Library Instruction West 2020

What is possible when we renounce internalized deficit thinking and commit to teaching approaches that honor student strengths, funds of knowledge, and lived experiences? Deficit thinking often unintentionally shapes our approaches to students, especially those with marginalized identities. However, learning activities that tap into the cultural wealth and prior knowledge students bring to the classroom give students the academic space to inform the learning environment and build complexity into external narratives.

In this workshop, participants will actively reflect on their positionality including power, privilege, and marginalization, and the ways it affects their experiences and responsibility as an educator. Facilitators will provide an overview of the deficit mindset and how it pervades higher education, including the library classroom. Participants and facilitators will discuss a series of theoretical frameworks that combat deficit thinking, such as culturally relevant pedagogy and open pedagogy. Using these theories, participants will explore opportunities for practical application in one-shot classroom practices, information literacy learning activities, and programmatic design. The workshop will conclude with participants identifying goals to incorporate into their practice moving forward.