Creating an Equitable Learning Space: Invisible Challenges
摘要
This chapter will discuss the importance of factoring in the hidden curriculum that is taught simultaneously with the provincial curriculum in our classrooms. Classroom practices that uphold white supremacy and a Eurocentric way of being that reinforce cycles of oppression of marginalized students and teachers will be examined. This will begin to address what changes are needed within educational policy and structures to center equity and social justice. The focus on creating classroom communities that do not emphasize one way of being as the “right way” will illustrate the roles schools play in disrupting normalized and historically inequitable policies and practices. By providing classroom context for how the lack of anti-racist approaches to education have created a cycle of white supremacy/Eurocentric way of being will explain how we can avoid a pattern that duplicates this system generation after generation. Despite there being an increase in diversity in the teaching population and student populations, there has been little progress made in adapting our classroom practices to reflect our learners. Anti-racist and equity-based programming suggestions and approaches will be discussed for the following: By centering activism at the core of being aware of hidden curriculum, this chapter will provide scenarios that examine situations through an anti-racist and anti-oppression lens. The focus will be on student-centered instruction that also honors educators’ identities to avoid the pitfalls of problematic hidden curriculum. The spotlight on hidden curriculum will provide educators with valuable tools to recognize what is unintentionally being communicated to learners and how to maintain a culture of social justice and equity in their classrooms and schools.