Implicit biases are pervasive including in educational environments and have negative impact on students' learning experiences and outcomes. Although they are out of awareness, their impact can be significant and harmful. Because we are unconscious of them, it is important to pay special attention to what they are, how they affect our judgement and behaviour, and what their consequences may be.

If you would like to learn more about implicit bias, watch the video below.

Suggested video

"Implicit bias: Concepts Unwrapped" by the University of Texas at Austin (8 minutes)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoBvzI-YZf4

Reflections

It is very difficult to tune into our implicit biases because they are out of our awareness, and we may not be able to avoid or remove them entirely. However, tuning into them is a crucial first step. Take a moment to consider the following questions:

What are some of the implicit biases you hold? It may help to think about one or two social groups (e.g., by race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.). *

*This is not an easy task! Since implicit biases are often unconscious, it can be difficult to recognize them. It may take time to begin to notice unconscious biases.

What may be some of the consequences of these biases to your students who belong to those groups?