Let’s look a little more deeply at some examples of micro-inequities.

The following activity contains examples of micro-inequities and the messages that they send to students. Match each micro-inequity with a message by dragging the messages into the appropriate columns.

Part 1

Part 2

Text Alternative for Messages in Micro-inequities Activity

One can try and counteract inequities with affirmations, but a better strategy is to help “inoculate” against them. This minimizes the impact. The inequity that females can’t do mathematics may be in the culture for years, but helping all students understand that this is inaccurate will inoculate them from hearing the message. Micro-affirmations help the individual student see her or his own strengths in mathematics. The following sections focus on micro-affirmations that can counteract inequities.