Ryan Arthur - race consciousness in LD

Race is missing from Learning Development, but it is inescapably present in our lives and in the lives of our students. Why, then, this disconnect? Ryan’s proposal for a pedagogy of race consciousness (PRC) is a way for us to wake up to the realities of racial difference, to allow students the opportunity to not just bring their lived experiences into the classroom, but to value them. PRC, with its three-step process of intrigue, connection, and tangibility, takes an asset-based approach to learning, as opposed to a deficit approach, looking for and celebrating the differences that make each student unique. LD is perfectly placed to achieve this, in dialogue with students and those who teach them, and through critical thinking. By truly seeing race, we are better able to see the affective, embodied and relational dimensions of learning, rather than simply or only the cognitive. Only then can we acknowledge the full humanity of our students. And what about writing? It’s like the blues. First, there is catastrophe. But it is only by staying with it, by persevering so it has the time it needs to develop, that we can reach melody. And like the blues, it’s best done with others! The resources we mentioned Arthur, R. (2023) 'Closing the gap: Learning development and race' in Buckley, C and Syska, A. (2023) How to Be a Learning Developer in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives, Community and Practice. Routledge. Ryan’s YouTube Channel Danvers, E. (2018). Who is the critical thinker in higher education? A feminist re-thinking. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(5), 548–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1454419 Du Bois, W. (2007) The souls of black folk. London: Oxford University Press Galbally, P & Christodoulidi, F (2023) Personalised learning pedagogies and the impact on student progression and retention: the case of counselling training within a university setting, Teaching in Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2023.2211933 Loddick, A. and Coulson, K. (2020) “The impact of Learning Development tutorials on student attainment”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (17). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi17.558. Tommy Curry profile Cornel West interview And the article we talked about Arthur, R. (2023) “‘Conscious’ learning development: towards a pedagogy of race-consciousness ”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (26). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi26.928. PS Carina’s participation in this episode was the result of a fabulous team effort! Huge thanks to Ian Guest and Lucy Marr at the University of Southampton for their hospitality, and to Professor Sabrina Vieth at Solent University for being such a generous-minded line manager.