Equity in All Classrooms ((3 Credits))

Catalog description

This course will serve as a blueprint for teachers to alter the all-too-predictable outcomes for our historically under served students. It will make the critical link between social justice and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) so that we can equip students and teachers with the will, skill and collective capacity to enact positive change. This course also gives educators an opportunity to analyze and reflect upon a variety of realistic case studies related to educational equity and social justice. The accessibility of written cases allows educators to practice the process of considering a range of contextual factors, checking their own biases, and making immediate and long-term decisions about how to create and sustain equitable learning environments for all students. The case studies involve classroom issues that are relevant to all grade levels and content areas. Using an equity framework, participants develop a lens for detecting inequity as it occurs in everyday classrooms, become adept at looking at the situation from multiple perspectives, and develop actionable plans to negotiate obstacles to equity in the classroom, the school, and in the community.