What Is Equity Pedagogy

Equity pedagogy is a type of teaching and learning that helps learners understand the ways in which their identities are shaped by systems of power, privilege, and oppression. It values equity, diversity, language diversity, multiculturalism, and student-centered teaching practices.

Equity pedagogy is a philosophy of education. It's a way of teaching and learning that aims to ensure equity in education for all students, particularly those from marginalized groups.

Equity pedagogy began as a response to the deficit model of difference. The deficit model sees difference as something that must be overcome, and people who experience it as lacking something.

A person with disabilities is seen as deficient in some way, for example.

Equity pedagogy begins from the principle that all students can learn if they have access to resources and instruction that takes their unique needs into consideration. In an equity classroom, teachers would not assume any student is "less capable" than another based on their racial identity or disability status—the assumption would be that all students bring unique strengths and weaknesses to the learning environment, which should be acknowledged and respected by providing differentiated instruction where appropriate.

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Equity pedagogy understands knowledge as contextual and relational. The idea that knowledge is not static, but rather changes over time, is a key component of understanding why equity matters in our classrooms. We cannot apply the same standards across all students because they do not come from the same background or have had the same experiences, which means they bring different contexts with them into their learning environments.

This means that we then need to ask: “What are we doing in order for students to learn?”

The concept of equity also allows you to think about how contexts might impact student learning, as well as consider your own teaching practices and potential biases when working with students from diverse backgrounds. As an instructor or professor who works with groups of people who have been historically marginalized within education systems (like women), it can be easy for you when designing curriculum based on what you think works best instead of asking yourself whether or not it will work best for students who may have never encountered concepts such as patriarchy before entering your classroom environment--or even if it does work well for everyone else but someone feels excluded by virtue of being part of some privileged group (like white men).

Equity pedagogy is about valuing students' home languages, the language of instruction, and all other languages used in school. It's also about valuing teachers' racial and ethnic identities and experiences as part of their professional practice. In short, equity pedagogy means that we recognize that every student has different needs depending on their background in order to learn effectively.

Equity pedagogy uses student-centered teaching practices to create a more equitable learning environment for all students. Student-centered learning is based on the philosophy that students must be empowered to take responsibility for their own education. It encourages teachers to incorporate active participation in their lessons and focus on real-world applications of classroom content.

In an equity pedagogy classroom, all students are viewed as whole learners—not just those who conform to traditional measures of academic achievement—and they are expected to participate actively in their own education rather than just passively absorb information from the teacher’s presentation.

Equity pedagogy is a kind of education that seeks to be inclusive. It’s the opposite of the deficit model, which focuses on ways students are different from their peers and teachers. Instead, equity pedagogy focuses on ways students are similar and how they can learn from each other.

Equity pedagogy values language diversity and multiculturalism. Students should have equal access to instruction regardless of their home language or background, which often leads teachers to work with different groups separately at first so they can get comfortable with the new setting before being asked to participate fully in class discussions or projects. Equity pedagogy also encourages student-centered teaching practices like cooperative learning because these methods allow every member of the class an opportunity for success.

Equity pedagogy is a way of teaching that seeks to be inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of all students. It recognizes the power dynamics in our society and strives to minimize those inequities through practices that foster empathy and understanding as well as a sense of belonging in class. Equity pedagogues understand knowledge as contextual and relational, value language diversity and multiculturalism, use student-centered teaching practices like project-based learning or inquiry-based instruction methods, focus on collaborative learning activities (like team projects), incorporate visual literacy into their lessons plans … And so much more!