| College of Marin defines equity as: recognizing the historical and systemic disparities in opportunity and outcomes and providing the resources necessary to address those disparities. The College of Marin has defined “Equity-Mindedness” as: the perspective or mode of thinking exhibited by practitioners who call attention to patterns of inequity in student outcomes. These practitioners are willing to take personal and institutional responsibility for the success of their students, and critically reassess their own practices. It also requires that practitioners are race-conscious and aware of the intersectional social and historical context of exclusionary practices in American education. For Year one, the Equity Statement should address: How do you ensure equitable student learning outcomes are reached across our diverse student body to address historical and systemic disparities? Year Two Onward: reflect on your Equity Statement and address how you are incorporating new experiences (training, professional development, student feedback, etc.) into your teaching and the greater COM community. If your Equity Statement has changed, please explain. |
Year One
At the College of Marin, equity means recognizing historical and systemic disparities in opportunity and outcomes, and providing the resources necessary to address those disparities. To me, this means creating learning spaces where all students – regardless of background, identity, or preparation – have equitable opportunities to succeed, participate, and grow.
Equity-minded teaching begins with awareness: recognizing that not all students enter the classroom with the same prior knowledge, cultural attitudes toward science, access to resources, or confidence. It is also important to remain mindful that our systems have often privileged some ways of speaking, thinking, and showing knowledge over others. My goal is to teach with that awareness at the forefront, so I can better invite every student to engage fully in my courses and structure participation in ways that reduce barriers rather than reinforce them.
Encouraging Inclusive Participation
One important part of my approach involves the way I invite students to participate. In addition to welcoming spontaneous questions and discussion, I use Padlet, an interactive online message board that allows students to respond anonymously to prompts in real time. This gives students who might hesitate to speak out – because of language insecurity, shyness, or fear of judgment – a voice in the conversation. I respond to every comment with respect and curiosity, modeling how all contributions are valued. The resulting conversations are lively, funny, and help us feel better connected to one another. (It also helps that I often invite students to share photos of their pets. There’s nothing like a puppy or parrot cameo to warm up the room and help people feel more at ease).
When leading in-class discussions, I also work intentionally to balance voices. I gently encourage students who have already contributed to make room for others, and I build in structures to allow this, such as individual reflection time followed by pair/share discussions. Working individually or in a small group gives students – especially those less comfortable speaking in large groups – the opportunity to test their ideas before sharing them more publicly. Over time, this approach has helped foster a culture of thoughtful, respectful dialogue where all voices are heard.
One more thing that it occurs to me to add in this category is simple: I do my best to learn the names of my students. I realize this may not easy for everyone just from the standpoint of memory, but it seems to be one of my strengths. In a 24-person lab, I usually know everyone’s name by the second week of classes. In a large lecture class, it is more difficult, and I usually only learn the names of those students who choose to interact with me, for example by introducing themselves at the start of the semester, or attending office hours. I have had people tell me that they’re impressed that I am able to call students by name. Sometimes, however, I don’t think the recognition of this is fully conscious, but instead it just adds to a sense of being welcomed – in my classrooms and on campus, and in our broader community.
Designing Activities that Promote Equity
I also design learning activities that give all students an equal opportunity to participate. For instance, at the start of the semester, students introduce themselves in pairs or triplets, with timed turns to ensure everyone has a chance to speak while their partner listens. While the conversations often flow naturally beyond the prompts (as I secretly hope they will), this structure ensures that all students are explicitly invited to take up space and share their perspectives.
Across all of my courses, I am deliberate in incorporating diverse voices and examples into my curriculum. In biology lectures, I highlight the contributions of scientists such as Rosalind Franklin, who played a pivotal but underrecognized role in the discovery of DNA’s structure, and Wangari Maathai, whose Green Belt Movement integrated ecology, gender, and social justice. In teaching Latin and Greek root words, I also acknowledge that Spanish-speaking students often have an advantage because of shared linguistic roots, which is an opportunity to affirm their cultural assets rather than treat them as deficits.
Honoring Cultural and Indigenous Knowledge
Equity also means honoring forms of knowledge that have long been marginalized in Western science. In my ecology and environmental units, I work to respectfully integrate Indigenous perspectives on land stewardship. Rather than speaking for communities outside my lived experience, I use materials developed by Indigenous scholars and, when possible and appropriate, invite Indigenous scholars and practitioners to share their expertise directly with my students. For example, at Sonoma State, I hosted Chairman Ron Goode of the North Fork Mono Tribe to discuss the use of fire in land management. His talk offered students an entirely new lens on fire ecology, deepening their understanding of the relationship between culture, ecology, and sustainability.
Continuous Reflection and Growth
While I am proud of the inclusive practices I have developed, I recognize that equity work is never “finished.” I continue to deepen my understanding through professional development, such as my participation in the Transformative Inclusion in Postsecondary STEM (TIPS) program, which focuses on rehumanizing STEM fields through lesson study and reflective practice. I also seek feedback from students – formally and informally – for insight into how my strategies are experienced and how I can better meet student needs.
My ongoing goal is to continue refining my classroom practices so that they support equitable student learning outcomes and help address the historical and systemic barriers that have shaped higher education. In this spirit, I hold myself accountable for the success of all my students, continually reassessing my teaching with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to growth. I do this with the intention of inviting every student to participate fully in their educational journey.