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.