By the K-lab team.
Beyond the transmission of knowledge, education in the XXI century is geared towards creating responsible leaders, able to create and promote inclusive workplaces. This requires higher education institutions to think deeply about the link between pedagogy and inclusion: How to teach inclusion? How to teach inclusively? and how in societies where the caring economy is becoming increasingly central, how can education be considered as “care”.
With this perspective in mind, Estefania Santacreu-Vasut, Associate Dean for Pedagogy, along with the K-lab, have chosen to explore the theme of “pedagogy and inclusion” for this academic year 2023/2024. The first educational workshop took place on November, 17th.
Two permanent ESSEC professors took the opportunity to speak:
- Karoline Strauss, Professor in Organisational Behaviour, delivered a presentation titled “power of words: gender, equality and female leadership”.
- Junko Takagi, Chaired Professor of the ESSEC Leadership and Diversity Chair, dedicates a course session to mental illness. She detailed the content and the way in which she approaches the subject with the students.
| Launched in 2022 by the Dean’s Office and the K-lab, the pedagogical workshops offer quarterly meetings to share knowledge and specific experiences: ESSEC professors and external speakers talk to their peers about the projects and pedagogical innovations they have developed and led. Following the presentations, there are opportunities for discussion and exploration of the digital tools employed in these projects. The workshops are organised by videoconference and the recordings are then made available to the ESSEC teaching community. |
In her presentation, Karoline Strauss underlined the importance of inclusive language in the educational environment, highlighting its influence on women’s sense of representation. Drawing on scientific research, she outlined various strategies, including the use of the indeterminate pronoun “they” and the avoidance of reductive terms such as “girls” when referring to women. As holder of the ESSEC Sport Chair, she also referenced recommendations from organisations like the Olympic Committee and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) aimed at fostering inclusion in sports.
Karoline Strauss implements these recommendations for inclusive language in her courses, as well as in the instructions for writing Global BBA dissertations (for dissertations in English), which she supervises academically.
On a different note, Junko Takagi has shared insights from her teaching experience on diversity and inclusion, openly addressing issues relating to mental health, which are often surrounded by taboos. She emphasised the importance of tackling these subjects in a theoretical way to enable students to fully grasp and integrate them. Within the sessions dedicated to mental illness, Professor Takagi offers definitions and delves into psychological theories related to the working environment. Additionally, she engages students in discussions surrounding issues such as substance abuse, drawing connections with different psychological theories. She bases her explanations on case studies and examples to enable people to use accurate terminology when talking about these subjects.
Following professors Strauss’s and Takagi’s presentations on November, 17th, participants were encouraged to join one of the three thematic sub-groups: “teaching inclusion“, “teaching inclusively” and “pedagogy as care“. Guided by the insights provided by the workshop speakers, participants were invited to identify the initiatives and actions already undertaken within ESSEC, and to compare their points of view during the sub-group meetings. These meetings provide valuable opportunities to cross-fertilise viewpoints, compare experiences and enrich collective thinking.
The conclusions drawn from each of these groups will be presented at the upcoming pedagogical workshop scheduled for April 17th, both online and at the Learning Lab.
Contact: klab@essec.edu