Inclusive Teaching means teaching in ways that do not exclude students, accidentally or intentionally, from opportunities to learn. CIDR proposes four strategies for inclusive teaching and provides resources, examples, and perspectives from students and faculty to help members of the UW teaching community accomplish their goal of teaching more inclusively. This issue of the Bulletin presents the six strategies and provides links to their implications for teaching. The Inclusive Teaching web site can be found at:
Research has shown that a significant way to support student learning is for the instructor to convey the expectation that students are capable of learning.
Implications for teaching:
http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/convey.html
One of the things each student is learning in your course (whether it is an explicit goal of your course or not) is how to be a successful learner. Some students come in with a considerable history of success in courses similar to yours; others' success may be in other areas, and your course may be what helps them determine if this is an area for them to continue studying.
One way to help students learn is to let them know how to succeed in achieving the learning goals for your course.
Implications for teaching:
http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/support.html
There are many ways to participate in class. Equitable class participation does not necessarily mean that all students are expected to participate in the same way, or even the same amount. Rather, the goal is to make sure that students are able to participate in class in ways that will help them achieve the learning goals for the course, and that no one is kept from participating by the way the course is taught.
Implications for teaching:
http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/foster.html
To plan for greater diversity in teaching, instructors must examine their practices and the assumptions on which decisions about teaching are based. Teaching is not a linear, one-way delivery of knowledge, but an interactive process that requires adapting to shifting contexts, demands of content, and student input.
Planning for diversity in teaching must also account for the reality that individuals do not all learn in the same way, and any group of students will include a variety of approaches to learning. Teaching diverse learners requires monitoring student progress and responding to student input -- which might mean teaching differently, or helping students benefit from and see the value of the teaching strategies being used.
Implications for teaching:
http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/inclusive/diversify.html
At CIDR we can help you design, implement and assess your application of these principles in your teaching. Call or e-mail to arrange an appointment.
