Building an Inclusive Classroom by Ignoring the Status Quo

However, my personal obstacles and challenges don’t even come close to the obstacles, barriers, heartaches, and fears that so many people are experiencing in our current culture and climate. If we are expected to find a silver lining in each of the crises we find ourselves experiencing and witnessing and praying for change—racial inequity, police brutality, environmental disasters, educational nightmares, and economic disparity—it is that these conversations are flooding the mainstream media, people are taking action, and communities are coming together. But, we can do more. We can take further action by focusing on our classrooms no matter the model or method or discipline or student population. So how does our current climate and culture connect to ourselves, our classrooms, and our students? By increasing our social and emotional awareness, we can (re)design, (re)build, and implement an inclusive classroom model. Inclusive teaching is a conglomeration of many pedagogical approaches that align to a common goal—supporting all learners equitably. How do we do this?

We begin with understanding the context of our classrooms. The University at Buffalo’s Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation’s Faculty Academies include sharing and discussing the importance of situational factors. Situational factors answer what, who, and how questions to better understand our classrooms. These questions include, but are not limited to: What is the context of my course? Who are my students? What are the challenges my students face? How will these constraints and opportunities impact my students’ success? Being aware of situational factors increases the learning success of our students.

The purpose of identifying specific situational factors is twofold. First, we want our students to have significant learning experiences in our course. We want to ensure that the educational journey we set forth for our students includes a purposeful, inclusive, and engaging curriculum. We want to expand our thinking of course design beyond alignment and consider how to thread in diverse and inclusive strategies that include our students’ identities, values, beliefs, and interests. However, we don’t want to fall in the trap of just adding these strategies for the sake of diversity and inclusivity, but take the time to include materials and resources that are meaningful, authentic, and relevant. Additionally, we want to ensure that this educational journey is equitable and equal to every students’ learning styles. Meaning, we must incorporate a variety of modalities and consider the abilities and backgrounds of each of our students. Our course materials should incorporate the Universal Design for Learning framework. Our course design objective must be to create a curriculum blueprint that goes beyond the traditional design of considering only the traditional student, but inclusive of all students. Our curriculum blueprint must reduce the stereotype threat, alienation, and marginalization felt by students, and help every students’ social identity development by helping them identify their individual microinequities and generalizations and learning how to leave them in the Zoom waiting room. Increasing our awareness will reduce the experiences and expectations that negatively interfere with our students’ learning; thus, every student has significant learning experiences and a meaningful and successful educational journey.  

The second reason for considering our students’ situational factors is to try to eliminate any barriers our students face that impede their ability to have significant learning experiences and obtain the learning outcomes set. We must consider the opportunities and constraints of our courses. For example, a current constraint that we are experiencing right now is COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, the majority of us have to teach online. We can’t change this fact. Our current situation will not change until it is safe to return to our classrooms. However, there is a very important opportunity derived from this constraint. We can (re)design our course to be inclusive of all our students. We now can take thoughtful action to (re)design a course that connects and engages with our students. We can incorporate relevant and authentic course materials, and create a classroom community where students feel comfortable voicing their ideas and opinions. How do we do this? We must begin by reflecting on our current situation. We must be open to understanding that our students are currently facing many barriers and obstacles. And that each and every student’s experiences are vastly different.

I’m not stating that we must understand each and every one of our student’s current situations. What we must do is empathize with and be supportive of each of our students. And, be flexible. I’ve read a wide range of articles sharing how the current pandemic has and continues to affect our students. Housing and food insecurity are an incredible concern. A report from The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice states that 3 out of every 5 students are experiencing basic needs insecurity during the pandemic (Goldrick-Rab, S., Coca, V., Kienzl, G., Welton, C. R., Dahl, S., & Magnelia, S., 2020, pg. 2). How can we expect our students to learn when they don’t even have the minimum resources needed to function? The report also shares that half of the respondents exhibited at least moderate anxiety (Goldrick-Rab, S., Coca, V., Kienzl, G., Welton, C. R., Dahl, S., & Magnelia, S., 2020, pg. 2). How can we expect our students to succeed? Another article discusses surge capacity—"which is a collection of adaptive systems—mental and physical—that humans draw on for short-term survival in acutely, stressful situations, such as natural disasters” (Helle, 2020, para. 5).  However, pandemics are not short-term, but long-term. And our current pandemic is showing the limitations of our surge capacity. What’s the connection? It’s that our students are trying to be great students despite all the barriers and obstacles they’re facing, just as we are doing our best to be great instructors. We must be kind to each other and be supportive. We must ask ourselves, what can we do to help our students? Ourselves?  

There are a number of strategies that we can incorporate into our course (re)design to support our students. We can provide resources to our students. If we know that housing and food insecurity are a concern, we can provide a link to UB’s Food Support. Or Mental Health Counseling. Or Tutoring and Academic Support Services. You can gather the support your students’ need by creating an anonymous survey. Doing so shows your students that you care and understand completely that they are more than students and their lives are affected by multiple situations and factors beyond the classroom.

Another strategy is to humanize ourselves. Take a risk and share with your students who you are (e.g., caring father, avid reader, woodworker, biker) and not what you are (e.g., educator, instructional designer). Connect and engage with your students by sharing an abridged version of you, but make sure this story helps students know you. Also, include a wide array of assessments, projects, and activities that help students feel valued, supported, and welcomed to and in your course. Remember, our voices are powerful, whether written or voiced. How our tone is interpreted can determine a positive or negative classroom environment. Consider all the emails you’ve received that you’ve interpreted differently than what the sender intended. Model and set the tone and your students will follow your lead.

A third strategy is to model for your students that inclusivity and diversity are part of your course’s foundation. You can set this precedent by including an inclusivity and diversity statement in your syllabus. Both statements communicate to your students that inclusivity and diversity are cornerstones of the course. And that you will hold yourself accountable and that you ask you students to do the same to ensure the classroom environment is safe, comfortable, and supportive for everyone.   

An additional strategy is to reflect. Consider how your approach, presentation, and assumptions may affect your relationships with your students and how your students’ experiences and backgrounds affect their motivation and grit. Ensure a safe and inclusive learning community by setting clear examples and ground rules (have students participate by designing and establishing these collaboratively), model and encourage students to share their viewpoints thoughtfully, and most importantly, work with students to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

Finally, as with any course, we must look at it critically throughout (beginning, middle, and end). Review your course from multiple perspectives, gather feedback from students, and utilize informal observations. Keep in mind that your curriculum and teaching method must be aligned. If you have incorporated a wide variety of content and modalities to support your diverse student body, but don’t vary your teaching strategies, your course falls short. These strategies are only a few suggestions of how you can address diversity and inclusivity in your classrooms, Cornell University and Michigan University provide additional resources.

Establishing an inclusive classroom is imperative to increasing students’ success. Doing so will help us make ourselves, our students, our campus, and our world a richer and more vibrant place. While I’ve shared multiple strategies and avenues to design an inclusive course, I encourage you to incorporate at least one strategy this semester. Start small. Begin in a place that feels comfortable and authentic to you and your students. Establish the change you want to see in yourself and your students. I guarantee your students’ learning experiences will become more significant and meaningful.

Goldrick-Rab, S., Coca, V., Kienzl, G., Welton, C. R., Dahl, S., &Magnelia, S. (2020). HopeCenter_RealCollegeDuringthePandemic. Philadelphia; The Hope Center.

Helle, T. (2020, September 10). Your ‘Surge capacity’ is Depleted—It’s why you feel awful. Medium. https://elemental.medium.com/your-surge-capacity-is-depleted-it-s-why-you-feel-awful-de285d542f4c