At the beginning of June, the GSTA shared its position statement and call to action for graduate student teaching assistants and instructors of psychology. In this month’s Corner, we would like to share several resources for each of the action items that we identified. We recognize that these are just a few of the many amazing resources available and encourage you to share resources that you have found helpful with us through Facebook, Twitter (@gradsteachpsych), email, or the GSTA listserv.
We also invite our community to engage with us in an ongoing dialogue about possible and effective ways to foster inclusion, equity, and anti-racism in our classrooms, institutions, and communities. Voicing your opinions, suggestions, and needs is crucial to guiding our work.
Decolonize your syllabi by including the work of scholars and psychologists from diverse identities and backgrounds.
● An Extensive List of Scholars from Diverse Backgrounds - A list of BME (Black, Minority, or Ethnic) psychologists as well as anti-racist scholarly works.
● Spark Society's Resources for Taking Action - Contains a database of diverse cognitive psychologists and their fields of research.
● Influential and Diverse Psychologists - A list of nine influential psychologists from diverse backgrounds along with representative publications for each, most of which are readily accessible online through Google Scholar. Created by the GSTA.
Adopt anti-racist and culturally responsive teaching and assessment practices.
● Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story - A TED Talk explaining the importance of adopting a responsive mindset and avoiding being ethnocentric.
● Scaffolding anti-racism resources - A comprehensive list of multiple resources that varies between books, podcasts, videos, and activities to become anti-racist.
● Culturally responsive teaching in special education for ethnically diverse students: Setting the stage - An article by Geneva Gay, a pioneer researcher in culturally responsive pedagogy, offering a detailed explanation of the model.
● Culturally Responsive Pedagogy- A great book introducing multiple perspectives and experiences on how to become a more culturally responsive educator.
Create inclusive learning environments that celebrate diversity, do not tolerate discrimination, and embrace all voices and opinions.
● Diversity and Inclusion in the College Classroom - A Faculty Focus report with helpful suggestions such as laying the foundation for difficult dialogues, diffusing student resistance, teaching and learning respect and acceptance.
● MDC's Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning: Diversity Resources - A collection of videos, articles, workshops, course design suggestions and project-based service learning strategies.
● Social Justice Issues and Racism in the College Classroom: Perspectives from Different Voices - A great book outlining various international perspectives on social justice education.
Discuss with students and colleagues how discrimination and inequity have shaped the field of psychology and the world around us.
● Recent research by Roberts and colleagues at the Social Concepts Lab at Stanford University can provide a helpful starting point for discussing racism in psychology and the United States.
● Should social scientists be distanced from or engaged with the people they study? - Journal article discussing how reliance on default samples and the distance perspective is associated with issues of generalizability and diversity in social and educational sciences.
● APA Guidelines on Race and Ethnicity in Psychology: Promoting Responsiveness and Equity (APA, 2019) - Guidelines 5 - 8 focus on promoting responsiveness and equity in psychology education and training and describe applications of these guidelines.
Engage with students and colleagues across disciplines in activism to create change in your classrooms, institutions, and communities.
● Stirring up Racism - Journal article outlining social justice in the classroom for educators to assist students in starting the process of activism.
● Pushing the Edge - Podcasts about how to engage in social justice activism for students and teachers.
● Student Activism in School - How to Get Your Voice Heard - Guide on how to become a student activist.
Above all, be compassionate and supportive to your students, your colleagues, and yourself during these times.
● The Heart of Learning & Teaching: Compassion, Resiliency, & Academic Success - Book with many resources & suggestions about including compassion into our classrooms.
● Educators, It’s Time to Put on Your Compassion Hats - Dutton & Worline (2020) wrote about embedding compassion into our classes.
● Resources to Help Teachers Heal, Learn, and Listen - Teach for America (TFA) compiled a list of anti-racist, student support, and self-care resources.
GSTA Invited Speaker at APA 2020
Looking ahead, we are also excited to announce that Dr. Amy Silvestri Hunter will give the GSTA invited address at the virtual 2020 APA Convention. Dr. Hunter is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Seton Hall University and the Associate Director of Project Syllabus, a compendium of model psychological syllabi sponsored by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2). Elizabeth Che, former GSTA Chair, is honored to introduce Dr. Hunter as the GSTA invited address at the virtual 2020 APA convention.
Dr. Hunter’s address, Project Syllabus: APA edition, is scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2020 from 10:00 – 10:50am. In this address, Dr. Hunter will provide a brief background on the empirical basis for the current rubric used to evaluate syllabi and then provide suggestions for easy-to-implement changes to ones’ syllabus consistent with the Project Syllabus rubric that are likely to enhance student satisfaction.
GSTA Steering Committee
Jessica Brodsky (Chair), The Graduate Center, CUNY
Adam Green, Southern Illinois University
Amy Maslowski (Deputy Chair), U. of North Dakota
Laura Simon, Ohio State University
Terrill Taylor, University of North Dakota
Maaly Younis, University of Northern Colorado
