Language Matters! Turning Binary Traditions to An Inclusive Spectrum
About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Lis Regula, Lecturer, Biology
Dr. Yvonne Sun, Associate Professor, Biology
Location
Kennedy Union Room 222
Start Date
4-1-2023 1:10 PM
End Date
4-1-2023 2:00 PM
Abstract/Description
To prepare our students to become servant leaders to meet the complex demands of the world, we need to help them develop their language skills. However, most of us were educated with a binary language where key contributors to our fields are credited as "fathers" or offsprings are either "daughters" or "sons." "Men" and "women" are often the only two options used in our teaching materials. In this session, Dr. Lis Regula and Dr. Yvonne Sun will lead a hands-on workshop where participants will bring their own passages or be provided with passages that contain these binary traditions and then discuss how inclusive language may be used. In this process, participants will apply and further develop their inclusive language skills and help create teaching materials that benefit the learning partnership. Presenters will also provide forms for audit by the group to use as a springboard for discussion. The focus will not be a rules-based approach, but instead a conversation around how critical thinking can lead to more inclusive and clear communication that improves education for our whole community. We will go back to basics about THINKing (“Is it True, Helpful, Important, Necessary, and Kind?”) and build a more equitable educational community for today and tomorrow.
Goals for Attendees
Collectively explore options of inclusive language in teaching and learning materials
Language Matters! Turning Binary Traditions to An Inclusive Spectrum
Kennedy Union Room 222
To prepare our students to become servant leaders to meet the complex demands of the world, we need to help them develop their language skills. However, most of us were educated with a binary language where key contributors to our fields are credited as "fathers" or offsprings are either "daughters" or "sons." "Men" and "women" are often the only two options used in our teaching materials. In this session, Dr. Lis Regula and Dr. Yvonne Sun will lead a hands-on workshop where participants will bring their own passages or be provided with passages that contain these binary traditions and then discuss how inclusive language may be used. In this process, participants will apply and further develop their inclusive language skills and help create teaching materials that benefit the learning partnership. Presenters will also provide forms for audit by the group to use as a springboard for discussion. The focus will not be a rules-based approach, but instead a conversation around how critical thinking can lead to more inclusive and clear communication that improves education for our whole community. We will go back to basics about THINKing (“Is it True, Helpful, Important, Necessary, and Kind?”) and build a more equitable educational community for today and tomorrow.