Assumptions
Taken verbatim from Teaching in Racially Diverse College Classrooms (Tips for Teachers) published online by the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University.
How do your own experiences, values, beliefs, and stereotypes influence your knowledge and understanding of groups that are racially different from your own?
What assumptions do I make about different student groups?
- Do I expect students of color to need extra help?
- When students of color answer questions, am I afraid their answers will not be correct, or that their method of answering will be inappropriate?
- Do I expect students of color to participate less than others?
- Do I imagine that Latinos or African Americans will express their opinions in non-academic language?
- Do I anticipate that students of color will be under-prepared or less qualified?
- Do I expect that Asian students will do better than most others?
- Do I assume that students of color are all alike?
- Do I assume that when students of color disagree that they are too emotional?
- Do I assume that Asian women are likely to be quiet?
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Last Modified:
05/22/08
