"The Promise and Practice of Inclusive Teaching” (A Lecture and Interactive Workshop)

Presented by: Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island

Description:  Success broadly defined in courses in general is determined by a number of diverse variables including the degree to which the student is socially connected to classroom experience and discipline. As key stakeholders in the education community, we can play a critical role in constructing an environment that promotes equity and prepares each individual for transformative engagement in the academic experience. Transformation involves expanding our pedagogy to be inclusive pedagogy through a critique of our cultural assumptions about students, self, and others remaining from our childhood perspectives. The keynote address will highlight the results of five years of an inclusive approach to an introductory biology course, and make suggestions for those interested in embarking on inclusive pedagogies for their own contexts. The subsequent workshop will help participants confront the complexity that is the social difference, and discuss how that difference can be either be a hindrance or strength depending on how we allow it to impact the classroom experience.

Bryan Dewsbury is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Dewsbury is interested in helping to re-frame the education discussion to better address questions of equity and community-building, with the belief that the solutions to these are equally important to student exposure to content. His work addresses pressing issues such as student retention, the under-representation of minority groups in certain fields, and the role of affect domain in student learning gains.

You can find more information about the Symposium, and RSVP for the event, here: https://cte.rice.edu/symposium