7 Strategies for Creating Inclusive Classrooms

Classrooms are a melting pot of cultures. Students from diverse backgrounds, with different learning abilities, all converge together in a classroom. It is, therefore, important to impart lessons in a manner that serves the purpose of every student equally. The strategic approach to ensure equitable learning for students with different backgrounds and create the best learning environment in a classroom is referred to as inclusive teaching.

Higher education has always deemed it essential for instructors to have an inclusive environment in their classrooms. With remote learning expanding in usage, now, students are dialing in from different time zones, greatly impacting their attention spans. Add to this the lack of a dedicated environment that a physical classroom provides, and the gap among students becomes increasingly worrisome. It is here where inclusive classrooms come to the rescue.

Inclusive classrooms don’t entail a change in your teaching standards, nor does it require a wholesale change in the tools available at your disposal. Rather, it emphasizes at optimum leverage of the existing tools and pedagogy to make sure the distribution of knowledge is not skewed.

Here are some strategies to curate an inclusive classroom and ensure equitable teaching every time you deliver a lecture:

1. Build a rapport with students: Teaching is an inherently social exercise. Students need to know they can trust you before they start giving their undivided attention to your lectures. Address students by their names – it’s an amazing ice breaker and is the first step to show every student that they are counted for. Try to know your students’ interests outside of your course too. Share your passions and anecdotes to get students curious about the subject.
2. Set clear expectations at the start of the session: Every student is a bit skeptical at the start of the session. Convey clear guidelines around lectures, submissions, and assessments from the outset. Sharing these directives early allows all the students time to ask questions and adjust to the pace of teaching.
3. Have a structure to your course: Not all students come equipped with the same level of learning abilities. Research has proved that the traditional method of note-taking deepens the divide among students. Here, instructors can help students by sharing a skeleton of their course material. This alleviates students from the fears of being left behind and frees up their bandwidth to focus on understanding what is being shared in a lecture, rather than playing catch with the content itself.
4. Leverage interactive content: Online learning tools have proven to be an extension for instructors. They help instill some interactivity in the course content, thereby making sure students are more engrossed, compared to the book and notes method of learning. Research has pointed to significant improvement in students’ perceived motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. It also helps instructors quickly assess which students are lacking, and what the areas of concern are to help them tailor their course accordingly. Furthermore, make sure your entire course content is designed for accessibility. 
5. Make sure every student is heard for: Instilling a sense of belonging in every student is the utmost for an inclusive classroom. As students go through a session, they tend to fall off the learning curve. It is here where you need to keep your ear to the ground and listen to every student’s issues. Pick up on cues that may signal to a student feeling perplexed. Keep dedicated slots in your lecture – online or not – to let students ask questions. Ensure a safe space for students, not limited to your lectures, to reach out to you and discuss any doubts or seek help.
6. Be cognizant of diversity: Celebrate the variety that students from different backgrounds bring to your classroom. Lead by example and cultivate an inclusive climate. Ask students how their previous academic learnings are helping them cope up in the current course. What new dimensions do they bring to your course material? Not only does it aid a student’s individuality, but it also helps everyone know how sincere you are about having the whole class progress on a level-playing field.
7. Encourage feedback: There is no better way to improve teaching than uninhibited feedback from your students. Ask them to provide suggestions to make the course more inclusive. This is your unadulterated data point towards an inclusive classroom.

Inclusion is not just a buzzword – it has far more implications in a world that is more and more connected. An inclusive education sets students’ up on the path to become well-rounded individuals, who are cognizant of everyone around them. That – in a nutshell – is a real success of our education system.