Creating a More Inclusive Classroom

How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive

By Viji Sathy and Kelly A. Hogan

In their own words, Viji Sathy and Kelly Hogan, professors at the University of North Carolina, believe that education has the potential to be an "equalizer" in society. Often, educators are led to believe that the classroom is an opportunity to separate the "strong" students from the "weak," basing this hierarchy of strength on their nature as extroverts or introverts. Sathy and Hogan stress that what is needed in a classroom is increased structure to help introverts feel more comfortable with participating, rather than punishing them for not feeling that comfort automatically. You may ask yourself, what does this extrovert/introvert debate have to do with building a more inclusive classroom? Often, introverted students are students who do not feel as if their voices will be heard or legitimized and extroverted students are students who have had the educational privilege to never question whether or not their opinions would be heard or validated. This article delves into tactics that you can use to improve student trust in yourself as both an educator and a person, tactics to facilitate introverted participation, tactics to add structure to a classroom that will benefit all of your students, and more! Read the full article here.