How to Assess Inclusiveness in Teaching

Reader Question: Dear Bonni, I know it is important to be able to address the needs of diverse learners. However, how do I know how inclusive I am in my teaching? —Someone who wants to live out my values in practice There is a key difference between an educator saying they want to meet the needs of diverse learners and that instructor actually taking the actions that would meet that goal. The first step in making this goal of reaching diverse learners is to reflect on what it means to be inclusive in teaching, and letting that guide our teaching. An important thing to keep in mind is that to teach well takes continually working to improve. Even the best teachers fail on a regular basis, but good ones learn from those hiccups and adjust. Put another way, both teaching and learning are messy. There are instruments and tools out there to help shape our teaching over time, as we seek to continue to pursue better teaching. Espoused Values and Beliefs. The first source of information ought to come from your espoused values and beliefs. When you were hired into your teaching role, were you asked to provide some type of diversity statement? How long has it been since you reviewed it? When you go back and revisit your writing on the subject, how well does it align with your beliefs now? Ultimately, we want to determine how effectively we articulate our beliefs and in what contexts. Self-awareness plays a crucial role in any attempts at inclusive teaching. Renea Brathwaite, chief diversity officer and dean of professional studies at Vanguard University, is an advocate for a relentless pursuit of these metacognitive efforts. Braithwaite stresses that, “We need awareness of our situatedness—in time, space, in culture and in how we experience the flow of history through us. We also have to be aware of how others are aware of us.”