Describe the equity strategy that you plan to implement into your course. What is it? How is it intended to work?

1. A few strategies within each of the above-mentioned areas are:

• Teaching strategies for promoting equitable learning opportunities in class:

• Respectfully acknowledging the lands on which Chico State stands in class materials and syllabus. The following words have been taken from the CSU Chico tribal relations webpage: https://www.csuchico.edu/tribalrelations/land-acknowledgement.shtml:

• “We acknowledge and are mindful that Chico State stands on lands that were originally occupied by the first people of this area, and we recognize the Mechoopda and their distinctive spiritual relationship with this land and the waters that run through campus. We are humbled that our campus resides upon sacred lands that once sustained the Mechoopda people for centuries.”

• Or “We are meeting on the traditional lands of the Mechoopda people. Without them, we would not have access to this campus or our education.”

• Creating community guidelines for classes on the first day. Inclusive language and respect for all identities must be emphasized.

• Creating a norm of checking in for each class period that encourages all students to respond to an introductory short question. This can be an attendance activity and can happen in the chat as students come in or in a shared google doc that students fill out in the in-person class, and is seen by all. Even though this may take a few minutes, it creates a culture of belongingness and reduces anonymity. Additionally, questions can be culturally inclusive, allowing for more diverse responses. For example, “What is an important holiday/festival in your family or culture?” allows all students to share their cultural heritage.

• Allowing more response time for many students to respond to a question, ensuring that all students who raise their hand get a turn.

• Creating opportunities for students to pair and learn from others in class. This is an important tool as students may be less comfortable responding to an instructor directly. Using activities such as the “Fishbowl” discussion activity (implemented in this FLC) can also be valuable to allow all students to share their thoughts. This creates a culture where all voices are valued and heard.

• Incorporating culturally diverse examples while illustrating concepts. For example, choosing media clips representing a wide group of people. Additionally, presenting research from diverse populations. Another important step is to acknowledge the lack of representative research in the field, emphasizing that a lot of findings that are considered to be “normative” are actually based on the experiences and outcomes of select groups studied. These conversations reveal the systemic nature of oppression, and also how the omission and neglect of many diverse groups’ lived experience in scientific research is harmful and needs correcting. Topics such as these invite student reflection on these topics.

• Allowing time for students to write a response to a question before asking them to share. This supports students who may need some time to collect their thoughts on a topic or even phrase things before being able to share out aloud.

• Inviting students who may be falling behind in course work to share any challenges that may hinder their progress privately and co-creating accommodations/strategies that help them succeed in class. This may mean I extend assignment timelines or create alternative assignments, or mutually brainstorm how to best support the student.

• Providing sensitive subject matter warnings before discussing or sharing triggering materials.

• Validating the voice and experiences of students.

2. Including/sharing material in class that educates students about the prevalence of racism, oppression, prejudice and privilege as well as the antidote to these. An important student learning objective for Child Development is to teach students how diverse developmental contexts impact children and family outcomes. Hence topics related to racism, oppression, privilege and power are part of the curriculum. However, an important step in promoting equity is to include relevant literature on these topics in the classes taught. To educate my students about these topics, I will continue incorporating readings by prominent authors such as Peggy McIntosh (White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack) and Ibram Kendi (How to be an anti-racist) as well as class activities that facilitate discussion of these topics. I will also utilize literature gathered from this particular FLC on these topics with students. I will continue incorporating resources on how to promote equity as future professionals working with diverse groups of children and families in my classes such as readings and assignments from the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, especially those focused on trauma informed approaches and practices, Learning for Justice resources that help students incorporate anti-bias techniques in their future professional work. Additionally, I will share information on micro-aggressions and how to address them by sharing scholarly resources on the topic. I will continue to utilize engaging videos, TED talks, memoirs and other course materials that center the voices of marginalized groups in course curriculum. Some powerful books I have found useful in this direction are The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang and Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario, both of which are used in the upper division CHLD 451 class. Once again, resources such as the Learning for Justice website can be invaluable in shaping curriculum in this manner for all classes.

3. Creating assignments that allow students to connect their own lived experiences and identities with broader constructs of power and privilege. These activities may be connected with class discussion topics especially as students learn how factors such as social class, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, neighborhood, physical ability, religion among many others, impact children and families in contemporary United States. Such assignments provide students an opportunity to reflect on these topics in a non-threatening manner, also sharing their own rich narratives with peers. For instance, students may create a digital diary for their own journey till college, including important milestones, pictures, videos, anecdotes or their own story however they like, using a platform such as Padlet, which they can share with classmates. This would be a student led activity- and they can choose any area of their lived experience they wish to share. Students can update details as the course progresses, addressing different aspects of their identity and its impact on their own developmental experiences, if they wish. Such an assignment can help students learn from others’ journeys and also appreciate the intersectionality of various identities that confer greater power to some individuals while marginalizing others.

4. By creating opportunities for students to participate in civic engagement activities within class assignments or other academic experiences. An important step in supporting student equity is to create opportunities for students to advocate for themselves and others. In this direction, I will continue implementing programs such as the Women’s Circle at CSUC wherein students are facilitators for the ten week long structured peer support program. I have shared details about the Women’s Circle in the resources below. I also will continue to create connections between students in my classes and campus entities such as the CCLC, GSEC and Safe Place- providing information about varied campus entities and events that promote the university’s EDI goals. Students may earn credit for participation in these events.

What is needed in terms of planning and resources?

Currently, I will continue to shape my syllabi and class curricula to implement the aforementioned strategies. I will also continue to build relationships with colleagues across departments and within our department to get ideas and also support for the implementation. I will also continue to seek professional development experiences to support my work at the university level and outside of CSUC.

What is your rationale for choosing and implementing this strategy?

All the broad strategies I wish to implement strive to make students from varied identities and backgrounds feel like they belong in a higher education academic setting. I am aware that a large number of my students identify as first generation college learners who may find college and its educational culture unfamiliar and challenging. The strategies I have shared aspire to make all students feel safe, seen and supported in their college experience, while validating their experiences.

I have been guided to use these strategies based on materials learned in this FLC and other professional development settings. Finally, I am also guided by research from positive psychology, developmental psychology and educational psychology in prioritizing student wellbeing, belongingness and emotional safety as necessary preconditions for learning.