Author: Bennie Kara
Dec 11 2024
It’s all too familiar to hear teachers say that they do not want to offend anyone. After all, teachers are nice people (most of them) and they want to get it right for their students. But too often, the refrain becomes a reason to stick to what we’ve always taught. The comfort of familiarity is a lovely place to stay, but it doesn’t lead to growth, and it doesn’t lead to social justice.
As a spring chicken, in my early years of teaching, I came across material that I was unfamiliar with. I remember teaching Great Expectations, having read Great Expectations as a teenager, and thinking I knew nothing about the novel, really. I knew the plot, that was it. And yet, there I was, having to explain it, facilitate it, answer questions on it, all from Year 10 students who had sharp and curious minds.
What did I do?
I did what any student to literature does. I read it again, I looked up all the research articles and literary criticism I could find. I read critiques and critical theory. I triangulated ideas so that I could see what was common, what was niche, what was obscure. And then, when my students asked me questions about the text, when I didn’t know the answer, I told them I would find out.
I suppose that this is a terrible example of developing subject knowledge, in that Dickens is part of the Western canon and I had some notion of his writing and indeed, had read the text once already. It wasn’t like I was starting from scratch.
What if I was teaching a text from a culture I know nothing about? What if my lessons had reference to disabilities I had no awareness of?
Sometimes, in the quest to decolonise, or diversify the curriculum, we find ourselves teaching about people, places, abilities that we have so little awareness of. It makes us uncomfortable. What if we say the wrong thing? Use the wrong word? Offend someone?
That’s a possibility of course, until you realise that the same process I used for teaching Dickens might be applied to any unfamiliar material. So, in overview:
1. Start with Self-Education
- Understand Diversity: Learn about the cultures, histories, and identities you plan to teach. This includes race, ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, and more.
- Reflect on Bias: Examine your own assumptions and biases. Acknowledge areas where you may need to learn or grow.
2. Create an Inclusive Environment
- Establish Ground Rules: Set clear norms for respectful discussions and behavior in the classroom.
- Encourage Openness: Create a safe space where students feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and asking questions.
- Foster Empathy: Use activities that help students understand others’ experiences and viewpoints.
3. Engage in Collaborative Curriculum Planning
- Include Multiple Perspectives: Ensure materials and lessons represent diverse voices, avoiding a single narrative.
- Seek Input: Involve students, colleagues, and community members in curriculum design, especially those with lived experiences relevant to the content.
- Avoid Stereotypes: Present nuanced portrayals of groups to prevent oversimplifications or misrepresentations.
4. Teach Critical Thinking Skills
- Encourage Analysis: Help students examine biases in texts, media, and historical accounts.
- Facilitate Dialogue: Promote discussion of controversial topics through structured debates or Socratic seminars, guiding students to understand various perspectives.
5. Handle Missteps with Grace
- Acknowledge Mistakes: If offense occurs, take responsibility and use it as a teachable moment.
- Listen Actively: Allow those impacted to express their feelings without defensiveness.
- Adjust Accordingly: Revise materials or methods based on feedback.
6. Rely on Credible Resources
- Use Primary Sources: Let students engage directly with historical documents, literature, or other authentic materials from diverse cultures.
- Incorporate Expert Voices: Use textbooks, articles, and media vetted by experts in the relevant fields.
7. Adapt Content to the Audience
- Know Your Students: Tailor lessons to their maturity levels, backgrounds, and interests.
- Contextualise Content: Explain why certain topics are important and how they connect to broader themes.
8. Seek Professional Development
- Attend workshops or training on cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
- Join professional networks that provide support and resources for teaching diverse content.
9. Involve Parents and Guardians
- Communicate your goals for teaching diverse content and invite input or feedback.
- Share lesson plans in advance if sensitive topics are involved, emphasising their educational value.
10. Be Proactive in Addressing Challenges
- Anticipate Sensitivities: Think ahead about potential areas of discomfort and plan how to approach them constructively.
- Prepare Responses: Have a plan for addressing pushback from students, or parents, focusing on the educational merits of the content.
It feels difficult, but the anticipation is always worse than the doing. I am always excited when I see teachers tackling material that has been historically marginalised, bringing it to life for young people. It’s a thing of beauty, because it means that we, too, are learning every day.
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