Can decolonising pedagogies close the attainment gap?
As well as embracing a curriculum which is truly diversified in design, production and content, we need to address the way things are taught too. Nationally, there is a 15.4% attainment gap between white and BME students leaving with a First or 2:1 degree in this country. Despite coming into the University with the same grades, white students consistently perform better than non-white students, which gives an indication that the way the University is structured leans towards white attainment over non-white attainment. This can occur socially, intellectually, in the classroom, in halls of residences, in what type of activities students paticipate in, both academic and non-academic. Decolonisation is a radical possibility of changing the ways in which we relate to each other, which can be done through how knowledge is taught, as well as what knowledge is taught.
A report from the Open University, Innovating Pedagogy (Ferguson et al. 2019), describes a curriculum as ‘a way of identifying the knowledge we value’ and providing structure to how we are ‘taught to think and talk about the world’. Universities should embrace the multiplicity of teaching and learning and actively recognise how it can be more easily accessible or in/accessible for racialised and/or minoritised groups in society (Lewis 2022). Part of this is recognising that the social experience within British universities is in many ways a product of the inherent white middle-class nature of these institutions (Arday & Mirza 2018). The discourse of social mobility and meritocracy that filters through HE equality and diversity rhetoric can increase self-awareness of the aspects of non-white identity that must be muted, or left behind to feel “included” in UK HE (Carmichael-Murphy & Ggbabgo 2022).
How do decolonise pedagogies?
The suggestions below as to how to decolonise pedagogy have been compiled from research into what other universities are doing, and from literature, and act only as a guide. A key part in decolonising pedagogies is reducing hierarchies between those who hold positions of power, and whose knowledge is therefore seen as superior, and those who don’t. To tackle this, collaboration is key, and understanding how learning can and should be a two-way process between ‘teachers’ and ‘students’.
Here is one way the challenge of decolonising pedagogies has been addressed in a ‘History of African Film’ module at SOAS. A blog about the topic from Lindwe Dovey is also included in the resource list.
There is little research into how this can be done specifically within the Business School environment. However, we have much more detail on this on our ‘Decolonising the Curriculum’ page, exploring work that we have done throughout the project.
References
- Arday, J. & Mirza, H. S. (eds) (2018). Dismantling Race in Higher Education: Racism, Whiteness and Decolonising the Academy. Cham: Springer.
- Carmichael-Murphy, P. & Ggbagbo, E. (2022). ‘Curriculum design’, in A. Verma (ed.) Anti-racism in higher education: An action guide for change’. Bristol: Bristol University Press, 126-139.
- Ferguson R. et al. (2019) Innovating Pedagogy 2019: Open University Innovation Report 7.
- Lewis, E. (2022). ‘How to create a sense of belonging for black students in a majority white academy’ [Online]. Available at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-create-sense-belonging-black-students-majority-white-academy [Accessed on 6th December 2022).
Decolonising a Business School 