As educators, we impact our students’ lives in various ways. Our teaching/classroom practices can shape the experiences, perspectives, and futures of students. All students can benefit from equitable teaching/classroom practices that center their needs and experiences. Various elements of inclusive practice have been incorporated into our curricula to enhance the quality of service provided to our students. However, there is still an identified need to promote anti-racism and enhance the experience of students, particularly equity deserving and racialized students.
NorQuest College is committed to the journey of becoming an anti-racist institution. As such, every individual working at the college is accountable for their role in working towards this goal. In line with a key objective of the NorQuest College Strategic Plan, leaders at different levels are expected to adopt and integrate an anti-racist commitment in their approaches and decision-making processes. Instructors, who develop the most impactful relationships with students, will be adopting and embedding anti-racism in their pedagogy. This work also advances the Deans’ Joint Commitment to Anti-Racism for Equity.
The data collected from interviews and consultation with students, instructors and staff contributed to the development of the Anti-Racist Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Toolkit and this review tool. This tool will provide a starting point for instructors to adopt and enhance an anti-racist pedagogy in their respective courses and classrooms. In some cases, instructors may already have their own toolkit and can use this to supplement their own practice.
Purpose of this tool
The Anti-Racism Curriculum and Pedagogy Review tool has been designed to help instructors review and make changes to curriculum and teaching practices using an anti-racist lens. It promotes the internalization of an anti-racist pedagogy in line with NorQuest’s Anti-Racist Curriculum Development and Pedagogy Toolkit and Anti-Racism Policy.
This tool addresses four key domains related to instructor practice in the context of anti-racist pedagogy. Focusing on specific aspects of instructors’ roles and practice, it also provides references to additional resources that may support instructors improve their anti-racist pedagogy. The tool offers a range of ideas to support instructors in the process of modifying their course/teaching practices.
How to use this tool
Instructors will use this tool as a guide to examine their curricula and make or suggest modifications and improvements in course design and teaching practices utilizing anti-racist education approaches. The tool provides a set of criteria to assist instructors in critically reviewing and improving their curriculum, teaching, and classroom management approaches to align with anti-racism principles and philosophy. Instructors can apply it during pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases of curriculum review to identify and address gaps, leading to more inclusive experiences and outcomes for all learning participants at NorQuest College.
The Anti-Racism Curriculum and Pedagogy Review tool is a high-level resource that will be immediately applicable across all programs and courses at the College. In the future, additional discipline-specific tools will be created for major program areas across NorQuest College.
Anti-Racism Presentation Design
This section includes suggestions on how to promote inclusive messaging through presentation design while considering how to be sensitive to race-related issues.
Creating a Safe and Supportive Classroom Environment
Create opportunities where learners can actively participate in their own learning, including exploring the lived experiences of other learners.
Developing and Using Representative Reading Lists
The creation of inclusion reading lists within courses and programs supports an engaged classroom for all students.
From Detecting an Author’s Bias to Writing Bias-Free
Bias may be an intentional or unintentional statement that reflects favoritism or prejudice for or against an object, idea, person, or group.
How Authentic Assessments Support Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Resources at NorQuest
This resource explains why authentic assessments support anti-racism, anti-oppression, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
How OERs Support Anti-Racism & Resources at NorQuest
This resource explains how Open Educational Resources (OERs) can support anti-racism and provides links to NorQuest Resources on how to adopt or create OERs.
Implicit Bias
This reflection-based activity guides instructors in understanding and exploring methods to reduce their implicit biases.
Intersectionality of Race and Disability
This resource is to be used as an introduction to the intersectionality of race and disability, and how intersectionality impacts student experiences.
Microaffirmations
The following contains tips for applying and practicing microaffirmations which educators may consider in academic, advising and classroom contexts.
Personalizing Land Acknowledgements
Understand why personalized land acknowledgements can be genuine and create your own land acknowledgement.
Racial Microaggressions
This tool will help prepare and equip members of instructional teams to respond to types of microaggressions that occur in curricular and extracurricular settings.
Resources on Campus
Resources are available for faculty and students at NorQuest. Connect to the resources listed to support your work creating anti-racist curriculum.
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How to use this toolkit effectively
The Review Tool provides practical step-by-step guidance on how to apply the resources in the Anti-Racism Curriculum and Pedagogy Toolkit to examine and improve your understanding, course content and practice in line with anti-racism principles and philosophy.
Maximize your application of the Toolkit by exploring this Review Tool
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About this Toolkit
The Anti-racism Curriculum and Pedagogy Toolkit supports the process of embedding an anti-racist and inclusive approach in program, curriculum, teaching and workplace practices. It facilitates individual and institutional culture transformation from “I am not a racist” to “I am anti-racist".
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Anti-racism principles
Our anti-racism principles guide and anchor our work in anti-racist pedagogy and curriculum within the academic portfolio. They help us promote anti-racist practices in the way we conceive, develop, implement and review programs and curricula at NorQuest College.