Decolonizing Classroom Participation

Centre for Learning and Teaching

Decolonizing Classroom Participation

This session is part of the Decolonization Workshop Series.

This four-part series invites faculty members, instructors, and teaching assistants to reflect on what it means to take a decolonial approach to teaching and learning. Drawing on Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang鈥檚 reminder that 鈥渄ecolonization is not a metaphor,鈥� the series distinguishes decolonization from Indigenization and inclusion, and explores how colonial legacies continue to shape higher education. Together, we will consider how to reimagine virtual and in-person classroom participation, assessment practices, and our broader academic contexts in ways that are more just, relational, and responsive.

Tuesday, November 4
2鈥�3 p.m.
Online
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Classroom participation is often narrowly defined: speaking quickly, confidently, and frequently. These norms privilege certain voices 鈥� often male, extroverted, or Euro-Western 鈥� while silencing or penalizing others, particularly women, gender-diverse students, and those from non-dominant cultural backgrounds. In this workshop, faculty members, instructors, and teaching assistants will examine how gendered, cultural, and colonial expectations shape our perceptions of 鈥済ood participation鈥� and how these assumptions influence teaching, feedback, and grading practices.

Drawing on Indigenous pedagogical principles that value listening, relationality, storytelling, and collective knowledge-building, participants will:

Reflect on their own biases in assessing participation.
Explore alternative ways of recognizing and valuing student engagement.
Co-create strategies for designing more inclusive, equitable, and relational learning environments.

This session invites instructors to critically reimagine participation, ensuring that all students have opportunities to contribute meaningfully and authentically, while also honouring diverse ways of knowing, being, and learning.