Embedding Anti-racism in STEMM

A Racial Equity Framework for STEMM

This framework supports the process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone in the sciences. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of color. (Race Forward)

Equity in the practice of science

Who does the science?
Who is included and excluded from the practice of science?
Who is recognized as a scientist? Whose work is recognized or not?
Why?

Equity in the foundation of science

What is the history of the foundation of the science?
What are the core tenets of the discipline and how were they established?
What work is recognized and which work is not recognized?
What knowledge, research questions, theories and methods are privileged over others and why?
What knowledge and ways of knowing are excluded and why?

Equity in the application of science

Who is affected by the science?
Who benefits and how (either from doing the research or from research outputs?)
Who is harmed and how?

Pedagogy

"Progressive, holistic education, "engaged pedagogy" is more demanding than conventional critical or feminist pedagogy. For, unlike these two teaching practices, it emphasizes well-being. That means that teachers must be actively committed to a process of self-actualization that promotes their own well-being if they are to teach in a manner that empowers students." Bell Hooks (1994)

Anti-racist Pedagogy |

The work of actively acknowledging and opposing racism by advocating for change. In order to build an anti-racist pedagogy, reflection and selfwork is required by isntructors. (Race Forward)

Anti-racist self-reflection prompts

Am I truly ready to do this work, even when it becomes uncomfortable?
Have I learned enough to confidently support this conversation?
How has my own experience shaped my perspective and biases?
Am I ready to facilitate, rather than dictate?
How will I handle potentially challenging scenarios?

Building a safe and inclusive space for Classroom Discussion

Establish the "Why" by Setting Course Intentions
Set an Example of Vulnerability, Honesty, and a Willingness to Learn
Publish Communication Guidelines for your Class

Taxonomies of Learning Objectives|

Taxonomies start with the foundational knowledge necessary for deeper learning, and encourage us to center the type of thinking we want students to be doing, moving beyond just cognitive processes and application of knowledge to also explore some of the larger goals of our courses, such as affective and metacognitive goals.

Bloom's Taxonomy|The goal of using Bloom's Taxonomy is to articulate and diversify learning goals.The six categories in Bloom's Taxonomy for the Cognitive Domain (revised in 2001) – remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create – has been the go-to resource

Fink's Taxonomy|L. Dee Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning Outcomes goes beyond cognitive processes and includes six aspects of learning:

Foundational Knowledge – understanding information and ideas
Application – developing critical, creative, or practical thinking skills
Integration – making connecting between information, ideas, perspectives or real life
Human Dimension - Learning about oneself or others
Caring - Developing new feelings, interests, or values
Learning How to Learn - Becoming a better student, inquiring about a subject

Universal Design for Learning|

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give students equal and diverse opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that are flexible and can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.

Advising and Mentorship

Science Identity|

The concept of science identity includes social and cultural identity constructs to explain how an individual can develop a professional identity in the culture of science (Byars-Winston and Rogers, 2019). Being recognized as a scientist by meaningful others is a critical component for developing a science identity (Carlone and Johnson, 2007). Science identity can also be reinforced by cultural communities that internally acknowledge a scientist in that role (Chemers et al., 2011; Rodriguez et al., 2019). Considering STEMMs embeddedness in white supremacy and how this impacts BIPOC student identity is critical. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568.

Mentoring Underrepresented Students |

Mentorship must be prioritized by programs that aim to increase diversity and support future leadership in STEMM fields. Consider and reflect on the following approaches:

Recognize the broad distinctions between the terms "Black" (capitalize the B), "POC", "URM", and "minority"
Recognize that there can be educational, cultural, systemic, and/or socio-economic disparities affecting your mentee due to their identity and set of circumstances.
As a mentor (of any mentee), you recognize that you have made a commitment to support this individual. To some extent, you are partially responsible for this individual's success. It is more difficult to achieve success in academia for BIPOC.
Be receptive rather than defensive when a student is reporting problematic behavior to you--regardless of how "minor" or "trivial" the problematic behavior may seem to you at first.
Serve as an important source of support for your mentee. The ways in which you respond to their needs matter.
Educate yourself on microaggressions, and be sure to avoid committing them towards your mentee.
Know your mentoring style.
Understand that there is a difference between being aware of systemic disparities affecting your mentee and expecting your mentee to underperform or "setting the bar low" for your mentee.
Regardless of advising style, try to be as concrete and transparent as possible in what you offer your mentee.
Once you get to know your mentee and their interests, help your mentee build a network by introducing them to individuals/organizations and facilitating connections for them.
In order for your Black and URM mentees to access and excel in opportunities, you need to commit additional support to them.

Professional Development|

NCFDD

Learning Communities

Communities of Practice

Labwork & Fieldwork

https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008210

Fieldwork (Erika)

Literature, Tools, & Resources

Racial Equity framework

Pedagogy

Bonilla-Silva, E. 2015. "The Structure of Racism in Colorblind, 'Post-Racial' America," American Behavioral Scientist, 59(11): 1358-1376.

Brunsma, David L, Eric S Brown, & Peggy Placier. 2012. "Teaching Race at Historically White Colleges and Universities: Identifying and Dismantling the Walls of Whiteness." Critical Sociology, 39(5): 717-738.

Glass, Kathy. 2014. "Race-ing the Curriculum: Reflections on a Pedagogy of Social Change." Exploring Race in Predominantly White Classrooms: Scholars of Color Reflect. George Yancy and Maria del Guadalupe Davidson, eds. New York: Routledge, 50-61.

Harbin, M. Brielle; Thurber, Amie; and Bandy, Joe. 2019. "Teaching Race, Racism, and Racial Justice: Pedagogical Principles and Classroom Strategies for Course Instructors." Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice, vol 4(1): 1-37.

Kishimoto, Kyoko. 2018. "Anti-racist Pedagogy: From Faculty's Self-reflection To Organizing Within And Beyond The Classroom." Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 21(4): 540-554.

St. Clair, Darlene & Kyoko Kishimoto. 2010. "Decolonizing Teaching: A Cross-Curricular and Collaborative Model for Teaching about Race in the University." Multicultural Education, 18(1): 18-24.

Wagner, Anne E. 2005. "Unsettling the Academy: Working Through the Challenges of AntiRacist Pedagogy." Race Ethnicity Education 8(3): 261-275.

Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York, NY: Routledge.