unconcsious bias (implicit bias):
Everyone has unconscious biases that affect their decisions. For example, a teacher may form an opinion about a student, parent or teacher because of unconscious preferences and generalizations.
Awareness of these biases is not enough. It is also important to take concrete steps to reduce or prevent how unconscious bias influences our daily interactions with others.
microagressions:
A diverse community includes people with a variety of medical and psychiatric issues, including "invisible" conditions such as depression, diabetes, learning disabilities, and anxiety disorders. Besides dealing with their conditions, many people may also face unintended harassment from others. To support those you teach and work with, avoid carelessly using terms that may insult, alienate, or stigmatize, such as calling someone "psycho" or "crazy" for acting unusually, or "schizo" or "bipolar" for changing their mind, or “retarded” for making mistakes.
Microagressions also extend to making biased references, such as, "you are so intelligent"; "for a woman, it is impressive you can do this kind of work"; dismissing someone's inclusion because of gender, religion, ethnicity. Also generalizations are included: Gay men are good interior designers and shoppers; women make the coffee, etc..
cultural competence:
the ability to recognize differences based on culture, language, race, ethnicity, and other
aspects of individual identity and to respond to those differences positively and constructively
Ladson-Billings (2001) states that cultural competence is present in
classrooms where:
“The teacher understands culture and its role in education.
The teacher takes responsibility for learning about students’ culture
and community.
The teacher uses student culture as a basis for learning.
The teacher promotes a flexible use of students’ local and global
culture” (p. 98).
The first step for teachers in developing cultural competencies is recognizing how
their own perspectives and knowledge of the world are rooted in a
particular cultural, racial, and ethnic identity and history (Lindsey
et al., 2003).
Leading with Diversity, Introduction, Part I, pp. 3-4
culturally competent teacher:
Understands the importance of students’ identity development and its complexity in students from nondominant cultural backgrounds
Supports identity development through classroom practices that foster a sense of belonging and provide opportunities for students to shape curriculum
Values students’ home languages and dialects and encourages their continued development
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 27
See also:
Teaching to and through cultural diversity (Geneva Gay, 2013) offers a more expansive definition in her article.
culturally responsive teaching:
"The use of cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to, and effective for" students we teach. (Hollie, 2012, Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching: Classroom practices for student success, p. 22).
"The academic achievement of these students will increase if schools and teachers reflect and draw on their cultural and language strengths" (p. xii). Gay, 2018, Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice.
cultural capital:
knowledge associated with those in power. According to Bourdieu (1986), it can exist in three forms: disposition of the mind and body; cultural goods such as pictures, books, and other material objects; and educational qualifications.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 24
diversity:
variety or heterogeneity; in populations, variety based on cultural,ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious differences (among others).
What is Diversity?
The term diversity as applied to school populations evokes culture,language, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and many other aspects of humanidentity. All of these interact with education and must be consideredin responding to the needs of students.
Leading with Diversity, Introduction, Part I, p. 13
ethnicity:
membership in or identification with a group that has common geographic origins, history, culture, language, and often religion. Examples of ethnic groups are “Yup’ik Eskimos, Swedes, Haitians, Nubians, Basque, and Irish” (Henze, Katz, Norte, & Sather, 2001, p. 2).
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 5
multiple perspectives:
Learning to look through multiple perspectives, young
people may be helped to build bridges among them-
selves; attending to a range of human stories, they may
be provoked to heal and transform. (Greene, 1993, p. 17)
Leading with Diversity, Introduction, Part I, p. 21
As multicultural researcher and theorist James Banks says, “Knowledge is socially constructed and reflects human interests, values, and action” (1993, p. 5). Hence, successful education depends upon teachers’ abilities to connect with students’ different perspectives, knowledge, and ways of knowing—and with students’ abilities to connect with each other’s perspectives.
Leading with Diversity, Introduction, Part I, p. 21
nondominant group:
those who have been defined as a minority group on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion; who historically have been underserved by schools; and who face limitations to access and power in society. For example, in U.S. schools the nondominant group is
often characterized as students and teachers of color.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 6
dominant group:
those who have been defined as a majority group on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion and who historically have had greater advantages, access, and power in society. For example, in U.S. schools the dominant group is often characterized as white, middle-class students and teachers.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 6
race:
a socially constructed category of people, grouped on the basis of physical
characteristics, including skin color, hair, and facial features. Color terms, such as Red, Yellow, White, and Black have often been used to denote racial groups. For the purposes of this publication, we use only white and black, unless quoting from research literature.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 5
Race and ethnicity are two important aspects of human identity that inform a sense of who a person is, where one comes from, and what one’s place in the world is. Clearly, race and ethnicity can strongly affect students’ school experience (Sheets & Hollins,1999). It is important for students to understand and value the racial and ethnic groups that make up the school culture, as well as world cultures. Historically in the United States and the world, the negative effect of membership in certain racial and ethnic groups is often discrimination—whether overt or covert, intentional or unintentional. Culturally competent teachers must guard against these tendencies and deal with them appropriately when they arise in the classroom.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 5
racism:
the belief that one racial or ethnic group is superior to another; when a dominant group asserts its power and acts on this belief, it results in a “system of advantage based on race” (Tatum, 1992).
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 12
Racism Persists in U.S. Society
Despite the best hopes and efforts of the Civil Rights Movement and landmark court decisions (such as Brown v. Board of Educationin 1954 which led to desegregation of the nation’s schools), racism is still a destructive element in U.S. society; Orfi eld, Losen, Wald, & Swanson, 2004). Racism has been defined as “a system of advantage based on race” (Tatum, 1992, p. 3). The term extends to systems that confer privilege on white Americans in comparison to members of nondominant ethnic groups, who may or may not consider themselves nonwhite.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 12
cultural racism
is the set of practices that make schooling more appropriate for dominant culture students than for others. The content of the curriculum may perpetuate cultural racism when it excludes nondominant-culture authors or represents U.S. history and society from a single perspective. Classroom organizational practices that implicitly value one group’s ways of interacting over another’s could be called cultural racism. For instance, requiring students to speak out in class and express their opinions penalizes those who have learned to show their respect for others (particularly adults) by quiet listening. Likewise, expecting young students to sit quietly for extended periods of time penalizes those whose families judge a high activity level and spontaneous self-expression to be normal.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 14
individual racism
denotes an individual’s attitudes and behaviors that help perpetuate the power relationships of racism. Personal prejudice and the holding of stereotypes about particular groups become destructive when individuals act upon them and when they are linked to societal power—providing fuel for cultural and institutional racism.
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 14
taking a stand
Standing against racism and for justice requires aggressive action to redistribute power, create open resources and institutions, and affirm cultural pluralism. (Derman-Sparks and Phillips, 1997, p. 25)
Leading with Diversity, Race & Ethnicity, Part IV, p. 13
trans inclusive language:
People who are transgender or gender non-conforming face situations in their daily lives that make it difficult to be comfortable at work. Follow these tips from GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, to create a safer space for your transgender colleagues.
If you don’t know someone’s preferred pronoun, ask privately and use it when referring to them. If you slip up, apologize and move on.
Be careful to not “out” someone's transgender identity without their permission.
Don't ask a transgender person about their "real name," their genitals, or surgical status.
Support gender neutral restrooms. Individuals may use whichever bathroom aligns with their gender identity.
Identify unknown people through gender-neutral features like "the person in blue" rather than "woman in blue."
Do not refer to people using slurs, or tolerate others using slurs.