Inclusive Teaching Resources
For instructors who are seeking to establish safe and inclusive classrooms, there are many considerations that are important to keep in mind. This can include a reflection on your course syllabus, course content, classroom environment, and more.
Below are a collection of resources and links on inclusive pedagogy including best practices, self-paced learning guides, further reading, and more which can support faculty in creating an inclusive environment for students in their courses.
Creating an Inclusive Classroom Environment
Review the following considerations to support an inclusive course.
Students learn better when they feel validated and safe. Creating opportunities for students to contribute to class and have a voice without the fear of judgment is important. Additionally, creating multiple ways that students can learn as well as demonstrate their learning can be a great way to allow students to build confidence in the learning environment.
The following are some of the ways that you can cultivate an inclusive climate in your courses:
Check In With Students:
Checking in can be a great way to show care and support for your students. It also allows students to express how they feel and provide valuable feedback. A check-in activity includes questions about how students are feeling, if they have any questions about the course material, and/or if there is any feedback that they would like to provide. This can be done at various times during the class session or even after class through Brightspace.
Some examples of check in activities include an opening check-in activity, an exit check-in activity, and checking in using the Brightspace survey feature.
Provide Alternative Means of Participation:
To allow for the inclusion of students with different social and emotional needs in the classroom, it is recommended that instructors allow student participation opportunities in different modalities rather than one modality for the entire term. This allows all students to have opportunities to participate in the learning activities of the course.
Some examples of ways that students can participate include discussion boards, in-class polling, journal entries, reading logs, reflection pieces, and more.
Incorporate Student-Centered Learning Opportunities:
Student-centered activities are a great way to allow students to collaborate and socialize while engaging with course content. These opportunities where students are empowered to seek knowledge, ask questions, and interact with their peers is an important part of preparing them for the types of interactions they will experience in the future of their career.
Some examples of student-centered learning activities are group discussions, Choice Boards, Peer Teaching/Peer Review, Project Based Learning (PBL), and more.
Selecting course content that reflects diverse scholarship, voices, and perspectives is important to help students gain a more complete understating of the topics being covered. Additionally, consider how these perspectives and experiences are represented in a manner that does not trivialize or marginalize the experiences of others.
Consider the following when you are looking to making course content more inclusive and/or diversifying your current course content:
- Incorporate representations of different races, genders, religions, abilities, and more in your course materials such as course slides, assigned readings, and course website.
- Present diversity within your curriculum by presenting researchers, scholars, practitioners, and other figures in the discipline that students can relate to and/or see themselves reflected in.
- Avoid using symbols or imagery that reinforces stereotypes or can be perceived as exclusive or insensitive to others.
- Including a diversity statement and/or an accessibility statement in your syllabus can be a great way to show how important diversity and inclusivity is in the learning environment.
Locating Inclusive Course Materials
If you are seeking assistance in locating inclusive course materials, visit the Stony Brook University Libraries Instruction page for more information. They can assist you with the following:
- Library Consultations: Librarians can provide in-depth research assistance for all SBU faculty.
- Course Reserves: Librarians can help make required readings and other course materials readily available to students.
- Resource Sharing: Librarians can help you locate and secure resources through Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery, and Course Reserves.
Reflecting on our own biases, interactions, and behaviors and considering these biases when developing courses and course content is a vital step in creating a classroom environment that is welcoming and inclusive for all.
Implicit biases are stereotypes or attitudes that are unconscious but have an effect on our actions, decisions, understandings, and perspectives. These biases are formed over a lifetime as a result of exposures to different experiences and also are influenced by the media that we consume. Implicit biases can be positive (such as preferences for something/someone) or negative (a dislike or fear of something or someone) and they can be changed over time with dedication, training, and time.
Further Reading:
- Brownstein M, Madva A, Gawronski B. Understanding Implicit Bias: Putting the Criticism into Perspective. Pacific philosophical quarterly. 2020;101(2):276-307. doi:10.1111/papq.12302
-
Oluo I. So You Want to Talk about Race. First edition. Seal Press; 2018.
- Starck JG, Riddle T, Sinclair S, Warikoo N. Teachers Are People Too: Examining the Racial Bias of Teachers Compared to Other American Adults. Educational researcher. 2020;49(4):273-284. doi:10.3102/0013189X20912758
Additional Resources:
- How Racial Bias Works--and How to Disrupt It: This TED Talk focuses on how bias manifests and what can be done to work on disrupting our thinking and learning further.
Microaggressions are either verbal, behavioral, environmental insults, and/or negative messages communicated towards a marginalized person as a result of an individual's implicit bias. Sometimes, these types of comments can come from well-intentioned individuals who are unaware of the impact that their words and/or actions have on the recipient.
