Introduction
Let’s begin by introducing myself through my positionality and intersectionality (Rose, 1997; Crenshaw, 1989).
I’m an African black male. I originate from West Africa, specifically Nigeria. I emigrated to the United Kingdom as a child; a transition I briefly refer to here. I speak 2 fluent languages – Yoruba (my native and mother tongue) and English (my colonial tongue). I am first and foremost a Nigerian before I am anything to do with Britain. It is essential to declare this, as too often are assumptions made by white people – a common experience with black people, especially with Africans in the Diaspora (see Fanon, 1968).
Before we delve into the more central parts of this reflective piece, it is important to reflect on how I found the Inclusive Teaching unit and its impact.
I recall expressing my feelings toward the unit to my tutor. In a nutshell, I expressed that I feel as though this unit is particularly designed for white individuals/white educators, especially those whose intersectionalities and positionalities affiliates with factors such as white fragility, unconscious bias, white privilege, whiteness, and it filtering into their teaching methods and practice. Through my teaching and creative practice, I’ve always felt it a natural aspect to bring inclusivity into what I do, especially with students. As a result, I found aspects of the unit very tailored to my white counterparts and quite a number of responses and participation by said counterparts reinforced this feeling. However, I must admit there were parts of the unit, where I myself had to question my own privilege and bias. Specifically, the workshop which focused on Disability was an incredible eye-opener.
There are so many factors in critical pedagogy to take into consideration, especially in a modern and diverse classroom. Inclusivity is increasingly becoming pivotal and thus there are various aspects of inclusive teaching I learnt on the unit.
On that note, let’s delve into it.
Context
I teach strategic and sustainable thinking on the MA Narrative Environments (MANE) course at Central Saint Martins. It’s a 2-year postgraduate course; the MA is centred on the built environment through design and aims to address “the demand for meaningful visitor experiences in cultural, commercial and community environments” while particularly focusing on the “growing need for multidisciplinary collaboration and critical, socially-engaged design” (UAL, 2021).
The course, through students’ various creative practices, focuses on design that draws attention to and from the public, e.g. museums, urban public spaces, and health and educational environments. Thus, my artefact is centred on challenging the students to question their positionality within society, whilst also paying attention to their intersectionalities and how it may impact and implement certain decisions, choices and actions in their life. Likewise, they are encouraged to challenge and question their world-view, especially from a point of privilege; also in designing inclusively to a diverse public. The importance of the public within MANE is paramount, thus creating a workshop that encourages the students to explore the varying parameters which impact their critical thought process, especially within design, and looking at the importance of inclusivity and its influence on public design.
Inclusive learning theory
Since its origination in the mid 1970s, numerous work within the Critical Race Theory (Delgado, 1995) has been conducted by various scholars such as Bell (1989 – new developments in critical race theory), Crenshaw (1989), Delgado (1995), Williams (1999), and parts of work and research done is the “inclusive learning theory” (ILT) (see Freire, 1970; Corbett, 2000; Lage et al., 2000; Bhagat et al., 2011). On one hand, over the years, the foci within ILT has been largely focused on theories such as behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism (Faulkner et al., 2019) and how it relates to ILT. On the other, when it comes to alarming and universal factors such as ‘Race’, focus, largely in the past decade, hasn’t been prominent as it should within pedagogy. Thus, theoretical and analytical frameworks such as positionality (Rose, 1997; Qin, 2016) and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989) are important in enhancing inclusivity within pedagogy (Mag et al., 2017).
Now, on the matter of my work/artefact and why it’s important within the Academy, I simply do not know how to aptly answer this. I am, however, aware and understand that is it incredibly vital as educators that we all understand our positionality and how its factors define, shape and form our teaching and creative practice, especially when it comes to a critical approach to pedagogy (Acevedo et al., 2015; Douglas and Nganga, 2013, 2015) and engaged pedagogy (hooks, 1994; Namulundah, 1998). Through various readings and research over the course of this unit, I was particularly drawn to the aforesaid frameworks, as well the core pillars of Pedagogy of Social Justice Education (Tapper, 2013), such as Social Identity Theory (SIT) (Tajfel, 1978), and believe they are key to improving student learning experience, particularly through inclusivity. Again, to answer the question at hand plainly, I find to be rather linear. I could refer to multiple literature backing why I think my work is important to the academy, but in truth, I believe my artefact is essential because had I received such a workshop when I was a student at UAL, I strongly believe it would have helped better shape my worldview, but also allow me to be conscious of certain unconscious bias (Tate & Page, 2018) from my part.
