Strategies to Build a Community of Learners
A Diversity of LearnersINCLUSIVE TEACHING AT RMIT
Page 1 of 3www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/inclusive
Facilitate a safe learning environment for your students
Set up and define values, objectives and ground rules for behaviour within the class:
• Defineyourrolewithyourstudentgroupasafacilitator.
• Negotiateaclassagreementwhichemphasisestheimportanceofencouragingdifferentpointsofview,interpretations,valuesandattitudes.
• RefertotheUniversity’sStudentCharter.www.rmit.edu.au/about/studentcharter
Encourage student participation:
• Setuppair/smallgroupwork,forexample,regular3-minutetalks,3-minutebrainstormsontopics.
• MakeuseofPersonalResponseSystems(PRS)includingdedicatedhandheldunits(clickers)and/orinternetconnectedmobiledevices(Smartphoneetc.)inlargeclassestofindoutwhatstudentsknowandgetfeedback.www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/technology/prs
• Makesureparticipationisvoluntaryratherthansinglingoutindividualstudentsorputtinganyone‘onthespot’.
“The need to be known by name is deeply rooted within all of us. One of the most excluding factors, mentioned time and again by students interviewed … was the fact that teachers and other class members did not know their names.”GriffithsS.2010Teaching for Inclusion in Higher Education: A Guide to Practice.HigherEducationAcademy,UnitedKingdomandAllIrelandSocietyforHigherEducationp.41
Strategies to Build a Community of Learners
I belong
Strategies to Build a Community of Learners
A Diversity of LearnersINCLUSIVE TEACHING AT RMIT
Page 2 of 3www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/inclusive
Implement strategies to deal with challenging topics or ‘heated’ moments:
• Remindstudentsaboutthegroundrulesforbehaviourbyreferringbacktotheclassagreement.
• Letstudentsknowthatyoureservetherighttointerveneinresponsetoanybehaviourthatcouldbeconsideredprejudiced,biasedordiscriminatoryinnature.
• Modelhowtouse‘evidence’baseddiscussionindebatesratherthanjustprovidinganopinion.
• Promoteturn-takingwhendiscussingcontroversialissues.
Seek feedback from students on how the class is being managed or managing itself:
• Askforinformalfeedbackregularlyaspartofaclassactivity.
Get to know your students
Learn and use students’ names:
• Introduceyourselftotheclass.
• Learnsomethinguniqueabouteachstudentwherepossible.
• Useavarietyofactivitiestogettoknowstudentnames.
Ensure you are approachable and friendly to students when they ask for help:
• UseplainEnglishinyouroralandwrittencommunication.
• Allowtimeattheendofeachsessionforstudentstoaskquestions(thismayalsoreducetheneedforindividualcorrespondence).
Ensure you are explicit about your availability, along with contact details and expected response times to emails:
• Putyourcontactdetails,‘officehours’andexpectedresponsetimesonPowerPoint,BlackBoardandaspartofyouremailsignature.
Communicate regularly with students:
• Createfriendly,onlinespaceswherestudentsandstaffcaninteract,forexample,e-mail,blogs,wikisandsocialnetworks.
Ask students about their educational experiences and future aspirations:
• Askagroupquestion,orpair/smallgroupworkatthebeginningofsemestertofindouttheintendeddirection(s)ofstudents.
• Reviewtheabovequestionregularlysothatteachersandstudentscanrespondtochangesindirection.
Value difference in your students
Be mindful not to make assumptions about students:
• Gettoknowyourstudentsasindividualswithmultipleidentities.
• Employstrategiestoaddressarangeofstudentlearningstylesandneedsincludinglanguagecompetence,socioeconomicstatus,gender,race,ethnicity,prioreducationalexperienceorachievement.
Value difference:
• Createopportunitiesforstudentstopresenttheirownperspectivesandworldview.
• Useresourceswhichrepresentabroadrangeofperspectives.
Strategies to Build a Community of Learners
A Diversity of LearnersINCLUSIVE TEACHING AT RMIT
Page 3 of 3www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/inclusive
Use language that recognises your students come from diverse backgrounds:
• Ifreadings,websitesortextsusestereotypicallanguagecitethedatethematerialwaswritten,pointouttheseshortcomingsandgivestudentsanopportunitytodiscussthem(Gross,Davis,2009).
Treat all students equally:
• Maintainhighexpectationsofallyourstudents.
• AvoidundervaluingorovervaluingcommentsfromstudentswhosefirstlanguageisnotEnglish.
Build confidence in your students
Have high expectations of all your students:
•Tellstudentsatthebeginningofsemester,andbeforeeachactivityandassessmenttaskwhatyouexpectofthemintermsofparticipation,standardsanddeadlines.
Listen attentively:
• Listentoindividualstudentsaswellaswellasthegroup(doubleormultiplelistening).
Respond thoughtfully:
• Payattentiontobothindividuallearnerandgrouplearnerneeds.
• Usepositivelanguageinyourresponses.
• Knowwhyyouareresponding,forexample,toassistastudenttofindmeaning,tointegratenewlearningwithpreviousknowledge,ortoanalyseaconcept.
Facilitate opportunities for your students to get to know their peers
Create both informal and formal opportunities for students to get to know each other:
• Useicebreakeractivitiesinthefirstsession.
• Encouragebuddyormentorsystems.
• Linkupstudentsfromdifferentyeargroupstoworkonprojects.
• Setupampleopportunitiesforgroupwork.
• Createfriendlyon-linespaces.
Support students to access peer tutoring programs:
• StudyandLearningCentre(SLC)Mentortraining:The StudyandLearningCentre (SLC) studentmentortrainingprogram isforstudentswhoparticipateinacademicmentoringprogramsacrossRMIT.
• ContactyourCollegeADGformoreinformationonpeermentoringandtutoringopportunities.FindoutaboutpeertutoringandmentoringprogramsinyourCollege.
Top Related