Implementing anti-oppressive pedagogy in the social psychology classroom

Traditional pedagogies employed in higher education can exacerbate inequalities for students of color and leave white students ill-equipped for effective participation in an increasingly diverse society. Anti-oppressive pedagogy offers strategies that center students who are typically at the margins. These strategies enhance classroom participation, retention and application of course material. To create an anti-oppressive space, instructors can reflect on their positionality then create active learning opportunities that meet anti-oppressive goals: (1) legitimize and promote reflection on students’ social positions and cultures, (2) challenge students’ assumptions and cultivate critical analysis skills, (3) empower students to discuss and apply content collaboratively, and (4) encourage student-led practices that decenter the instructor as the sole authority (Kishimoto, 2018; Valcarlos et al., 2020). This chapter briefly discusses the history of pedagogical approaches in the United States, orientation to anti-oppressive pedagogy and examples of how to implement anti-oppressive pedagogical goals in a Social Psychology course.