Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Inclusion in the Classroom, Department and University

1. Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Inclusion in the Classroom, Department and University 9th Annual Niagara University International Conference on Teaching and Learning Plenary Session I Dr. Mathew L. Ouellett January 13, 2010 Niagara University, January 2010

2. Where I’m from… Respond to the following four sentence stems; • I am from (familiar physical items – sights, sounds, smells, feels, geography) • I am from (familiar foods) • I am from (familiar sayings) • I am from (familiar people) Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

3. Transformative Learning • Helps students see gaps / limitations in current knowledge / perspective • Opportunities to explore / articulate underlying assumptions • Opportunities for critical self-reflection • Critical disclosure with peers and instructor to explore alternative ideas and approaches • Experience(s) testing / applying new perspectives

4. Brief Write • What differences have you noticed in your students’ cultural and individual learning styles, communication and interaction styles? Niagara University, January 2010

5. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Inclusive Teaching • When core content (cognitive) and process (affective) goals are diversity related, effective teachers: • Disclose attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors • Create a climate of trust and no defensiveness, so that participants can examine and change/grow • Provide students with conceptual organizers, models, and frameworks that encourage self-reflection and analysis • Design opportunities to try out and practice new patterns of thought and behavior via experimentation, practice, and application. Adams, M.,& Love. B. (2005 ). Teaching with a Social Justice Perspective: A Model for Faculty Seminars across Academic Disciplines In M. Ouellett (Ed.) Teaching Inclusively: Essays on Course, Department and Institutional Diversity Initiatives. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

6. Taking Stock • What is currently going well in your courses related to integrating intellectual and emotional engagement with controversial topics? • What are some of the current challenges in your courses related to integrating intellectual and emotional engagement with controversial topics? Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

7. Five Pedagogical Challenges • Balancing cognitive and emotional components of learning process • Acknowledging and supporting the personal, while illuminating the systemic • Attending to social relations within the classroom • Utilizing reflection and experience as tools for student-centered learning • Valuing awareness, personal growth, and change as outcomes of the learning process Adams, M., & Love. B. (2005). Teaching with a Social Justice Perspective: A Model for Faculty Seminars across Academic Disciplines In M. Ouellett (Ed.) Teaching Inclusively: Essays on Course, Department and Institutional Diversity Initiatives. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

8. 3 Key Questions for Course Design • What do you want students to know? • What do you want students to be able to do? • What do you want students to value? Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

9. 6 Dimensions of learning goals • Foundational knowledge • Application • Integration • Caring (to become engaged) • The human dimension (e.g., “real world” apps) • Learning how to learn - self reflection and assessment Fink, L. D., & Fink, A. K. (2009). Designing Courses for Significant Learning: Voices of experience. New directions for teaching and learning, No. 119. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

10. Sample diversity goals • Cultivating a respect for diverse perspectives • Developing an ability and willingness to work effectively in diverse groups • Have a heightened awareness of and sensitivity to … {gender, class, race issues} • Learn to identify and reject narrow / oppositional thinking that reduces issues to only two sides (right/wrong, us/them) • Learn to stay engaged in intergroup dialogues

11. Sample diversity goals • Cultivating a respect for diverse perspectives • Developing an ability and willingness to work effectively in diverse groups • Have a heightened awareness of and sensitivity to … {gender, class, race issues} • Learn to identify and reject narrow / oppositional thinking that reduces issues to only two sides (right/wrong, us/them) • Learn to stay engaged in intergroup dialogues Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

12. Attributes • Indentify specific, important learning goals for the assignment • Create a meaningful task or problem that corresponds to those goals • Balance the time/effort required of students with the priority of the goal (realistic & challenging) • Provide prompts (clear directions & expectations, models, checklists)

13. Habits of the mind • Ability to work independently • Set personal goals • Persevere • Organize • Be clear and accurate • Visualize • Be curious • Be open minded to new ideas Niagara University, January 2010

14. Cognitive • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding regarding the impact of culture on behavior • Understand the history and contributions of various cultural groups • Understand relationships among economics, power and oppression • Understand that different groups may have different perspectives on the same event. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

15. Affective • Appreciate and value how one’s identity and heritage shape world view and perspective • Recognize their own and others’ biases and understand their impact • Develop a stronger self-identity, self concept, and sense of self-efficacy related to diversity issues • Adopt attitudes supportive of a democratic society Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

16. Kinesthetic (behavioral) • Engage in critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving about social issues • Effectively participate in sustained intergroup dialogues • Effectively participate in sustained intragroup dialogues Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

17. Multicultural Course Design • Integration, not tokenism • Diverse perspectives • Clarity that these perspectives are worth studying (and why), not simply included because of identity • Placement – mindful that diversity topics are not last (this implies they are optional or additive) • Process is as important as content – and should be evaluated accordingly Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

18. Inclusive Strategies • Present information in at least 2 formats • Give students as many learning resources as possible (PPT slides, rubrics, models, scaffolds) • Provide background information (why is this topic important?) • Build in flexibility (graphic calendars, choices) • Go digital (website, electronic versions) • Less is better (highlight key ideas, models) Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

19. Teacher SelfAwareness Pedagogy CourseContent StudentDiversity Multicultural Course Design Model Diversity and Learning Marchesani, L., & Adams, M. (1992). Dynamics of diversity in the teaching-learning process: A faculty development model for analysis and action. In M. Adams (Ed.), Promoting diversity in the college classroom: Innovative responses for the curriculum, faculty, and institutions (Vol. 52, ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

20. Significant Learning Experiences Fink, L. D., & Fink, A. K. (2009). Designing Courses for Significant Learning: Voices of experience. New directions for teaching and learning, No. 119. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

21. What are some of the Challenges? • Students’ prior knowledge • E.g., “common sense” beliefs that may be unjustified • Sometimes these moments are unplanned/unexpected ones Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

22. Inclusive Strategies • Present information in at least 2 formats • Give students as many learning resources as possible (PPT slides, rubrics, models, scaffolds) • Provide background information (why is this topic important?) • Build in flexibility (graphic calendars, choices) • Go digital (website, electronic versions) • Less is better (highlight key ideas, models) Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

23. Attributes, continued • Activities should prepare for and provide practice for assessments • Provide equitable opportunities and multiple modes of expression • Offer scaffolds (break out large, complex, high risk tasks into smaller, lower risk opportunities)

24. Inclusive Assessment Strategies • Build practice into assessments by moving from low to high stakes efforts • Break down large, high stakes projects into smaller components • Make models available • Create 2 or more assessment choices for students to choose from (presentations, papers, videos, case studies, photo essays, videos) Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

25. Inclusive Assessment Strategies • Involve students in building assessment strategies and rubrics • Alternate between “hard” and “soft” options: • Hard option: everyone does the same thing and pretty much provides the same answer • Soft option: students have latitude / choices to complete the assignment. Completed assignments may vary considerably according to their interests Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

26. Getting the Rubber to hit the Road… Sample Activities Pedagogical strategies Exercises Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

27. Syllabus Review • Learning goals • State Expectations (civility, disabilities) • Process and Content will count • Activities / Assignments / Due dates • Resource Materials (texts, articles, videos, etc) • Assessment Processes are Explicit • Formative • summative Niagara University, January 2010

28. Further strategies… • Use a flow chart at the beginning of class (highlighting connections, flow and order) • Seek personal experiences of students with the subject / topic and then integrate those experiences into the course • Ask students to develop their own definitions of key topics, questions and abstracts • Use assistive technology (e.g., closed captioning) Niagara University, January 2010

29. Prior Knowledge Survey • Have never heard of this • Have heard of it, but never really knew what it meant • Have hear of it and could have explained it once, but not now • Can recall what I means and explain it in general terms, but cannot explain how it applies to broader concepts • Can recall what it means and can apply it Houston, T. (2009). Teaching What You Don’t Know. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

30. Preparing students to engage • Encourage students to define their points of entry • Welcome diverse perspectives • Focus on civil dialogue, not consensus (Consider whether you really need to come to an agreement) • Model risk-taking • Value and reward growth and development Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

31. Discussion Preparation • Take a Stand Activity • Ask students to identify how they contribute to the dynamics of discussions • Assign a label to the 4 corners of the room • Talks a lot • Waits until I have something important to say • Mostly listens • Devil’s advocate – challenges / criticizes • Have students choose their corner & discuss Houston, T. (2009). Teaching What You Don’t Know. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

32. 10 – 7 – 5 : A Brief Writing Exercise • Identify ten critical choices you have made in your life that have shaped your attitude about race and racism. • List seven events that have affected the course of your life on the subjects of race and racism. • And, name five people who have profoundly affected the course of your life as you live in our racialized society and describe how. Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

33. Hot Moments • Build discussions around questions • Begin with low-risk opportunities and build toward high-risk ones. • Model asking for clarification in a non-judgmental manner • Normalize emotions in the classroom • Depersonalize controversial topics Warren, L. Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom. Downloaded August 14, 2003 from from http://bokcenter.fas.harvard.edu/docs/hotmoments.html Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

34. Texts • Do the texts represent the contributions of diverse people to the discipline (e.g., women, People of Color, persons with disabilities, LGBT people) • Do the graphics, photographs and images present representative images? • Do the examples, applications, and illustrations to see if they extend to diverse communities, too? Niagara Univeristy, January 2010

35. Climate / Interaction • Office hours (1:1, dyad/triads, small groups) • Normalize help seeking behaviors • Help students to get to know each other by engaging them together in significant, meaningful tasks • Engage students • Personal questions (who are you?) • Motivation questions (prior and future interests?) • Experience questions (how is the class going?) Niagara University, January 2010

36. Further Resources Adams, M., Bell, L., Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge. (second edition) Burgstahler, S., & Cory, R. (2008). Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education. Fink, L. D., & Fink, A. K. (2009). Designing Courses for Significant Learning: Voices of experience. New directions for teaching and learning, No. 119. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Morey, A. & Kitano, M. K. (1997). Multicultural Course Transformation in Higher Education: A Broader Truth. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Ouellett, M. L. (Ed.) (2005). Teaching Inclusively: Resources for Course, Department & Institutional Change in Higher Education. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press. Suskie, L. (2004). Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense guide. Bolton, MA: Anker. Niagara University, January 2010

37. The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all its limitations, remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the practice of freedom. Bell hooks, 1994 Niagara University, January 2010