Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education)

"Teaching about race and racism can be a difficult business. Students and instructors alike often struggle with strong emotions, and many people have robust preexisting beliefs about race. At the same time, this is a moment that demands a clear understanding of racism. It is important for students to learn how we got here and how racism is more than just individual acts of meanness. Students also need to understand that colorblindness is not an effective anti-racism strategy. In this book, Cyndi Kernahan argues that you can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a compassionate learning environment that allows for mistakes and avoids shaming students. She provides evidence for how learning works with respect to race and racism along with practical teaching strategies rooted in that evidence to help instructors feel more confident. She also differentiates between how white students and students of color are likely to experience the classroom, helping instructors provide a more effective learning experience for all students"--Provided by publisher Contennts 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: Why Is It So Hard? 14 1. Naïve Understandings: How We Differ from Our Students 28 2. Struggling Students: How and Why Resistance Happens 55 3. Getting Yourself Together: Developing a Secure Teacher Identity 84 4. Belonging in the Classroom: Creating Moments of Positivity and Connection 112 5. Expectations: From Ground Rules to Growth Mindsets 143 6. Course Content: Problems and Solutions 176 Conclusion and Summary of Ideas 209 Appendix: Suggested Reading for Historical Understanding 216 References 224 Index 238 "In this book, Cyndi Kernahan argues that you can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a compassionate learning environment that allows for mistakes and avoids shaming students. She also differentiates between how White students and students of color are likely to experience the classroom, helping instructors provide a more effective learning experience for all students"-- Provided by publisher Argues that you can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a compassionate learning environment. Cyndi Kernahan provides evidence for how learning works with respect to race and racism along with practical teaching strategies rooted in that evidence to help instructors feel more confident.