When US teachers were suddenly faced with Covid lockdowns in March, 2020, they were simultaneously grappling with how to adopt more equitable teaching practices in response to the explosive rise of public consciousness about current-day racial inequity. Researchers at the MIT Teaching Systems Lab offered a massive open online course (MOOC) on anti-racist, anti-oppressive instruction. They described the positive effects of the course on self-reported teacher mindsets and teaching practices in a recent study.

MOOCs are offered on a wide range of topics on a free, asynchronous platform. The Becoming a More Equitable Educator course focused on helping teachers cultivate mindsets of equity vs. equality, asset-based vs. deficit-based, awareness vs. avoidance, and context-centered vs. context-neutral. Using a practice-based teacher education framework, the course provided scenarios and videos. Teachers responded to the situations, then reflected on their responses with an equity lens. Teachers were also encouraged to engage in forums with other participants and to share their learning with others in their lives.

The study of 1,417 teachers collected both broad survey data and interview data with 22 of the teachers immediately after taking the course and also four months later. Results demonstrated that teachers in general showed statistically significant improvements in almost all targeted equity mindsets and equity practices immediately following the course which persisted months later. The researchers recommended future online anti-racism courses to include opportunities for authentic practice and a chance to collaborate with other learners.

Source (Open Access): Buttimer, C. J., Littenberg-Tobias, J., & Reich, J. (2022). Designing online professional learning to support educators to teach for equity during COVID and Black Lives Matter. AERA Open, 8, 23328584211067788. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211067789