Engaging Pedagogy: Conversations about the 21st-Century Classroom - 2

Where’s the Middle in this Class? Teaching with Income Diversity in Mind.

In the 21st century classroom, more and more educators are called upon to teach to transgress - to push against the boundaries, to challenge racism, sexism, classism and all forms of oppression in the world to support others and themselves to achieve freedom to live fully in the world. This discussion series focuses on creating learning spaces that enable students and faculty alike to develop our capacity to think critically about ourselves and our lives within our disciplinary foci and beyond.

In this session, we will share ideas about how class and income might shape classroom interactions, learning outcomes, curriculum development, assessment, and completion. University classrooms and traditional education have many assumptions built in that are implicitly based on middle-class contexts, from the expectation of income mobility to unspoken rules of decorum. However, at Nipissing University, many of our students are first-generation university attendees, heavily reliant on OSAP and working paid jobs, often with full-time hours, while completing their degrees. Class differences to the unspoken "middle" in education can feel like a barrier for students. How can we expand awareness and practice to meet students where they are and help them get where they want to be?

Facilitated by Dr. Gyllian Phillips, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts and Science - English Studies