Step 4: Modeling Discussion Norms Throughout the Course

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. Timothy Patrick McCarthy explains how he continually models his course discussion norms, showing students how to credit their peers and build on their ideas. When instructors attend to and model norms during each class, students can eventually carry them forward themselves. As McCarthy says, “Students are getting the most out of their learning when I can relinquish control of the classroom to them.”

Profiled: Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Lecturer on History and Literature, teaches "Stories of Slavery & Freedom" to 16 students at Harvard College.

Takeaway Tips

From the first day, encourage all students to participate in some capacity during discussions. Do this especially when it comes to classes of relatively few students. This emphasizes to students that their contributions are valued and remain vital to shaping class discussions.

McCarthy particularly wishes to model how students can build on one another’s thinking, but in your course you may have different behaviors you wish to model for students. Think about which norms you might focus on modeling in your classroom to show students how you want them to engage with the course content and with each other.

Related Resources

The CRLT at Michigan created a list of questions and considerations to help instructors reflect on the norms that matter most to them.

This Harvard article focuses on how a School of Education professor uses various practices to enculturate classroom norms throughout the course.

To support instructors' reflection on their use of equity-focused teaching strategies, the University of Michigan has created this checklist to help you examine how clearly and transparently you are communicating norms and expectations to your students.

“Leveraging norms for challenging conversations” offers advice for responding to norms violations productively, on page 3 of the handout.

Reflection Questions

Which norms and values are most important to you? How can you create a classroom environment that reflects those values with your words and actions?

What inclusive behaviors would you like to see from your students? How can you model those behaviors for them?

When you abide by norms a class has set, you communicate their value and encourage students to follow them. In the next video, we’ll learn about another way to create an inclusive environment through your words to students.

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