MCC Daily Tribune

TCC: Fall Conversation #2 - "What, Exactly, Is Equity, and What Does 'Equity-Mindedness' Mean?" [Oct. 23]

Please join us on Friday, October 23, from 12:00-1:00 PM, to participate in a 'flipped classroom'-style conversation based on some learning to do ahead of time. Christina Lee (Global Education & International Services) will facilitate.

If you attended the first TCC Conversation with Tokeya Graham on Sept. 15, and/or if you watched the keynote by Eddie Moore, Jr., on Sept. 18, then you will have noticed something crucial that both did: they stressed the importance of language, definitions, and of knowing what is meant by words such as diversity, equality, equity, and others.

It's one of the basic rules of all good scholars and practitioners: Define your terms, and excavate the underlying contexts for the meanings we give them.

Words are slippery, of course; definitions change over time, according to usage and circumstances, or they change from one context to another. Not all definitions are accepted by everyone using the same word. And keywords for a moment, for a movement, come and go. But what remains the case for all of us, and in all of our disciplines, is that words matter: we need some common vocabulary to study and learn. We need to know what, exactly, we're talking about--or, at least, what the consensus is of experts working in a field.

So, if we are going to commit to (and actually act on) equity-minded pedagogy, then the first order of business must be learning about what equity is, and about the conditions that make it a necessary feature for all of us at MCC, no matter our subjects or roles.

Rather than simply talk at you, then, we are asking that you come to the Oct. 23 Conversation prepared, having done some homework. This work is a free, self-paced, mini-course offered by the Equity Literacy Institute founded by Paul Gorski: "Understanding Equity and Inequity (or, What the Heck-uity is Equity?)" [You will need to register with the Institute to begin the mini-course.]

Completing this mini-course on your own time will ensure that our time together is one where everyone is more or less on the same page concept-wise so that we can engage in active conversation, and apply those concepts to our own situations here at MCC.

This Zoom session will not be recorded. Please keep that in mind if something else that will be recorded happens to be scheduled at the same time. Materials and additional resources will, however, be placed into a folder inside the TCC's Bb space, and we will promote additional professional development opportunities (both in mini- and full-course format) throughout this academic year.

All faculty and professional staff are welcome.

Zoom meeting link (use to join on Oct. 23, or copy the full link and add to your own calendar)

**To ensure you can get into the Zoom without login problems, please first verify that you are logged into Zoom through the single sign-on MCC account portal. If you are not, or if you have no idea if you are, go to https://monroecommunity.zoom.us

__________________________________________________________

This event, the second in our series Committing to Equity-Minded Pedagogy, is designed to meet the following goals of the Teaching and Creativity Center:

Support the scholarship of teaching & learning for all
Value our diversity and promote inclusivity

The particular outcomes for this conversation are for participants to make progress towards:

Integrating scholarship/research into one's teaching (whether in general or specific to discipline)
Expanding an understanding of equity and inclusion
Expanding awareness of student challenges and needs in order to provide a supportive, inclusive academic environment

Amy Burtner
Teaching and Creativity Center
09/21/2020