psychology & neuroscience
Actively Reducing Inequality in the Classroom By Kylie Brown Photo by Rosmarie Voegtli. [CC-BY-2.0]
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diverse student body represents a significant part of the appeal of a college campus. People from all over the world gather at universities to interact and exchange ideas, experiences, and beliefs. When such a variety of individuals are combined together in a classroom, one would expect each one of them to learn differently. Students come from different academic backgrounds, and some will grasp the material faster than their peers. Traditional teaching methods can exacerbate these differences, promoting inequality and negatively impacting select groups of students. When students attend a typical college lecture, they receive information galore about the subject matter, but rarely receive any guidance about how to study for exams. Research shows that a self-reguDr. Kelly Hogan lated approach to
learning, where material is learned in steady chunks instead of crammed the night before the exam, is the most effective method. However, not every student knows the correct way to study as when entering their first semester of college. Certain students enter higher education more prepared than others because of prior exposure to studying and note-taking skills. Essentially, they have been taught how learning works.2 Unfortunately, the combination of a lack of prior knowledge and systemic inequality can cause minority undergraduates to fall behind and earn failing grades. Students who earn a poor grade in an introductory course are highly unlikely to continue a major in that field, thus contributing to the underrepresentation of minorities in the STEM field.1 Dr. Kelly Hogan, a STEM Teaching Professor and the Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation for the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill, leads an ongoing movement toward inclusive teaching. The movement strives to level the playing field and ensure students of all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to participate and succeed.1 Dr. Hogan’s research specifically focuses on implementing inclusive methods and getting the methods to “stick�.2 Her research demonstrates how simple alterations to teaching techniques can dramatically reduce inequity in the classroom.
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