During my time as a student, I experienced different cultures and identities through collaborative work and exposure to other individuals, however, in understanding and being aware of my positionality and intersectionality and its influence and impact on my creative practice, this I wasn’t well-versed on. Thus, I believe the impact my work will have on students, particularly with it being designed to aid awareness of their positions and influence on their creative practice, is vital to the academy. Overall, utilising these frameworks and theories such as SIT, my artefact adds to the continuing work being done to bolster inclusive learning for students.
Process
An interactive workshop focusing on social identities; through positionality and intersectionality frameworks, the workshop is designed to challenge students and their peers in the awareness of their identities and intersectionalities; looking at how it informs, influences, and impacts their creative practice.
I could easily say that choosing this artefact came easy to me and the process was smooth as butter. I could say this, but I won’t simply because that’s not the case. As mentioned earlier, in the early stages of this unit, I somewhat struggled to engage. I was of the ignorant impression that this elective is primarily designed and tailored for white educators who need educating on how to be inclusive educators. Though, I still think this, however, as expressed in my blog posts/reflections, I have learnt and become aware of various factors that I might be guilty of, such as unconscious bias and aspects of inclusive teaching. Moreover, to reach the point of decision, I needed to explore the numerous literary material and resources provided on reflexivity, criticality, positionality and intersectionality. Ultimately, my decision was rooted in thinking what I would want to experience, if I was a student. However, the works of Paulo Freire (1970), Kimberle Crenshaw (1989), among others, were important in helping me reach decision. Likewise, browsing the endless portal of Shades of Noir and analysing different artefacts and material, brought to my attention what is/has been done and where my work might come in. Lastly, with my artefact designed for the course I teach on, I also looked at what would be most beneficial for the students and effective in their inclusive learning.
How this artefact would be used
Primarily focusing on elements of inclusivity, this artefact will/can be used in two parts:
- An inclusive training workshop for educators to learn and discover areas of their teaching that isn’t inclusive and aspects where factors learnt in this unit (e.g. whiteness, white privilege, unconscious bias etc.) might/are negatively impacting student learning experience and their teaching practice.
- An interactive workshop focusing on intergroup encounters where students are encouraged to not forcefully get to know each other, but rather challenge themselves and delve into questions surrounding their intersectionalities and positionality – questions that push them to take a critical and reflexive look at who they are, what their positionality looks like in the Global North and it could look in the Global South (Orgad, 2014).
The artefact is not merely another workshop, but rather it will be constructive, challenging, inclusive, educational and effective. Additionally, this workshop will not be used in a bank depository method of teaching/educating (Freire, 1970), but instead be used to promote the practice of freedom through education, especially encouraging students to think critically within critical pedagogy (hooks, 1994).
Evaluation
I will gauge how successful the workshop was by looking at the impact of inclusivity on the students’ projects going forward, and where in their own critical thinking they have made changes to their lens view of the world through their positionality and intersectionalities. The primary thing learnt is that a result isn’t going to come overnight; on that note, I would do things differently by thinking much more widely.
Conclusion
It’s been quite the journey. With so much digested and still a lot left to chew, all the resources and material experienced through this unit makes me wonder why we are still in the state of inequality and lacking profound inclusivity within pedagogy.
In truth, I can only close by heaping praise to the field workers doing the tough work and helping to continue raising awareness, educating, promoting, and building a better pedagogical space through Pedagogy of Social Justice Education.
Kudos and salut!
T.
Word Count: 1,615
References:
Clough, P. and Corbett, J., (2000). Theories of inclusive education. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.
Crenshaw, K., (1989) “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex…” The University of Chicago.
Delgado and Stefancic., (1995) Critical Race Theory: An Introduction.
Fanon, F., (1986). Black skin, white masks;. London: Pluto Press.
Freire, P., (1970) Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.
hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. London: Routledge.
Mag, A., Sinfield, S. and Burns, T., (2017). The benefits of inclusive education: new challenges for university teachers. MATEC Web of Conferences, 121, p.12011.
Orgad, S., (2014). Media Representation and the Global Imagination. Hoboken: Wiley.
Rose, G. (1997) ‘Situating knowledges: positionality, reflexivities and other tactics’, Progress in Human Geography, 21(3), pp. 305–320. doi: 10.1191/030913297673302122.
Tapper, H., (2013) A Pedagogy of Social Justice Education: Social Identity Theory, Intersectionality, and Empowerment. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 30(4), pp.411-445.
Tate, S. and Page, D., (2018). Whiteliness and institutional racism: hiding behind (un)conscious bias. Ethics and Education, 13(1), pp.141-155.
Qin, D., (2016). Positionality. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies, pp.1-2.
NB. *Some references are not in the reference list, however, they are hyperlinked for referencing purposes*