Microaggressions in the Classroom: A Resource for Teaching Teams

Often we speak about microaggressions in terms of classroom management when it relates to students using harmful language in educational spaces, but these conversations also need to connect to the impact microaggressions can have on members of the teaching team, such as faculty, sessional instructors, teaching assistants, and lab demonstrators. 

This resource will highlight ways to address microaggressions in the classroom that can support the learning environment and reinforce the humanity of all members of the learning space. 

Image shows two people arguing with each other. Instead of heads, these characters have speakers on their heads to emphasize the disagreement

What are Microaggressions?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, microaggressions are “a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination or prejudice against members of a marginalized group”. 

As the definition suggests, these can be direct or indirect statements or actions, and it is important to remember that microaggressions can happen in these spaces (and many others): 

  • During class discussions in lectures, tutorials or labs 
  • Via email correspondence 
  • In discussion board posts 
  • During office hours 

Sometimes the modality of where these microaggressions occur will impact how you address these occurrences. This resource from the Rochester Institute of Technology outlines common examples of microaggressions that occur in educational spaces. Please note, this resource references student-facing situations, but these microaggressions can also occur towards members of the teaching team. This resource by Ron Berk (2017) also emphasizes microaggressions that happen within academic spaces involving teaching team members. Also see the article written by McCrindle and Phirangee (2021) that speaks to microaggressions that can happen online.  

How to Address Microaggressions in a Pedagogically Inclusive Way?

At the beginning of term 

Have a co-created living document that serves as a classroom communication agreement. These agreements should highlight how learners will speak to each other, but also speak to members of the teaching team. 

This agreement could be saved on Brightspace or in a shared Word document and it can also be supplemented with Brock-related resources that could be referenced over the term.  

You can also review your course content and determine what content will require an activation or content warning before it is discussed. Activation warnings are statements that are made to support the learning space in a more inclusive way by preparing the space for what may be a difficult conversation or topic in the materials for the day. This resource from Concordia University provides research and guidance on how to best support this in your courses.  

During the term 

If microaggressions occur during the term, the following strategies may be helpful: 

  • Model the language and communication you would like supported in the learning environment in the way you communicate in class and via course resources. 
  • Pause and address microaggressions in the moment. Give everyone time to reflect, connect the comment or action to the topic being addressed, and add specificity to the group communication agreement if necessary.  
  • Support the use of I statements when discussing microaggressions, such as “I felt X when you said Y” 
  • Reinforce through paraphrasing and asking for clarity or specificity using such framing as: 
  • “I am hearing X, is that correct?” (Or use other I statements like this) 
  •  “Can you clarify or elaborate?”  
  •  “Do you think that statements like X align with Y?” 
  •  “What do you mean by X?” 
  • “Why do you find X funny?” 
  • Having opportunities to talk about the following in the context of your course content: 
  • Framing the difference between intent and impact. The speaker may not have intended harm in their comment or action, but the impact still remains. 
  • Differences in power and privilege in the classroom based on positionality. Note there are opportunities to have these conversations regardless of your discipline as power and privilege relates to the authors you are reading in your course, the positionality of the teaching team members, the positionality of the learners.  
  • Support avoiding conversation monopolies by having “everyone has to speak or engage once before someone speaks or engages twice” 

At Any Time  

Educational Developers at CPI would be happy to discuss further and within the context of your course, so please reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss microaggressions, classroom management techniques, or trauma-informed practices.  

Communicating in a Learning Space

Learning spaces bring together people with different lived experiences, perspective, values, and knowledge. In a learning space, it is important to communicate in ways that acknowledge these positions and the impact our words can have on others.

As part of your course, you have an opportunity to create a community engagement document, which will allow you to reflect and suggest how students and faculty can meaningfully communicate and express their ideas with everyone in a respectful manner.  

Resources

Brock University. Student Code of Conduct.  

Centre for Pedagogical Innovation. Brock University. Trauma-Informed Practices. 

Human Rights and Equity (Human rights and equity can come to classrooms and offer workshops on anti-racism, intersectionality,  and inclusive language use) 

Limbong, A. (Host). (2020). Life Kit [Audio podcast]. National Public Radio. Microaggressions are a big deal: How to talk them out and when to walk away. [21 minutes] 

McCrindle, K. & Phirangee, K. (2021). Navigating microaggressions in an online learning environment. University Affairs. 

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life : race, gender, and sexual orientation. Wiley.