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Explore the role of communicative climate in creating an inclusive classroom environment for diverse students. Learn strategies to enable students to metacommunicate their roles as community builders. Implement supportive behaviors to enhance academic preparation and retention. Encourage awareness of social and cultural backgrounds to foster empathy and equality. Empower students to overcome language barriers and promote diversity acceptance.
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The Role of Communicative Climate in Building Community • Student experience • FSEM goal: solid academic preparation • Retention
Awareness of Own Role in Building Community • Enabling students to metacommunicate own roles as classroom community builders. (See J.R. Gibb, "Defensive Communication," Journal of Communication 11 (September 1961): 141)
Evaluation Control Strategy Neutrality Superiority Certainty Support Problem-orientation Spontaneity Empathy Equality Provisionalism Gibb’s Defensive Supportive Climate behaviors
Building an inclusive learning environment for diverse students • Knowledge – Awareness is first step • Behavior – Socio-economic status, student background (first to attend college? social skills in how to disagree, how to express oneself, when to jump in?) • Affect – Reluctance, apprehension, anxiety due to social marginalization (ethnic groups, SES, novelty, cultural norms)
Building an Inclusive Climate (Cont.) • According to experience of ESL students, American peers may need some guidance on how to be more accepting of diverse others • Model and encourage behaviors that foster a supportive climate
What worked to help exchange students feel welcome in the U.S. classroom? • professor acknowledged language difficulties of ESL students and offered to help; • gave early feedback on linguistic skills which in turn gave them confidence to share their ideas; • provided small group tasks designed to problem-solve together; • gave opportunity to share culture (after checking comfort level of student); • posted on-line discussion boards in which ESL students could participate more readily