Inclusive Pedagogy
Faculty offered activities intended to build an inclusive and welcoming classroom.
About
Many faculty are using this activity, and they feel that it has multiple benefits, from helping to build a stronger learning community to strengthening individual engagement and participation. They believe that students perform better when the feel welcomed and included in the class processes, and when they are allowed to voice their opinions and beliefs about the content of the class. Though inclusivity is rarely the content of a course, it can be part of any course, so faculty feel that it is worth dedicating portions of classes to building a community. There are a wide range of ways that this can be done on an ongoing basis, including both short and long exercises, so it is well worth faculty continuing to explore their preferred methods.
The original study's data and analysis for "Inclusive Pedagogy" can be found on this link.
What Faculty Have To Say
Strengths (9)
- Creates a safe environment where everyone feels valued
- Strengthens the whole learning
- Community and process
- Fosters intellectual diversity
- Brings in voices of traditionally marginalized groups
- Encourages participation of more students
- Lets students hear multiple perspectives
- Encourages engagement
- Encourages critical thinking
Weaknesses (7)
- Can be time consuming
- Can make students uncomfortable
- Students don't see the relevance
- Students can push back
- Hard to prepare for and manage
- Challenging to tie wide-ranging discussions back together
- Challenging to implement effectively -- need a wide range of inclusive pedagogies really to do the job of reaching a variety of students
Pedagogy Usage
Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Inclusive Pedagogy and the average class time it took.
Average Duration: 27 min (mode=20)
Remote Suggestions
Making students feel welcome is hard in the best of times. Exercises that help you get to know them better, help them get to know each other better, or help to build a trustworthy class environment are still ideal. Doing this online or hybrid will require more structured assignments, as it is harder to turn to a neighbor for discussion, so more time is needed in designing the interactions and assuring deep and thoughtful sharing.
Resources for Additional Learning
Articles & Books
- Diversity & Motivation: Culturally Responsive Teaching. Raymond J. Wlodkowski; Margery B. Ginsberg.
- Teaching In Racially Diverse College Classrooms: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/TFTrace.html
- Making Diversity Work on Campus: A Research-Based Perspective. Making Excellence Inclusive. Milem, J. F., Chang, M. J., & Antonio, A. L. (2005).
Websites
- University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
- Wake Forest University's Teaching and Learning Center
- Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching https