15 Your Reflection on Equity

“We don’t learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience” (John Dewey). Image [new tab] by Hannah Wei from Unsplash

Just as we want students to reflect on their learning, this is an important practice for educators to engage in as well. It is only through examining what we are doing in our teaching that we can use that knowledge to improve our teaching in the future.

The exercise below is an example of this practice in action. Introspective pauses like this give you time to contemplate what you have just learned and how you can use it to inform your teaching practice.

Pause and think: How would you define equity in a teaching and learning context? What are you already doing that would be considered equitable? Based on this lesson, what is one new practice you can implement into your course next term? Take 2 minutes to type some percolating thoughts.

If you would like to keep a copy of your thoughts, remember to write in text somewhere, you can keep it before moving on to the next page.

In fact, keeping a copy of your reflections has a variety of benefits including:

• Being evidence of your desire to learn.
• Making your learning and growth as an educator visible.
• Including them in your teaching dossier when applying for a new position.
• Including them in the dossier you submit for tenure and/or promotion.

In the next step, you will consider diversity in your teaching.