The Phyllosopher

The types of gender expression I mention in this blog post are not exhaustive. The term trans encompasses those who fall on the gender spectrum: trans-women and trans-men, non-binary, bi-gender, and genderqueer individuals. See this link for more details on gender identity.

My philosophy behind creating comfortable spaces for students of colour, students with disabilities, and queer and trans youth revolves primarily around one key principle: To ensure that these students have to make as few sacrifices in my class as possible regarding their sense of self, expression, and joy for learning. Building a safe classroom environment does not mean prioritising diverse students at the exclusion of all others. On the contrary, incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices allows all students to express themselves as they choose. This not only makes lab sessions more enjoyable for my students, but also for myself as their teaching assistant (TA).

Part of what I find affirming about a safe teaching environment is when students begin to open up over the semester. This is particularly evident among queer and trans students. Now this isn't to say that queer and trans students aren't initially open (some are), but I do think that walking into a new classroom for them will always raise considerations about how they might expect to be treated by their instructor, their peers, or how they experience the teaching material itself. Non-queer and cis students typically have the privilege of feeling more relaxed and open in a classroom environment where feelings of safety and comfort may not be a major priority. The same applies to persons of colour or students with disabilities. If we focus on building safe environments that look out for and benefit student minorities, then we build classrooms that benefit everyone. If you don't believe me then follow along as I share some of the ways that I prioritise diversity, inclusivity and equity in my lab sessions. 

Something that I work hard at is to give my students opportunities to share about themselves as much as I can. This often saves me from making assumptions about their gender identity, ethnic/cultural identities, or abilities. A great icebreaker that I like to use during class introductions is for each student to share their current favourite song. I then make a playlist that I play during lab hour. For one thing, it helps to manage the oversaturation of 'share a fun fact about yourself' during the first week of classes and secondly, I feel that I learn a lot about each student based on their song selection. It also gives them an opportunity to discuss their music taste with me, which I feel is a great way to establish common ground with folks, regardless of the ways they identify.

Allowing students to share who they are is a continual process that I involve them in either through strategic bonus questions during quiz time or outside lecture as we interact. I am constantly learning how to make this sharing process more inclusive. For example, I often rely on pop culture or TikTok trends to make up fun, relatable, bonus questions for the students, and to seem hip (but I'm probably not fooling anyone). One of my first bonus questions was: "Who is the current 'white boy of the month'? Our multiple-choice options included, Jacob Elordi, Timothée Chalamet, Paul Mescal, and Jeremy-Allen White. For student convenience and viewership satisfaction, I accompanied this question with a slide deck featuring the choices. Polling for this question was equal parts learning student preferences and their interest in following prevailing trends. It was a fun exercise, but it did exclude certain students, as was pointed out when one told me that they aren't attracted to anyone and thus didn't have an informed opinion on the question. For the following week I instead asked that each student share an 'underrated travel destination' with me. Instead of selecting one of only four choices, students had the freedom to share as much as they wanted with me in a short answer. This increased the level of interaction between me and the students and was honestly more rewarding. Students told me about memorable family trips, countries related to their family heritage, and future travel plans that they had.

This was a great way to further conversation with my students after the lecture period, plus, I got some great new travel itineraries. One student just put down "Raising Canes", which is one fast food chicken place I have yet to try during my time in the United States.

Sometimes my bonus questions are more factual, and this gives me an opportunity to have students share their general knowledge. I try to diversify these questions as much as possible. A few that have been featured are: 

What is the average volume of a human fart?

Who was the first ever black woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

What god in Norse mythology is often depicted in legends as both genders, attributing to their ability to shapeshift?

I had never really considered before how questions like this might contribute to a student's sense of inclusivity. That is, until I had a student leave a comment in the short answer section of my question on the genderfluid Norse god. They responded, "Loki, which is funny you ask this because loki is often used to represent bi-gender people such as myself." This student didn't owe me any explanation of how they self-identify, but I appreciate that they did. I think inclusive questions and using inclusive language in teaching affirms for students that your classroom is a safe space. Whether it was the result of this question or simply increased comfort with time, I have seen this student engage more with myself and their peers, which delights me as a person, but as an educator I am delighted to see how much more this student has also engaged with the lab material and the learning activities.

Another factor worth considering in inclusive teaching is prioritising student mental health. Since I grade lab turn-ins I have some control over student performance, and I exercise this by being generous in my grading. The way I see it, I would rather reward a student for knowing something and using their critical thinking than to punish them for not knowing something. It is rare that students get below a 75% on my assignments, and typically grades range from 80%-100%. This does not mean that I let them 'get away' with poor work. I point out common mistakes or a lack of critical thought during subsequent lectures and impress upon them why I think it is important to fix these mistakes. Once you give students a stake in their own learning and progress, things really do shift. For instance, I impress upon them the importance of communicating their lab findings in scientific ways. This is a skill that will serve them beyond my lab section. I push them to think deeper about the results they observe and what might account for that. Reinforcing this without the added stress of harsh grading has significantly improved my student's communication skills in my lab. 

Furthermore, I work hard to accommodate student needs and abilities concerning their personal health, energy, and circumstance. Again, I would rather reward a student for communicating with me in an honest way than to punish them for circumstances outside of their control. If a student comes up to me and discloses that they have had a hard day or are too overwhelmed to remain in lab, I mark them as present and work with them to feel comfortable with their work for the following week. I will often follow this up with an email or a word at the beginning of the next class.

A final word on building inclusive spaces. It takes work. I put more time and energy into my teaching as a result of the personal goals I have set for myself to have my students feel safe. That said, the amount of time it takes should not be the obstacle for doing DEI work that many cite. Equity is right there in the acronym. Oftentimes students of colour, queer/trans students and those with disabilities have to work much harder to learn and feel comfortable in a classroom environment with no help from the 'busy' instructor or teaching staff. Recognizing the work that they do as hard incentivises me to do my part. The extra work that I do pays off in the long term as my students maintain positive attitudes and commit more energy to succeeding, and isn't that what these great institutions of learning are all about?