Microinterventions: How to Use and Support Students of All Identities in the Classroom

It is important for us as educators to create spaces where all students, regardless of background or identity, can feel safe. In order to create such safe spaces for our students, particularly students of color, we need to become more adept at and intentional about disrupting, dismantling, and disarming micro- and macroaggressions. This article provides a strategic framework for addressing microaggressions in concrete action steps and offers dialogue models that targets, allies, and bystanders can use (also known as microinterventions). These microinterventions include making the invisible visible, disarming the microaggression, educating the perpetrator, and seeking external reinforcement or support. Notably, this approach highlights the use of dialogue rather than offensive tactics to educate the perpetrator and thus creates a space that fosters learning rather than division and further abuse. Read and learn more here!