A 2007 article by Dr. Derald Wing Sue and other researchers explored microaggressions and identified three different categories of racial microaggressions:
- A microassault is a "verbal or nonverbal attack meant to hurt the intended victim through name-calling, avoidant behavior, or purposefully discriminatory actions." An example would be displaying a Confederate flag on clothing.
- A microinsult is a " communication that convey rudeness and insensitivity and demean a person’s racial heritage or identity. Microinsults represent subtle snubs, frequently unknown to the perpetrator, but clearly convey a hidden insulting message to the recipient of color." An example would be a teacher correcting the grammar of only the Hispanic students in the class.
- A microinvalidation is a "communication that exclude, negate, or nullify the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a person of color."An example would be complimenting an Asian American on speaking good English or repeatedly being asked where someone is from.
Developing community agreements that outline clear expectations and guidelines for students can be effective in setting the tone of the course but taking action and acknowledging microaggressions in the moment that they happen is an important part of addressing them in a proactive manner.
Further Reading:
- “Am I overreacting?” Understanding and Combating Microaggressions: This article by Jennifer Crandall and Gina A. Garcia explores microaggressions and
how to effectively address them.
- Sue DW, Lin AI, Torino GC, Capodilupo CM, Rivera DP. Racial Microaggressions and Difficult Dialogues on Race in the Classroom. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology. 2009;15(2):183-190. doi:10.1037/a0014191
- Boysen GA. Teacher and Student Perceptions of Microaggressions in College Classrooms.College teaching. 2012;60(3):122-129. doi:10.1080/87567555.2012.654831
- Sue DW, Alsaidi S, Awad MN, Glaeser E, Calle CZ, Mendez N.Disarming Racial Microaggressions: Microintervention Strategies for Targets, White Allies, and Bystanders. The American psychologist. 2019;74(1):128-142. doi:10.1037/amp0000296
Additional Resources:
- Dismantling Microaggressions Through the Power of Connection: This TED Talk explores the impact of common stereotypes and discusses how connection and understanding plays an important role in dismantling microaggressions.
Establishing clear expectations and a tone that is firm yet welcoming can allow students to understand the expectations of the course but also feel safe and valued.
The following are some of the ways that you can cultivate an inclusive climate in your courses:
Establish Clear Expectations:
One of the most important part of establishing an inclusive tone to the learning environment is setting expectations of communication within the class. This can include developing and/or providing communication guidelines for students to use when engaging in class discussions, online discussions, and more. This can be an effective way to bring attention to the importance of respecting each others' perspectives, avoiding generalizations, and being cautious when communicating as to not ask other students to speak on behalf of a whole group of people that others may perceive them to be a part of.
Build Community and Rapport with Students in Class:
Prioritizing learning students' names as well as using them often and encouraging other students to use them also as well as normalizing the usage of correct pronouns if students are comfortable can be helpful in making students feel comfortable and seen in your course as well as help with overall communication. Providing opportunities for students to collaborate and engage in peer learning can help students socialize and build their communication skills.
Model Inclusive Language:
When students see inclusive language and communication skills being used in class, it can help them to feel more comfortable as well as encourage them to communicate in this manner outside of class as well. This can start by including inclusivity and accessibility statements as well as important university resources available to students. Another way to model inclusive language is to not assume certain experiences to be shared by all students but to mark as particular when discussing topics in class. For example, rather than assuming that every student has traveled by boat you could say "For those of you that have been on a boat..."
Highlight Multiple Identities in the Classroom:
It is helpful to take some time to allow students to reflect on how their experiences have been shaped by their identities as well as consider that all students may not share the same experiences or resonate with the same points of reference. Considering which examples you choose to use in class can be an effective way to represent diverse background. Additionally, if appropriate and if you are comfortable you can also use your own identities to show how an individual's background can impact how they interact with course materials in different ways.
Addressing Problematic Communication:
When problems arise during communication, it is effective to bring attention to them especially when topics can be difficult or if the topic is met with discomfort or other emotions from students. When students are using language that marginalizes or devalues their peers, it is important to acknowledge how generalizations can be damaging and how they can be perceived. If this occurs often, it can be helpful to refer back to the expectations set for communication as well as class guidelines established early in the semester.
Further Reading:
Fry, R. (2018, November 15). Early Benchmarks Show “Post-Millennials” on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet. Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/
Additional Resources:
- APA Inclusive Language Guide: This guide was developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to raise awareness, direct learning, and support the use of culturally sensitive terms and phrases that center the voices and perspectives of those who have been historically marginalized or stereotyped.
