Learning outcomes:
- LO3: Review the research on the benefit of inclusive teaching on student participation and learning.
- LO4: Show how the universal design for learning (UDL) framework supports the notion of inclusive teaching.
- LO5: Articulate how to tailor learning experiences to account for the backgrounds, abilities, and levels of prior knowledge of students.
How would you promote inclusion and belonging?
Imagine you are watching a videotaped class with a teaching fellow (TF) and providing feedback. Pick at least two of the scenarios to respond to. For each scenario, please answer the questions that follow.
Scenario one:
The TF is running a fairly lively discussion, his second of the semester, when he calls on a student, calling her Cristina. “Actually, my name is Isabel. Cristina is the other Latina in the class”, she responds. The TF looks visibly embarrassed and responds, “Yes, Isabel, I’m so sorry. What did you want to say?” The discussion appears to continue normally after this moment.
Scenario two:
A TF in a section is running a discussion about income and education equality. The topic seems to be one the students are passionate about; hands are constantly in the air. You notice, though, the TF calls on the students of color as soon as they raise their hands, while some students have dutifully raised their hands several times without getting called on. About halfway through the class you watch the TF do this again, and a white woman looks exasperated as she’s passed over again. She doesn’t raise her hand again.
Scenario three:
You are watching a section in which most, but not all, of the students are talking. You ask about the quiet students and the TF says, “That guy over there with the black hair, that’s Rodrigo. He’s a concentrator who almost never talks. He’s from some place in South America, Mexico, I think. I should probably call on him more. And that tall guy there with the writing on his shirt, that’s Matt. He has 1,500 Facebook friends, can you believe it? Crazy! He’s a football player, the number one player in the Ivy League. They say he’ll probably get drafted by an NFL team. He doesn’t really have time to really focus on his academics right now so I cut him some slack. And her [pointing at a young woman] I forget her name. She’s pretty shy but her written work seems OK, so I guess she’s learning the material.” You then suggest group work as a way to get them more engaged and talking. “I asked the students if they like working in groups and they said no,” the TF said. “I had them do group work in the first few classes and I thought it was pretty effective, but then some students complained. What happened was I was setting up a group work activity a couple of weeks ago and they said they would rather discuss the topic as a whole group. That’s when I asked the class what they wanted and they said, ‘No group work! We want to hear from you and to discuss things as a class.’ So, I’ve stopped doing it.”
- What do you see to be the issues at play?
- If you were consulting with the teaching fellow in question, how important do you think it would be to draw attention to the particular issue(s) at play? If not, why not? If so, go to the next question.
- How would you advise the teaching fellow to resolve the issue(s) above to ensure the environment remains inclusive, and why?
- Are there alternative strategies you could have suggested to resolve the issue(s)? If so, what are they?
Share your thoughts and opinions with your peers on the class-wide forum.
Go to the class-wide forum