Bias in the mirror: Breaking bias without breaking ourselves

Abstract

Bias is everywhere. Politicians are talking about it, corporations are trying to eradicate it and people are dying because of it. In contrast to explicit biases such as obvious racism or sexism, implicit biases exist outside our awareness and influence us despite our best intentions. This session will start with introduction to the concept of implicit bias, and its relevance to science education. Next, Dr. Sukhera describes a framework for recognizing and managing biases that has relevance for individuals and organizations. Through striving for our ideals while accepting our shortcomings we can reflect on our biases, change our behaviour and co-create change within society. At the end of this session participants will be able to: 1. Understand the topic of implicit bias and its relevance to communication in science education. 2. Describe a framework for implicit bias recognition and management for educational professionals 3. Be inspired to apply findings on the science of implicit bias towards organizational and societal change