Practices in Anti-Racist Pedagogy [Free Ebook + Templates]

I have been an educator for 15 years as a teacher, dean, adjunct instructor, implementation lead, culturally and linguistically responsive instructional specialist, and equity, diversity, and inclusion specialist. 

For me, education is about liberation, critical thinking, self exploration, and transformation.

Angel Montoya, Ed.D Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Specialist, JeffCO Public Schools

One of the elements that drives me as an anti-racist educator is that it is a process and a journey with a series of moments in which we must learn and unlearn various beliefs and practices that can perpetuate systems or practices that may oppress our students.

But the journey of unlearning leads us to new learning to transform our beliefs and practices to serve our students through equitable practices that honor their humanity, and, in turn, honor our own humanity. 

Deepening one’s critical consciousness and being an anti-racist is not a strategy, but rather, it is a way of being. As a lifelong learner, my journey of learning is unending, and I carry that with me as an educator. My beliefs about education are not only rooted in anti-racism and liberation, but in the re-humanization of education—which I see as a field of humanity and being in service to our communities.

Learning Objectives

Remember: This guidebook and the accompanying activities are designed to help you uniquely understand your own socialization journey and the insidious nature of white supremacy culture. We are all at different stages in our understanding and learning of this work. It is critical that you be vulnerable and honest with the content and learning activities.

🙇 You will reflect on your identity and the influence that it has had on your decisions, relationships, and all aspects of your life.

🔎 You will examine and explore your beliefs and biases in relation to the impact these have on us as educators and how we serve our students.

📝 You will engage in a series of self-reflective learning activities that will assist in the necessary identity work that is needed to engage in anti-racism pedagogy.

Examining One’s Identity

Practices in Anti-Racist Pedagogy requires a commitment to ongoing self-work in developing and deepening one’s critical consciousness. This will require an examination of one’s identity and its connection to systemic inequities within the world and education. 

This week lays out the foundation of self work that must occur in becoming an anti-racist educator.

Activity: “I Am From” Poem and Social Identity Wheel

We start our cycle of learning and unlearning with an “I Am From” Poem. This activity is meant to help you reflect on the intersections of your identity that are not always consciously at the forefront of your mind. This activity helps you to begin to understand your life on a deeper level, so you may engage in anti-racism work. 

Examining Your Instructional Practices

Anti-racist pedagogy requires amplifying students’ voices and gaining a deeper understanding of serving them in a manner that honors their cultural identities. This will require you to examine your current instructional practices, beliefs regarding students, and an ongoing commitment to anti-racist pedagogy.

Activity: Culture Quilt

We deepen our understanding of how our socialization has influenced our beliefs, shaped our values, and influenced the way we participate in the world. The culture quilt is designed to help you reflect on how your world views came to be and examine what that means as you become an anti-racist educator.

Deepening Your Critical Consciousness

This week requires a development and deepening of one’s critical consciousness. This allows one to recognize their identities as well as their hidden dimensions of power and privilege providing the foundation to recognize when oppression is occurring and the skills to combat unjust treatment as well as systems of inequity.

Activity: Racial Autobiography

We further delve into our racialized identities with this learning activity as it is meant to help you deconstruct your lived experience in a manner that allows you to engage with some of your earliest interactions with racialized identities.

Final Reflections Exercise

Based on the activities and materials above, take a moment to write down the active steps you can take in becoming an agent of change in your community and within your educational system. Use these additional resources to reflect on your own or with students:

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