Pedagogical challenges involving race, gender and the unwritten rules in settings of higher education

Abstract

In this discussion paper, we highlight a few interesting and important concerns that have been identified in a diverse number of scholars' work. The successive upsurges of racism and sexism in our spaces of coexistence require us to reflect and confront pedagogical challenges, which remain deadlocked in the field of science education. We explore instances of how racism and sexism infiltrate spaces in higher education, specifically science education, and how race consciousness and consciousness of sexism can positively influence hierarchical systems and popular mindsets that exist in academia. The roles that "colorblindness" play as a so-called reality in academia are interrogated, as are the unwritten rules of teaching, learning, collaborating, researching, writing and serving one's community. Pedagogical challenges posed to Black science education faculty which encompass characteristics and practices that oftentimes include, for example, experiencing a lack of respect, devaluation, the questioning of scholarly credibility and professional credentials and the authenticity of one's work are examined critically. Finally, we juxtapose the aforementioned experiences, with examples of possibilities that can exist when future and forward thinking about race, racism and sexism takes place in science and science education. Keywords Race • Gender • Critical consciousness • Unwritten rules • Science education • Pedagogical challenges ResumenEn este artículo de discusión, intentamos destacar algunas inquietudes interesantes e importantes que se han ido identificando en diversos trabajos académicos. El progresivo aumento del racismo y el sexismo en nuestros cespacios de convivencia requieren que reflexionemos y confrontemos sobre los desafíos pedagógicos que siguen estancados en el campo de la educación científica. Aquí, exploramos algunos ejemplos de cómo el racismo y el sexism se infiltran en los espacios de la educación superior, específicamente en la educación científica, y cómo la conciencia racial y la conciencia del sexismo pueden influir positivamente en los sistemas jerárquicos y las

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