A recent article on the Fisher case currently
before the Supreme Court to determine the legality of college affirmative
action admissions guidelines responds eloquently to Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Roberts’ questioning of the value of diversity and “why the U.S. needs
more Black physicists.” (Thanks to Neal
Carlson for bringing the article to my attention.)
Dr. M. Christopher Brown II,
provost and executive vice president for academic affairs for the Southern
University system, reminded Justice Roberts that “many of the best scientific
discoveries and inventions emerge from the lived experiences of [those who] are
transgressive outliers from the general norm.”
Dr. Lisa Aponte-Soto, national
program deputy director of New Connections, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
program that works to increase opportunities for early and midcareer scholars
of color in STEM fields, agreed, pointing out that scientists of color “add a
sensitivity to the ‘impact of cultural values’ on the application of science…
that is critical to the effectiveness and accuracy of outcomes.”
What caught my
eye as a teacher was a follow-up assertion by Dr. Aponte-Soto that “faculty of
color tend to encourage more student input, which enhances the students’
connection to the material.” What are we doing at Lincoln that shows this
teaching/learning principle in action, in our STEM courses in particular, but
also in all the other disciplines? How
do you encourage more student input in your course, helping your students to
try on the shoes of the experts and get excited about walking in that path? Can
you share an example that has worked well in your classes, whether physics or philosophy, mathematics or mass communication?
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