In "The Consciously Unbiased Educator," cultural proficiency expert and former teacher Huda Essa helps educators uncover and surmount the limitations of unconscious biases--stereotypes that form below the surface of our awareness, making them harder to detect. Although these biases are not formed with the intent to do harm, if they are…

This activity is designed to help students recognize ableist assumptions in rhetoric and how we evaluate what constitutes a "good" speaker and their ethos. It will highlight how ableism is embedded in social norms, using classroom public-speaking rubrics to do so. Students learn how to identify these ableist assumptions better and…

What can happen in 200 milliseconds? In a word, everything. In that short time, your subconscious mind has shaped your perceptions and influenced your behaviors. In other words, you have experienced bias--for better or for worse. "Unlocking School Bias" ends the confusion around bias and provides educators with research and strategies…

This unit activity guides students through an interrogation of bias, normativity, and co-cultural experiences within the context of dis/ability and appearance. Specifically, students complete implicit bias tests related to ability and body size, read about historical displays of bodily difference in circuses and "freak shows," and then…

Gain seven strategies designed to help you engage students and families by building performance-based relationships. Drawing from research and his own experiences as an education leader, Coach Carlos Johnson shares practical guidance on how to deepen the impact of your instruction. Learn his performance-based relationships framework and how to…

Courses: Gender Communication, Sexuality and Communication. Objectives: The goals of this unit activity are for students to (1) identify their emotions about transgender people's lived experiences, (2) describe some of the challenges that transgender people face, (3) define terminology used for and among transgender people, and (4) articulate and…

This activity allows students to consider how they self-identify by labeling their identities publicly on three Post-It notes for the class to see and how they may neglect to assign social identities to the way in which they see themselves. Doing so pushes students to make invisible identities more visible, which Cooks (Pedagogy, performance, and…

Diversity courses cover a variety of relevant topics, but it is difficult to convey the dilemmas those with stigmatized, invisible social identities may encounter in the workplace. This exercise attempts to situate students in the perspective of both the person with the invisible identity and those who may unintentionally place that person in a…

This curriculum is part of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) initiative to prevent youth hate crimes and identity-based bullying and was designed to build protective factors in youth, change the attitude and behavior of young people who commit hate crime offenses, and help individuals working with these youth to…

Courses: Communication Theory, Intercultural Communication, Performance Studies, Gender and Communication, Rhetorical Criticism and Analysis. Objectives: This unit activity encourages students to engage in reflexivity regarding the ways intersectionality and power influence their lives and the lives of others. Utilizing strategies grounded in…

This unit, "Explorations of Identity and Privilege," was designed for first year writing courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) taught in 2015 and 2016. The course as a whole focused on writing and inquiry. Within this unit, students discussed essays relating to different forms of privilege (e.g. racial, gender, class) and…

The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery is often presented as an exciting adventure story of discovery, friendship, and patriotism. However, this same period in U.S. history can be understood quite differently when viewed through an anticolonial lens and the Doctrine of Discovery. How might educators critically interrogate the assumptions that…

This lesson plan is designed to help students understand and debunk myths and stereotypes about African American/Black women and their sexual lives. This lesson plan is intended for adult learners.

This case describes the experience of a principal named Jade working in a diverse school in South Central Ontario. A teacher in Jade's school had been confronted by parents and a school board trustee for reading a book to their class about a family with two moms. The teacher, no longer feeling safe or welcome, eventually decided to switch schools.…

Courses: News Reporting, Advertising, Strategic Communication, Media Studies, Introduction to Communication, Intercultural and Interracial Communication, Business Communication, and Hybrid Public Speaking. Objectives: This module facilitates a process for students to interrogate how they relate to the public and to understand the profound…