Inequity in the Classroom/En toute égalité
Concordia University, Visual Media Resources

Review by Irène Bujara

This audio-visual package, aimed at sensitizing adult educators to various forms of discriminatory treatment in the classroom, is an excellent tool with which to begin a discussion on a subject that is seldom tackled. The video and training manual combine to make a particularly good learning aid for those who seriously wish to make their classroom the inclusive learning experience it should be.

The elimination of discrimination in all of its various forms within the university setting is high on the agenda of most Canadian institutions, yet there is very little discussion of the impact of discrimination on teaching in the classroom, and even less on pro-active strategies for professors and students. Increasingly, universities are taking steps to ensure that their environment reflects more accurately the diversity of our society. In addition, university campuses are seeing a growing participation of women in all disciplines and aspects of university life, despite the chilly climate which still exists on most campuses.

These two realities have forced academics and academic institutions to rethink the appropriateness of paradigms used in their teaching methods. There is also an increased emphasis on the issue of instructional development within universities as students demand a higher quality of teaching as well as equity in all aspects of the learning process from language in the classroom, to balanced curriculum, to representation in the faculties.

Equity and quality of teaching are two different facets of the same issue. What makes this audio-visual package particularly timely is the way in which both of these concerns are addressed as parts of one seamless whole. The point is clearly made that a higher quality of teaching cannot be achieved without ensuring that everyone benefits equally, and that this inequality begins at grade school so that a certain amount of compensation is inevitable at the university level.

The package consists of two components, a video and manual. It is essential to use both in order to achieve balanced discussion that includes all of the important parts of a very complex issue. The video alone is not sufficient because of its emphasis on gender inequity and that, in its visual presentation, black students are practically missing from the picture.

The video discusses how inequity manifests itself in the classroom, its effect on the student and the learning environment. The impact of gender on the learning experience of students is effectively addressed through vignettes and discussion by researchers. One of the strongest qualities of this resource is that it presents strategies to help educators correct inequities in a concrete way. When the provision of solutions is missing in any presentation of an issue, much of the positive impact often gets lost.