Increasing Inclusivity in the Classroom

Why is inclusivity important?

Starting college is a time of transition, and it can cause many challenges and stressors in students’ lives. Students from less privileged backgrounds may have a more difficult time transitioning into college. In the article, “Increasing Inclusivity in the Classroom,” Andrew Greer describes how negative interactions and stereotype threat–the fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s identity–can result in a decrease in sense of belonging. This ultimately impacts students’ mental health and overall abilities to focus on and succeed academically. Educators should strive to cultivate an inclusive classroom community through:

1. Ensuring that students of underrepresented populations have the support they need to be academically successful.
2. Building relationships and developing multicultural skills with members from diverse backgrounds.
3. Enhancing students’ ability to participate in a pluralistic, interdependent global community.
4. Increasing the participation of students of color in campus life.

What does inclusivity look like?

When aiming for an inclusive classroom, educators should consider factors such as the syllabus, course content, their own biases, and their understanding of students’ backgrounds and experiences. The following strategies from Navigating Difficult Moments (Harvard University) offer ways to work towards a positive learning environment for all students:

1. Attend to your own reactions.
2. Understand the situation.
3. Deepen and nuance your short-term response.
4. Consider your long-term response.

Reducing Stereotype Threat

Psychologists, Steve Stroessner and Catherine Good have outlined strategies to reduce stereotype threat in the classroom such as:

• Reframing the task. Consider ways to make assignments, assessments, and other tasks fair for stereotyped groups.
• Deemphasizing threatened social identities. Include modifications that work to reduce stigmatizing students while they work on graded tasks.
• Encouraging self-affirmations. Provide students with opportunities to think about their strengths and valued characteristics.
• Providing role models. Bring to light positive role models that have overcome stereotypes.
• Providing external attributions for difficulty. Help students consider ways their anxieties may be a result of factors other than stereotype threat.
• Emphasizing an incremental view of intelligence. Avoid notions of inherent talent, and encourage students to think with a growth mindset when it comes to their abilities to learn.

See also:

• Inclusive Curriculum Design and Assessment Practices – Faculty Toolkit on Digital Inclusion, NYU
• Inclusive Language Guide (EDUCAUSE) – style guide for inclusive, bias-free, and equitable language
• Inclusive Teaching in Course Design (EDUCAUSE)
• Navigating Difficult Moments – Harvard University

Image Attributions: ProSymbols from the Noun Project (CC-BY)