Inclusive teaching begins with the premises that learning starts where the students are, and that effective teaching is responsive to the various experiences, backgrounds, and identities that students bring to the classroom. Thus, an awareness of who students are and how they learn becomes an important step in designing activities for classroom learning.
Another essential premise of inclusive teaching is that students should not feel excluded from learning simply because of who they are. Student/Instructor relationships, as well as Student/Student relationships, are carefully considered with a focus on developing a community of learners in which all students are welcome to participate. Inclusive teaching, therefore, challenges instructors to plan with a diversity of students in mind and to utilize a diversity of materials, approaches and activities.
Inclusive teaching means intentionally bringing student experiences into the classroom, and recognizing the different experience, power, and privilege of diverse populations in relation to the subject matter being taught. Instructors and students alike are challenged to honestly confront and critically think about the contradictions and possibilities inherent in a complex understanding of the world -- both the social world and our disciplinary worlds.
At CIDR we can help you design your course, assignments, and class activities in ways that incorporate inclusive teaching practices. We are available to consult with you on working with diverse student populations and developing approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment that are compatible with the goal of creating a more inclusive classroom.
CIDR can also help you as you work to maintain an inclusive learning environment for your students. CIDR consultants are available to observe your class, help you design activities to assess how students are experiencing your course, and work with you to gather and interpret student feedback. Our services are discipline-specific, and our aim is always to think about inclusive teaching within the context of your department, your teaching, and your class.
CIDR has collected resources, examples, insights from faculty, and stories from students in order to help members of the UW teaching community accomplish their goal of teaching more inclusively. To view these materials and related strategies for teaching, see CIDR's Inclusive Teaching Web Guide:
CIDR also maintains a Diversity Resource Collection in the CIDR Reading Room. This collection focuses on incorporating diversity through classroom practices and curriculum transformation. It also includes literary, historical, and fiction titles.
For more information or to schedule a meeting with a CIDR consultant, call 206-543-6588, or contact us by email to arrange an appointment.
