One value at VTSU is to be data- and evidence-driven. This makes a great deal of sense – we should make decisions based on real information, not assumptions. And, how we interpret the data is also important. For example, retention data shows that Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native American, and International students are retained at lower rates than White and Asian students. In addition, first-generation students on several campuses are retained at lower rates than continuing-generation students.
One strategy for improving outcomes for all students is to utilize Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, which was developed by Dr. Django Paris from Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings’s Culturally Relevant Pedagogy work. As described in the linked article, this is not work that is prescriptive, but rather involves ongoing growth, learning, and self-reflection. Below are guiding questions, organized by category, to help you find inroads to Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy. Choose one that sparks ideas and follow that path – little changes add up.
Course Design
- Do you utilize Open Educational Resources (OER) and Faux-ER (e.g., library resources) that reduce cost barriers?
- What books, articles, videos, podcasts, and other materials have been selected in your course? Do students with diverse identities (race, socio-economic standing, gender, sexuality, disability, immigration status, English language learner, first-generation status) see themselves represented in your course materials through authors, videos, and case studies?
- Are your course expectations and policies inclusive to students who have diverse experiences, identities, and responsibilities?
Community Building
- How do you introduce yourself to your students? What do you share about your own identities, experiences, and values? How do you humanize yourself to them? What do you consider in identifying what and how much you share about yourself?
- How do you facilitate setting class norms and agreements for interactions, discussions, and learning? Do students have the opportunity for input or co-creation of these agreements?
Presentation of Content
- How many sensory modalities are students offered to take in information? Could you add one or more to various lectures or activities?
- Do students have opportunities to reflect on how their histories, experiences, cultures, languages, values, and identities connect with the course content? Are students asked to bring their ways of knowing into the classroom to make meaning of the content?
In-Class Interactions
- How are students encouraged to learn about and honor each other’s stories, experiences, ways of knowing, and perspectives?
- Do you provide students opportunities to think and reflect quietly before participating? Do you provide students with multiple ways to participate (not just verbal)?
Assessment
- Do you collect formative feedback from your students about how the course is going for them, being responsive to their ideas?
- Are mistakes expected, respected, and used to elevate students’ understanding of the subject? Do you offer opportunities for retaking missed or late work? What opportunities do students have to catch up if they are behind due to technological barriers or other personal deterrents?(Ahadi & Guerrero, 2020)
References & Resources
Culturally Sustaining and Inclusive Teaching Framework
Decolonizing Your Syllabus, an Anti-Racist Guide for Your College
Farewell to Monoligualism, Hello to Translingual Orientation
Improving Racial Diversity in STEM with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy