Pathway 1: Establishing Inclusivity and Belonging
Pathway 1: Establishing Inclusivity and Belonging
From their first minutes in a new classroom, students are discovering whether this new learning space is an inclusive one. The course materials, the learning activities, the interactions with other students and instructors—all work together to create classrooms where students can learn and grow. In this pathway, we’ll explore how you can create a welcoming and brave classroom for students starting on day one and continue promoting inclusion throughout the semester. You’ll learn techniques for getting to know your students, building a classroom community, highlighting your students’ strengths, and helping students create trusting and productive relationships with their peers.
Pathway Steps
Getting to Know Your Students
Students learn best when they have a good rapport with their instructors. Inclusive instructors build rapport with students by getting to know them: their backgrounds, their interests, their learning goals.
Inclusive instructors create learning environments where students feel safe, valued, and respected, which in turn fosters the conditions necessary for all students to take the risks that are necessary for learning.
To enable significant learning, the classroom must be a brave space where students are encouraged to explore new ideas, respectfully challenge each other’s assumptions, and make mistakes. Norms are a valuable way to help shape such a classroom culture.
While norm setting happens on the first day of class, upholding those norms continues throughout the semester. Creating an inclusive classroom where all students feel their contributions are valued takes intentional work from the instructor.
In inclusive classrooms, instructors highlight how their students are already demonstrating skills, whether academic or social. When instructors hear or see a student demonstrating strong analytical skills, publicly verbalizing what that student is doing can demystify complex thinking and positively reinforce key skills.
Student diversity creates great potential for classroom learning, given the different expertise and experience students bring with them. But that diversity only contributes to learning when instructors create dynamic ways for students to interact with a wide array of peers.
While frequently changing discussion partners helps students learn from diverse perspectives, keeping students with the same groups can also create an inclusive classroom by establishing brave space for ongoing discussions.
Conclusion
Creating an inclusive classroom happens each day of your course, starting before the students ever step into the room. In this pathway, we learned a number of concrete moves you can take to help students feel welcome and supported in your classroom.