I have taught, in some form, for a quarter century. I have taught high school course and for most of that time I have taught in higher education. I have taught countless first generation students, numerous non-traditional students, and students from various different economic, religious, and racial backgrounds. As such, over the course of my career I have developed strategies to make my classroom welcoming to each and everyone of these students. I have done this by incorporating inclusive pedagogical practices into my own pedagogy.

What is “Inclusion”?

The term “inclusion,” within academic discourse, arises from disability studies, specifically in relation to providing equal access and participation for every student, with or without disabilities. However, when we think about “inclusion,” it encompasses so much more than disability. It includes race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, class, and the list goes on and on because this list does not even include the various learning styles of students. At its core, the “inclusive” in “inclusive pedagogy” acknowledges these differences in students. If our goal as educators is to assist our students in becoming critical thinkers and lifelong learners, to move beyond the mere recitation of figures and facts, then we must embrace our students’ differences, whether those are learning styles or other differences, and we must be conscious of moments where we possibly marginalize students or ignore these differences. As Lani Florian and Jennifer Spratt put it, “Inclusive pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that supports teachers to respond to individual differences between learners but avoids the marginalization that can occur when some students are treated differently.”

“Wait,” you may ask, “Don’t we already take student differences into account in our classrooms?” Do we? I would say that we partly do this, specifically through accommodations and other resources where students can inform us that they need extra time on tests, notetaking assistance, or other accommodations. This, though, focuses on students with disabilities, right? These accommodations do not address, on a large scale, differing learning styles. These accommodations do not address, at all, differences in ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic class, and other factors. So, the question becomes, “How do we make our pedagogy more inclusive?”

A myriad of practices exist that provide us with ways to incorporate inclusive pedagogy into classes. Some of these things are extremely easy to do. As the University of Chicago’s Chicago Center of Teaching and Learning puts it, we can avoid “scheduling exams or project presentations on any religious or cultural holiday”; we can encourage “regular participation from all students”; we can share “resources that may be useful to students with different levels of accessibility or who have different financial resources,” this would include thinking about different forms “of course assessment to account for different approaches to learning”; and we can incorporate “a variety of different course content” into our syllabus. Part of this includes the ways that we write our syllabus. In my courses, I frequently use “we” or “you” in the syllabus, noting that learning, at its core, is not a “banking” system where I deposit information into students’ heads. Rather, it is a collaborative act between the myself and the students. Along with these practices, we could also incorporate things into our syllabus that provide students with feelings of inclusivity. For example, I never mention my pronouns or ask students to share their pronouns, if they use them, with the class. This, for me, is not appropriate. However, I have he, him, and his next to my name on my syllabus and on my email signature. This small act signals to students that I see and recognize them because they will pick up on it.

Along with pronouns, if a student has a preferred name, use the student’s preferred name. I let students know, at the outset, to bear with me when it comes to their names because it is hard, as we know, to learn a lot of names in a short period of time. To assist with this, for the first week or two I have them make name cards with their preferred names that they can place in front of them on their desk. I see these cards and know how they would like to be addressed, and it makes it less intrusive than going through the roll multiple times over multiple days and not referring to students by the name that they prefer. When calling on students, use their preferred name. By using their preferred name, we are showing them respect. Do this even when just speaking with them in class. If we see them around campus or around town, do the same. I think we do a great job of that here, but it is something we may overlook at times.

Likewise, what we choose to include in our syllabi goes a long way into fostering an inclusive classroom. In many of the humanities, this entails making a conscious decision about the authors and texts we choose to incorporate into our classes. For me, that means having a diversity of texts for my classes. If I am teaching an American literary survey, specifically an early American survey, I will have texts from the big five: Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Edgar Allan Poe. I will have Thomas Jefferson. I will have Jonathan Edwards. I will have John Winthrop. However, I will also have John Marrant, Omar Ibn Said, Harriett Jacobs, David Walker, William Apess, Frederick Douglass, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Anne Bradstreet, and more. I will have all of these writers because all of them, together, form the conversation of early American literature. They all highlight the diversity of the period, the ways that individuals wrote and fought for their positions in the burgeoning republic.

“But,” you ask, “how can I make my syllabus more inclusive in a STEM course?” I’m glad you asked. While you may not have readings in the course, you can highlight achievements by underrepresented groups, challenging preconceived narratives. You can have students conduct short research assignments for this. Another thing, if you have articles or book readings in your course, make sure to assign works that highlight a diversity of voices, backgrounds, and perspectives. Through this, you will help students connect with the material and know that individuals have paved a path before them, providing them with the way forward to their own goals and achievements.

Within our classes, we can practice inclusive pedagogy in through the discussion opportunities and assignments we provide for students. I am a firm proponent of active learning, and active learning provides a firm foundation for the incorporation of inclusive pedagogy practices into our classrooms. Some days, before class starts, I have students write their thoughts about a reading or assignment on the board. I usually only have about five markers, so once a student gets done writing on the board, they must pass the marker to someone else. This exercise provides everyone an opportunity to ask questions and to engage in the classroom discussion because even if they do not speak up when I ask for questions, I know who wrote what and I can address their observation directly. As well, by coming in early and getting students engaged, sometimes before the “official” class time starts, I show them that I am engaged, that I want to be there, and that I care what they think.

Another technique I use is group discussions, and sometimes I use “think-pair-share” activities. In the former, I construct questions for the class then place them into groups of two-four. I give them some time to write an answer to the question then we come back together and share each of the answers with the rest of the class. In the latter, I have students answer the question on their own; then, once they have answered it, I have them pair up and discuss their answers with each other. Again, like having students write on the board, these simple discussion activities provide every student with a chance to let their voice be heard, and many feel more comfortable in a smaller setting, speaking to one or two other students, than to the entire class.

There are many more thigs that I do in my classroom to make it a welcoming space for every student, but these are some of the main ones that I incorporate into my own pedagogy. If you regularly read my posts, you will see some of these pedagogical practices. What are some of your own pedagogical practices to create a welcoming environment in your own classroom or in your own lives? As always, let me know in the comments below. Make sure to follow me on Bluesky @silaslapham.