Title: Diverse Perspectives for the Classroom – The Art of Teaching
Headings: Diverse Perspectives for the Classroom
Diverse Perspectives for the Classroom
Courageous Conversations in the Classroom
Mona Ivey-Soto, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education

Content: By just the second week of class we had created the conditions for courageous sharing and vulnerability. As the students concluded their sharing, I asked them to identify any strands or commonalities that they heard in each other’s stories. Many were excited to share travels around the world and proudly brought passports highlighting their knowledge of diverse cultures through international travel. While I celebrated these incredible, life changing experiences, I also used this as a moment to highlight the level of privilege that is necessary for that sort of travel. I reminded that that while we’re at a private institution and many enjoy the privileges and benefits afforded by wealth, it’s important to recognize our social class differences and not assume that one’s own identities and lived experiences are shared by all. Perspective taking, an essential tool of cultural humility, must be felt and named within a classroom where diverse narratives are shared. Finally, as a higher education community, I believe we can invite courageous conversations into our spaces regularly and across disciplines. These conversations aren’t limited to certain professions or areas of study. We are all deeply committed to transformative education for all of our students and we want them to depart from our campus as critically engaged citizens ready and willing to advocate for social change. As a voice in their journey, we need to demonstrate not only our subject matter knowledge, but our passion for social justice in the classroom and the community.