Classroom Practice

Actionable strategies to build an inclusive, supportive, and culturally responsive learning environment.

Recognising and Interrupting Bias

How Bias Shows Up in the Classroom

Interpretation of Behaviour: A white student speaking out is 'enthusiastic'; an African student is 'disruptive'.
Distribution of Attention: Teachers unconsciously call on, wait longer for, and give more detailed feedback to white students.
Academic Placement: Black students are underrepresented in gifted programs and overrepresented in lower sets.
Discipline: Black students receive more frequent and harsher consequences, especially for subjective infractions like "defiance" or "attitude".

Strategies for Interrupting Bias

Pause before reacting: Before you respond to a student, ask yourself: "Would I react this way if they were white?"

Coded Language

"Aggressive"
"Attitude"
"Intimidating"

Neutral Language

"Spoke loudly"
"Expressed frustration"
"Disagreed with instruction"

Question your assumptions: If you think a student has "low ability," is that based on data or perception? Have you considered language barriers or trauma?

Get feedback: Ask a trusted colleague to observe your class and provide specific feedback on your interaction patterns.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies

Building on Students' Cultural Knowledge

Use call and response: Incorporate "When I say X, you say Y" to build energy and memory.
Value oral tradition: Use drama, storytelling, and debate; don't only value written work.
Encourage collaboration: Allow group work and peer teaching to align with collectivist cultural values.
Teach code-switching explicitly: Acknowledge their different language contexts as valid. "In academic writing, we use Standard English. All forms are valuable."

High Expectations with High Support

Don't lower standards; raise the support. African students can achieve at the highest levels. Provide scaffolding, extra time, and clear, specific feedback. Avoid placing students in lower sets based on behaviour or perceived ability.

Managing Behaviour Without Misunderstanding

Behaviour is Communication: Ask 'Why?' Before 'What?'

Eye contact: Looking down can be a sign of respect, not guilt or defiance. Don't demand it.

Questioning authority: Asking "why" is often a sign of engagement, not a challenge to your authority. Answer the question.

"Attitude": Confidence and directness can be cultural communication styles, not disrespect. Separate tone from content.

Use Restorative, Not Punitive, Discipline

Punitive discipline asks, "You broke a rule, what's your punishment?" Restorative asks, "Who was harmed, and how can we repair it?" The restorative approach focuses on relationship and learning, which is more effective and less biased.

Creating Inclusive Curricula

Integrate African Contributions Year-Round

If African people only appear in lessons about slavery, you teach that Blackness equals trauma. Go beyond Black History Month.

History: Teach about Ancient African kingdoms like Mali and Songhai.
Science: Feature scientists like Philip Emeagwali and Wangari Maathai.
English: Study authors like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Wole Soyinka.

Supporting Multilingual Learners

EAL is Not SEN

Do not refer students for learning difficulties when the issue is language. A key sign of a language barrier (not a learning difficulty) is being strong in maths but weak in literacy. When in doubt, assess in their first language before assuming a SEN.

Effective Classroom Strategies for EAL

Use Visual Supports: Images, diagrams, gestures, and visual timetables are essential.
Simplify Language: Speak clearly (not louder), use shorter sentences, and avoid idioms.
Provide Scaffolding: Offer sentence frames, word banks, and modelled examples.
Celebrate Multilingualism: Acknowledge the cognitive advantage of being bilingual.

Resource Hub

Download the complete toolkits and guides to put these strategies into practice.