Setting the Tone for an Inclusive Classroom
Students are most comfortable—and most able to learn and contribute!—when they feel accepted in the classroom. There are many ways you can create an open, welcoming environment for your students to ask questions, make mistakes, and be their authentic selves.
Each student arrives in your classroom with different educational and personal backgrounds, but all are capable of success. Being transparent about what it takes to succeed in your classroom is one of the most effective ways to let students know you believe they have what it takes!
You can do this by:
- Clearly outlining each assignment with important dates, point values, and a short description of their task and your expectation. This can help students stay on track.
- Share and discuss aspects of assignments that students have struggled with in the past and how they overcame these obstacles. Collecting student feedback at the end of the semester is a great way to learn about the hurdles they faced and what helped them succeed.
- Avoid assigning an hour allotment when communicating your expectations for work outside of the classroom. Every person is different and will need to adjust the amount of time spent on the class according to their own learning style.
- Include past samples of student work to help those in your class conceptualize what success looks like!
- Create detailed rubrics so students know what is expected of them to achieve the grade they want.
- Provide study guides for exams and talk to your students about what kinds of questions you will ask. Not every student was taught effective study skills in their past education, so communicating what and how they should study will help them be successful.
Previous educational experiences may not have equipped students with the skills to navigate higher education successfully, but you can help by providing easy access to key campus and learning resources, including the contact names, office locations, numbers, emails, or other relevant information. Consider including the contact details for the following on your course syllabus or webpage:
- Accessibility services
- Financial aid
- Center for Academic Success and Advising (Barry’s own Math Lab, Writing Center, Testing Center, and more!). You can also consider making it an assignment to visit one or more of these services during the semester.
- Librarian or other research resources. For introductory courses, consider taking a class trip to the library for a tutorial.
You may also wish to include links to pertinent online sites, such as Purdue’s Online Writing Lab or other sources for studying, brainstorming, outlining and structuring papers, and skills relevant to your field.
General Best Practices for Inclusive Teachers
- Start class with an agenda overview and make it accessible. An agenda can support neurodiverse learners by helping them stay focused during class. It can also support anxious students who like to know what is happening in class ahead of time.
- Provide consistent breaks. Neurodiverse learners, and most people in general, benefit from brief, regular breaks. Letting your students know when you plan for a break (i.e. at a specific time or after a topic is finished) helps them stay present and focused.
- Make yourself virtually available during your office hours to enable access for students who cannot easily attend in person.
- Highlight opportunities that are attainable for low-income students. Search for paid opportunities for students in your field, including internships and scholarships to attend conferences. For those working to support themselves and their families, unpaid opportunities are often unrealistic and can cause them to miss out on networking opportunities that would help them progress in their field.
For more resources on inclusive teaching strategies, check out: