As a young college student, Anu Sivaraman listened to her professor compare peanut butter and jelly. As a newcomer to the United States, she was perplexed by this analogy. Are these foods opposites or do they go together?
Sivaraman pointed to this as an example of how teaching methods can include assumptions that put some students at a disadvantage or make them feel like outsiders in the classroom. did.
She overcame those cultural barriers and is now an assistant professor of marketing at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. But Sivaraman, director of the university's Diversity Council, is using her experience to help remove barriers for the next generation by promoting the idea of inclusive education.
The concept behind inclusive education (or inclusive pedagogy as it is more formally known) is that traditional education methods disadvantage some students, such as those with different racial identities or those from lower income levels. It is said that it is placed. Professors can address this issue by recognizing the needs of all students and the different ways they learn, and modifying their teaching to account for those differences. This transition aims to promote a sense of belonging and ensure that all students, regardless of their background, can thrive.
Sivaraman describes it as providing “a place for everyone,” regardless of race or identity, including people with different learning styles and personalities.
“Everyone is coming together and trying to own every issue in the room,” she said. “And I think those are the changes in thinking and perspective that we want to see.”
Adam Foley, director of diversity education, assessment and outreach at UD, noted that traditional education has followed what he calls the “banking model of education.” “We had this idea that we, as faculty, were responsible for accumulating knowledge in the brains of our students. So it was a one-way flow of information. We pushed it in, and they spit it out. We put it back and spit it out in the form of tests and reports.”
Inclusive education, by contrast, is built on the idea that students not only need to be active participants in their own learning, but deserve to do so. In doing so, they bring ideas, skills, experience and knowledge that enrich the educational experience for everyone,” Foley said.
Instructors bring knowledge to the class, but they also bring perspective.
“We are constantly making decisions about what to teach and what not to teach…and the decisions we make about who matters, who is valued, whose voices matter. You send a message with your choices,” Foley said.
Sivaraman added that sometimes educators are unaware of the biases they bring into their teaching. That's one reason UD Learner held a session this fall, led by Foley, to educate faculty and staff, especially those new to the university, about inclusive education.
How does inclusive education work? That might mean thinking of examples in class that resonate with students who grew up in the United States, as well as students from China and India, Sivaraman says. said. Or, given that some students from disadvantaged backgrounds may have issues with technology, provide alternative ways to complete coursework.
Teachers can also take steps to accommodate different personalities.
“Our classroom model, in-person instruction, is set up to serve extroverts,” she says, and factors such as class participation count as part of the grade.
Introverts may be hesitant to speak in class, but because of the structure of the class, they have great opinions that aren't heard by the teacher, Sivaraman said.
“If we set up an online discussion board where students can go and write their thoughts once they are fully formed, we could be more accepting of students with different personality types,” she says.
Exams are one example. In traditional education, students who are good at demonstrating their knowledge by answering multiple-choice or essay-style questions may have an advantage. However, teachers may inadvertently short-circuit students who know the content but do not excel in the exam format. Sivaraman compared it to trying to teach a fish to fly.
“Am I offering another test method that allows them to shine and show what they know?” she asked. “After all, isn't it important to show what they know?”
Sivaraman said it's important for students to be comfortable enough to make mistakes in the classroom because college is an ideal place to learn from mistakes.
“When you provide psychological safety, people learn, grow, take a lot of personal risks, and admit mistakes,” she said.
While some describe this kind of effort as trying to create a safe space, Foley prefers the term “brave spaces,” where people feel they belong regardless of their background, identity, or interests. I like to create a feeling atmosphere.
“As instructors, we acknowledge the fact that it would be disingenuous to say that we can guarantee a safe space for our students and others, because we do not know their lived experiences and You don't know what else is going on in their lives,'' Foley said. “What we can do is create an environment where people feel brave and able to share things about themselves.”
Foley and Sivaraman say this approach is not only the right thing to do, but a more effective way to teach.
“If we are to be effective educators, we need to utilize the latest knowledge and resources,” Foley says. “Why teach the same way we did 20 years ago when we know there is a better way?”
Research and evaluation support this, Foley said.
“When content is more inclusive and educators are more culturally sensitive, students not only retain knowledge but also make better connections to other content they are learning,” Foley said. Stated. “We know that children are more creative, children are more engaged, and they perform better in the classroom.”
