Inclusive teaching practices
While university can be an exciting and intellectually stimulating experience, some students come to university with feelings of uncertainty due to their background, abilities, or identity. According to Murphy and Destin (2016, p.1), these include students who “belong to negatively stereotyped social groups that have been—and continue to be—underrepresented” in higher education. These groups include those living with a disability or mental health condition; students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and from culturally, ethnically and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds; those who identify as gender diverse or a minority sexual identity; Indigenous and First Nations students; and students from refugee backgrounds.
Increasingly, universities are recognising that traditional teaching, learning and assessment methods may not suit all students, and have implemented specialised programs that support diverse students to both attend, and succeed at, university. In addition to this, educators can make their teaching more inclusive, creating a connected and supportive learning environment that caters for all learners.
Benefits of inclusive teaching View
Research has shown that inclusive teaching improves student outcomes in several ways.
Increased participation If students feel like they can attend class without being judged by (and for) their abilities, identities, or backgrounds (Hunter, Case, and Shevon Harvey, 2019), they are more likely - and more able - to fully participate and engage in their learning. | |
Increased motivation Feeling included provides students with a sense of belonging, which increases students’ motivation to learn (Murphy and Destin, 2016). A sense of belonging also means that students can learn more effectively than if they felt isolated or excluded (Grace & Gravestock, 2009). | |
Increases likelihood of success Inclusive teaching provides students with equitable access to higher education on the same basis as their peers - and helps students maximise their success once there - regardless of their background, personal circumstances, and identities. |
Recommendations for teaching inclusively View
Rather than being a specific teaching method, inclusive teaching is a broad pedagogy that focuses on designing flexible and accessible learning and assessment, teaching practices that welcome all students, and providing support for students to participate and learn fully. Inclusive teaching is not about creating different materials and resources, or focusing on the ‘deficits’ of particular groups of students, but is about creating an optimal space for learning and making reasonable adjustments that benefits all students.
There are several elements of teaching practice that can be implemented to make your classes more inclusive, and that will enable all students to feel they are an important part of the learning environment. Four elements of inclusive teaching practice will be explored in more detail in the ‘How-to’ section of this guide.
Education Performance Standards Framework
Education Performance Standards FrameworkThe Education Performance Standards identify the expectations of education practice at Monash – See the Education Performance Standards for more details. | |||||||
Impact on student learning | Impact on educational knowledge | Impact on educational environment | |||||
Effective teaching and learning | Responsive program design | Student- centred orientation | Professional learning engagement | Pedagogical content knowledge | Education research performance | Education innovation | Education leadership |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
You could address marking and grading across these Practice Elements by providing evidence of how you:
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How to navigate this resource
You can use the tabs on the left-hand side menu to navigate between the sections or click on the links below:
- The How-to section provides you with instructions and/or strategies to implement in your teaching.
- The Supporting your students section provides you with key strategies for creating a good learning experience and a list of resources to share.
- The Related resources section provides you with additional resources.
References
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