“Understanding and overcoming implicit bias in the classroom.”

Tanar Educational Foundation and Iconic Open University’s recent two-day digital boot camp for teachers highlighted critical thinking and inclusive pedagogy. The global event comprised educators from diverse backgrounds with deep insights into learning and educational research.

The interactive training took place via Zoom, and speakers Victor Ndunna from Nigeria, Saphyo Arkar from Myanmar, Ana Cecilia Alcantara from Brazil, and Senegal’s Mamadou Sanghare spoke of their shared experiences as teachers. The panelists also stressed the need for “decolonial perspectives, encouraging teachers to be disruptive in promoting critical thinking and inclusive pedagogy.”

Key talking points at the event included the following:

·     Paulo Freire’s revolutionary work in Brazil and the need for decolonizing education.
·     Understanding and overcoming implicit bias in the classroom.
·     Differentiated learning strategies.
·     A Framework for transformative education.

Other areas covered:

· Practical approaches to encouraging critical thinking using a revised Bloom’s taxonomy.
· Inclusive pedagogy and cultural relevance in education
· Incorporating diverse identities, indigenous knowledge, languages, and practices into curricula.

Except for Victor Ndunna, all speakers for the event are Chevening scholars drawn from the University of Sussex, UK. Namse Udosen is an author and the founder of Tanar Educational Foundation, an organization emphasizing learning and literacy in underserved communities. Iconic Open University is an e-learning and private institution operating in Nigeria.

Tanar Foundation and Iconic’s strategic digital event underscores the importance of critical thinking and an expanded body of knowledge as new and transformative ideas emerge from learning and educational research globally.