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When
looking back at my first day of school, it is safe to say that the things I have learned were not the most challenging concepts. That being said, that does not
mean sharing with others and covering my mouth when I cough are not important
life lessons, as they will follow me for the rest of my life. Along with the
previously mentioned skills, fairness is another lesson that we are taught from
the moment we step foot in a classroom setting. Whether we are playing
football at recess or checking out a book in the library, we are expected to
treat everyone equally and with respect. Students are lucky that their teachers
are the ones conveying this information to them due to the fact that they are
practically experts in this field. It may not be obvious, but educators are also expected to be fair.
When
it comes to assessment, educators need to focus on validity, reliability and
most importantly, fairness. According to Interweaving Curriculum And
Classroom Assessment, “Fairness means that all students have an equal
opportunity to succeed regardless of gender, prior knowledge, teacher bias, or
any other factor unrelated to what was taught and is being assessed” (Drake,
2014, p.20). This definition suggests that teachers must take a plethora of
factors into consideration in order to ensure that their assessment is fair.
Unfortunately, the text also points out that this process is easier said than
done. After conducting interviews with over seventy educators, Tierney, Simon and Charland found that even though they all stressed the importance of fairness in
assessment, it was not reflected in all of their grading practices (Drake,
2014, p.20). With all this in mind, it becomes clear that fairness is not as
clear-cut as we all thought it was back in kindergarten.
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After
initially coming across the “Fairness” section in Interweaving Curriculum
And Classroom Assessment, I had a
difficult time believing that this mundane concept would be crucial to my
understanding of teaching. After doing a quick Google search, I was immediately
proven wrong, as the idea of fairness is one that is constantly making headlines
in the world of education. In fact, back in 2012, a federal complaint was filed
after studies showed that black and Hispanic students were scoring
significantly lower on admission tests for elite high schools. According to the
educational and civil rights groups, the single-test policy is “racially
discriminatory” and should be changed to, “to
something that is nondiscriminatory and fair to all students” (Baker, 2012).
Whether or not the actual test is unfair, critics suggest that black and
Hispanic families could not afford to pay for the recommended tutoring. This
gave white and Asian students an advantage, as their families could often
afford the preparation services.
Now that I’ve highlighted the importance of fairness in the
classroom, I thought it would be important to share a few ways to ensure that
you are being a fair teacher. In his article, “Fairness Isn’t Equal: Seven
Classroom Tips”, Dr. Richard Curwin gives teachers advice on how to ensure they are being fair educators. In my opinion, one of the most important lessons
comes right from the title, as it is crucial to remember that fair does not
always mean equal. Curwin is suggesting that treating all students equally can
be dangerous due to the fact that not all students are the same. For example,
if a student is late for class because his dentist appointment took longer than
expected, he should not be punished to the same extent as another student who
skips class for no apparent reason. This is not the only valuable tip that
comes from Curwin’s article and I suggest checking it out.
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Before I sign off, I want to leave you with this eye-opening video. Fairness is not the most glamorous concept and it is one that could be forgotten after years of teaching. In fact, many of you might not even see its importance right now. During this video, people are asked what the world would be like without teachers. Although each response is unique, the overarching theme between them is fairness. Many discuss how they were not the best students in school, but after interacting with a teacher that set aside biases and presumptions, they finally excelled. These individuals had fair teachers and judging by their responses, their lives were changed forever. That being said, make sure you do not forget about fairness, your students will thank you for it.
References
Baker, Al. (2012, September 27). Charges of Bias in Admission Test Policy at Eight Elite Public High Schools. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/nyregion/specialized-high-school-admissions-test-is-racially-discriminatory-complaint-says.html?_r=0.
Curwin, Richard. Fairness Isn’t Equal: Seven Classroom Tips. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/fair-isnt-equal-richard-curwin.
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
