Common Teaching Strategies for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Classroom Work
Social Justice Education Principles
Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment
Utilize entry activities for immediate participation
Be transparent about expectations and the human purpose of social justice education
Establish group norms and expectations
Share ownership of knowledge with all students
Help Students Acknowledge Their Multiple Positionalities
Have students acknowledge their various and intersectional positionalities
Have students identify their dominant and subordinate statuses
Balance Emotional & Cognitive Dimensions
Have students metacognitively reflect on their social experiences using social justice concepts
Include opportunities for social perspective taking
Utilize small-group discussions, peer panels, caucus groups, concentric circles, fish bowls, etc. to encourage self-reflection, analysis, active listening and communication, and action planning
Intervene when group norms are violated
Draw on Student Expertise
Establish personal relevance by borrowing from the students’ knowledge, experiences, and personal narratives to facilitate a positive attitude toward social justice learning
Use the intergroup dynamics in the classroom to illustrate and discuss social justice content
Encourage students to make choices in content and assessment methods based on their experiences, values, needs, and strengths
Encourage Active Engagement & Collaboration
Utilize fishbowls, common group or concentric circles, five faces, gallery walks, etc. to encourage students to engage actively with the issues and one another
Create challenging and thought-provoking learning experiences inclusive of students’ perspectives and values
Foster & Evaluate Personal Awareness
Utilize self-reflection to assess growth in personal awareness
Develop rubrics to measure acquisition of knowledge and skills
Include multiple methods through which students can demonstrate learning
Have students develop action plans for change
Finding a preferred framework for engaging with challenging topics
