Senior Lecturer in Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics
A new training module for teaching staff was developed to address issues of inclusion in the School of Business and Management. On completion, participants were able to have group discussions on inclusive classrooms and to design interventions that would address exclusion and domination in the learning environment.
There is a need for educators to develop a personal and collective practice that addresses how race, gender and socioeconomic privileges contribute to exclusion and domination in the learning environment.
With a view to tackling these issues, the module 'Inclusive Teaching and Learning Training' was developed in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary. It was designed to give educators the tools to design interventions that will address exclusion and domination in the learning environment as they arise.
By the end of the module, participants were able to have group discussions on inclusive classrooms and to design interventions that would address exclusion and domination in the learning environment. Many participants felt that the module exceeded their expectations and would be eager to take part in a similar module.
This session exceeded my expectations in the way in which it unpacked a range of issues and challenges to consider. I would readily attend regular sessions on these different aspects of inequalities within higher education.— Module participant
The module took place over two hours and 16 attendees took part. Learning methods included self-reflection exercises, short readings, short video tutorials, group discussions, and game playing.Participants played the Student Journey Game, a pedagogic tool developed by Building the Anti-Racist Classroom collective (BARC) in collaboration with Queen Mary, Roehampton University, and illustrator Maria D’Amico. This game centres the testimonials and experiences of students of colour. The self-reflection aspect of the module allowed educators to reflect on their own positionality and privileges.
The session created a principled space in which to hold group discussions about challenging issues to do with building inclusive classrooms in the School of Business and Management. There was a shared understanding of intersectionality as a crucial dimension of exclusion that is often missed in the classroom.
Of the eight participants who took part in the feedback and evaluation, all rated the module as either meeting or exceeding expectations. Participants emphasised that they would be keen to attend further sessions like this.