I was recently learning about culturally responsive teaching, which is a teaching practice that emphasizes the inclusion of students’ cultural references in all aspects of the classroom. Some examples of culturally responsive teaching techniques are student-centered instruction and reshaping the curriculum. One aspect of this pedagogy that I realized I was lapsing in was communication of high expectations.

It is my nature to praise a student when they solve a problem, and to empathize with them when they get one wrong, but I’ve learned that these behaviors can be a sign of having low expectations for a student, and students can pick up on this. When I lavish praise onto a student for correctly simplifying some fractions, I’m conveying implicitly that I didn’t believe they’d be able to do this (pre-requisite) task. Further, I’m behaving as if they’ve mastered the material at hand, which they haven’t yet. I shouldn’t imply through my reactions that they’ve accomplished what I set out for them to; I should only praise them when they’ve mastered that activity’s goal.

Similarly, when I empathize with their failures, or offer unsolicited help, I may be sending the message that I never believed they can solve the problem. Students who think their instructor doesn’t believe in them will have a harder time believing in themselves.

Instructors can also show implicit bias through our use of praise or sympathy. Instructors are more likely to convey low expectations to students from certain cultural groups. This teaches these students that we don’t expect them to accomplish as much as their peers. Often this occurs with students from under-represented groups, and these students will be less likely to continue in math if their instructors act as if they don’t belong, worsening the representation problem.

To counteract this problem, one of my goals for my new semester is to set clear, consistent, and high expectations for all of my students. I will try to reserve my praise for when students meet these goals, and not empathize with their failures so much that it makes them think I accept their failings as inevitable. I will only offer help when asked, after I’ve seen a student try without me first.

If you’re interested in reading more about inclusive pedagogy, here’s a really good long read.