This project aims to open a new space for students and academic staff to collaborate, offering opportunities for enhancing inclusivity from multiple perspectives. Firstly, fostering critical thinking, encouraging students to question and challenge existing norms, and promoting participatory learning where both teachers and students are active participants in knowledge construction (Freire, 1968). This creates a space for community building where diversity is embedded, generating a culture of belonging and collaboration and cultivating cultural intelligence (Levychin, 2018; Thomas, 2022).
This artefact also promotes a learning approach from individuality and individual interpretation of the theories, the examples, the industry and the world we study and exist in, which supports academic and industry decolonisation and democratisation, as very often extracurricular contents mean extra costs for students and/or are subject to normative interpretations (race, social background, gender). In that way, this collaborative approach to content planning and session delivery also considers Crenshaw’s (1991) theory of intersectionality to its core. It advocates for the recognition of and response to the intersecting forms of oppression experienced by marginalised groups, since it draws on a person-centred approach which require us as a society, social system, university and classroom to respect, value and honour individuality beyond social categories.
This project follows Brookfield’s (2017) Four Lenses framework, which encompasses self-reflection, students’ perspectives, colleagues’ viewpoints, and insights from literature to critically examine teaching practices and enhance active learning engagement. Brookfield’s work highlights the importance of self-directed learning, power dynamics, critical theory, and race relations in education.
The proposed intervention has also been inspired by Freire’s (1968) “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” work, which emphasises the importance of transforming traditional educational structures from oppressive, hierarchical models in which teachers deposit knowledge into passive students, to empowering dialogical processes.
References
Bates, T. (2019) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning. 2nd ed. Vancouver: Tony Bates Associates Ltd.
Brookfield, S. D. (2017) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Crenshaw, K. (1991) ‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color’, Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp. 1241-1299.
Freire, P. (1968) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.
Johnson, D. W. and Johnson, F. P. (2018) Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.
Levychin, L. (2018) ‘Cultural Intelligence in Higher Education: A Framework for Inclusivity’, Journal of College Student Development, 59(4), pp. 489-505.
QAA (2023) The Inclusive Education Framework. [online] Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/membership/collaborative-enhancement-projects/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/the-inclusive-education-framework [Accessed 20 December 2024].
Thomas, D. C. (2022) Cultural Intelligence: Living and Working Globally. 4th ed. Oxford: Routledge.
Weimer, M. (2013) Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.