climate in undergraduate engineering education from 1995 to 2009. In 2010 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. T2H-1). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5673497?casa_token=EkVrfvA8n-kAAAAA:7xa7SWuurllnW9L4cMo9F0yB13ZTuiZPHnbTs4Mm74KQh2F32qyFtEq7Ww04iPWCzAIRiDQ
  5. ↑ Eschenbach, E. A., Virnoche, M., Cashman, E. M., Lord, S. M., & Camacho, M. M. (2014, October). Proven practices that can reduce stereotype threat in engineering education: A literature review. In 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings (pp. 1-9). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7044011?casa_token=DaVlpkZ4Fl0AAAAA:4uEYnYGXG3nC3a0DkbL-NpxMbictf4QXS7gVq3w1rSWtBrKuDOJ1y3v0IvBhNMjxvNzMuWU
  6. ↑ Eschenbach, E. A., Virnoche, M., & Lord, S. M. (2014, October). Special session—" Stereotype threat" and my students: What can I do about it?. In 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings (pp. 1-3). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7044208?casa_token=qJ4Di1XVSv4AAAAA:8rv4E9xXJ7cSUjx_N-rq4Itv_4eWGEOtON5cxEwef11KyyqRE6d5xTBSFvPeXwAMjw1IUCw
  7. ↑ Camacho, M. M., & Lord, S. M. (2011, October). " Microaggressions" in engineering education: Climate for Asian, Latina and White women. In 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. S3H-1). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6142970?casa_token=JUjADfC1a6UAAAAA:JgX21dtQXkOLNrIxUSRTCgx6uQdQquZP0JNlHVNF1Cfe9rSThMY2kUchPUiR6H6exbxy-Os
  8. ↑ Litzler, E., Samuelson, C. C., & Lorah, J. A. (2014). Breaking it down: Engineering student STEM confidence at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. Research in Higher Education, 55(8), 810-832. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11162-014-9333-z
  9. ↑ Metz, S., Brainard, S., & Litzler, E. (2010, June). Extending Research into Practice: Results from the Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE). In 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 15-568). https://peer.asee.org/extending-research-into-practice-results-from-the-project-to-assess-climate-in-engineering-pace
  10. ↑ Samuelson, C. C., & Litzler, E. (2016). Community cultural wealth: An assets‐based approach to persistence of engineering students of color. Journal of Engineering Education, 105(1), 93-117. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jee.20110
  11. ↑ Litzler, E., & Young, J. (2012). Understanding the risk of attrition in undergraduate engineering: Results from the project to assess climate in engineering. Journal of Engineering Education, 101(2), 319-345. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2012.tb00052.x
  12. ↑ Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2014). Respect differences? Challenging the common guidelines in social justice education. Democracy and Education, 22(2), 1. https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol22/iss2/1/
  13. ↑ Vanasupa, L., & Schlemer, L. (2018, November). Replacing Syllabi with Pledges:: Creating a Peace Frame for Learning. In 2018 World Engineering Education Forum-Global Engineering Deans Council (WEEF-GEDC) (pp. 1-4). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8629754
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