“To know the true reality of yourself, you must be aware not only of your conscious thoughts, but also of your unconscious prejudices, bias, and habits.“
-Author Unknown
Do we hold biases regarding our teaching? Is intelligence fixed or developed? What is your belief? Are we holding students back due to our biased actions? When we believe students cannot learn, we do not provide the strategies to raise intelligence. Are we holding ourselves back because of our fears of the biases of others?
Have you said or heard a co-worker say, “I know the best way to teach students.” What does this statement reveal? Is it confidence? Does it demonstrate a seasoned teacher? Does it show bias?
The best approach to avoid biases is to shift thinking to “I need to learn how students learn best.” Look at each learner to seek ways to provide the best instruction to meet their needs. We move away from discriminatory practices when we know our preferred way to do things may not be how our learners learn; when we can customize experiences for learners, the depth and value of the learning increase.