Inclusive practices has been an incredibly useful unit within the PGCERT, it’s subject matter has been broad yet all come together to highlight the intersectionality of people’s lived experiences.
Some topics within the unit have been more prominent in my teaching than others such as ‘Disability’ but only after reading more about the many facets that make-up this field have I come to appreciate just how impactful it can be with regards to intersectionality.
Through care and purposeful design can a much more inclusive environment be created in all areas of society, how much better it would be to include those who feel marginalised and the contribution they will bring to understanding lived experiences.
Importantly the understanding of those with non visible disabilities and how society can disregard such issues posing massive restrictions and sometimes legal implications on those that suffer mental health and neuro-diverse issues.
I found that reading about Critical Race Theory (CRT), opened my eyes to just how you we place barriers in the path of our young and how they engage with the educational system as was described in Bradbury (2020), highlighting how early primary education inadvertently discriminates against minority children through bench mark testing on entry to primary school but at a point some children don’t speak fluent English, establishing an attainment gap at an early age.
With higher education it’s also incredibly important to view our teaching programmes through a lens of CRT and this is why my Intervention looks to create a more inclusive teaching outlook and follow framework for decolonising the curriculum. Moving away from just a Eurocentric resource on methodology and sourcing process and technique from around the world, some of which may be familiar to overseas students and generate greater cultural appreciated and innovation.
As a Technical Specialist I generally have little engagement with issues of faith but I can appreciate the needs and restrictions it can impose on people in comparison to those without faith like myself.
Care must be taken to ensure that students are not put in difficult situations with topics that counter to their belief system and should be accommodated with an alternative if needed as often the faith goes hand in hand with other cultural sensitivities.
Equally, faith is a controllable variable and university is a place for free speech on sometimes sensitive subjects and exploration of topics. A person can choose how much they are at liberty to explore subjects with regards to their faith. Cultural sensitivity is important to not intentionally cause offence, this can be balanced with careful review of subject matter and dialogue with others who may have expertise in religious practice.
References
Bradbury, A., 2020. A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: The case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(2),