Let’s talk about social inequalities: Addressing critical and often emotionally charged issues in tutorial – Oct. 20
Strengthen your capacity to foster equitable classrooms. Central in fostering a teaching/learning community in the classroom is student dialogue and critical engagement with course materials. What if students’ express views that are discriminatory or oppressive? How do you, as the TA, address dynamics of classism, sexism, racism, ableism, and heteronormativity within your tutorial, lab or studio which may serve to silence some students’ participation?
In this workshop we explore the challenges TAs may encounter when engaging students in learning and talking about social inequalities. What can a TA do to encourage respectful discussion around issues of oppression and privilege? How might a TA address problematic interventions without silencing students’ contributions or harming students’ self-esteem? These are examples of some of the questions you will discuss in this workshop and together we will share and learn strategies for managing awkward silences, personal disclosures and student conflict that are potentially transformative in promoting a supportive, respectful and empowered student community in the classroom.
*It will be assumed that participants have some prior knowledge of concepts such as oppression, inequality, power and how this relates to a classroom context – you may wish to register for and attend the workshop “What is Conflict and How Might it Arise in the Classroom?” to explore these concepts prior to this workshop.
