Culturally Responsive Active Learning: From Exploration to Application

Facilitator: Maher Elshakankiri, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream and Director, Bachelor of Information (BI) Program, Faculty of Information 
Building socio-intercultural inclusion into active learning can strengthen both engagement and rigour, especially when students are guided from lived experience into disciplinary thinking. This session presents an ACUE-informed approach to designing inclusive in-class activities that begin with culturally grounded exploration and move through a structured learning cycle toward analysis, creation, and assessment-ready outcomes. A case example from data science will illustrate how a simple, familiar activity can surface diverse perspectives and support students in translating them into formal disciplinary work such as rules, models, arguments, or design artifacts. 
The session emphasizes a transferable design pattern grounded in ACUE practices: moving from exploration to formalization to application, clarifying expectations through transparent criteria, and using structured peer feedback to strengthen learning and equity. Common implementation challenges in diverse classrooms will be addressed, including group dynamics, participation norms, and communication norms and constraints. The approach is framed for cross-disciplinary adaptation across teaching contexts, class sizes, and modalities. Participants will leave with adaptable prompts, a peer-feedback checklist, an implementation checklist for clarity and inclusion, and a curated set of ACUE-aligned resources to support sustained use and evaluation. 
Our faculty facilitators in this lunch series have completed 25 modules and earned the Certificate in Effective University Instruction offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) in partnership with CTSI. Learn more about the ACUE Lunch and Learn Series (https://teaching.utoronto.ca/acue-lunch-and-learn/).    
Series Description: Join U of T faculty graduates of the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Effective Teaching Practices course (ACUE-Certified Faculty) as they share insights from the 25 modules they completed over several months. They implemented, reimagined, and extended evidence-based teaching practices to support their teaching, learning and student success at U of T. This Series invites participants to hear from these instructors: their reflections upon what they have learned, and practical examples and tips informed by evidence-based strategies. Facilitators will engage in discussions on sharing these approaches into one’s current practice.