Inclusive classrooms: developing social responsibility and respect for others

1. Inclusive classrooms: developing social responsibility and respect for others Helen Barefoot, h.barefoot@herts.ac.uk @HelenBarefoot Janette Bradley, j.bradley@herts.ac.uk Sarah Flynn, s.j.flynn@herts.ac.uk @sarahjaneflynn

2. Introduction • The Curriculum Design Toolkit • University of Hertfordshire Graduate Attributes • Case Study • Conclusions

3. Toolkit Development http://tinyurl.com/7gmmmnu

4. Activity Considering the Principles for Good Practice in Inclusive Teaching, identify something within your own work that meets a principle and share this with the person next to you.

5. University of Hertfordshire Graduate Attributes • Professionalism, employability and enterprise • Learning and research skills • Intellectual depth, breadth and adaptability • Respect for other • Social responsibility

6. Graduate Attributes • Respect for others The University promotes self-awareness, empathy, cultural awareness and mutual respect. Our graduates will have respect for themselves and others and will be courteous, inclusive and able to work in a wide range of cultural settings. • Social responsibility The University promotes the values of ethical behaviour, sustainability and personal contribution. Our graduates will understand how their actions can enhance the wellbeing of others and will be equipped to make a valuable contribution to society.

7. Student Challenges

8. Environments which provide effective learning for all Moving outside the comfort zone • Business School Level 5 Marketing modules 20-30 students per tutorial; • Large international presence; multi-cultural backgrounds; • Diversity of ethnicity within British nationals; • Students tend to sit in friendship groups based around common ground and experiences, especially nationality.

9. Inclusive Groups Inclusive group work • It encourages co-operation among students; • It encourages active learning. Done well • It respects diverse talents and ways of learning; • Encourages international discourse; • Breaks down cultural barriers; • Discourages the teacher from being drawn into only addressing ‘home’ students; • Builds interpersonal and communications skills amongst students.

10. Inclusive environment

11. Facilitating Group Work • Students often enter a tutorial room which is set up in lines and arrange themselves in friendship groups of like people Tutor’s desk • And if the room is set up for group work students will usually sit with their friends Tutor’s desk

12. Inclusive group work 4 2 3 5 3 4 1 2 4 3 1 4 5 5 5 3 5 2 2 4 1 5 4 1 3 1 3 1 2 2 Tutor’s desk • Set first task in pairs e.g. checking understanding of previous seminars • Set next task in 3s and give people roles in the group

13. Observations and Outcomes “ The structure of the tutorial is good because we are allocated to different groups each week, and it allows us to mix in with different people with different backgrounds and ideas.” • High levels of interactivity: the most vibrant of classes taught; • Pace of learning increased: students more productive outside their friendship groups; • Expectations raised - impact on attitude and performance? • Very positive relationship between students and tutor; • Students began to relate to each other differently and take notice of previously ‘overlooked’ individuals; • Average individual coursework result 55% Cohort average 49%.

14. Good Practice in Inclusive Teaching

15. Useful resources • University of Hertfordshire Curriculum Design Toolkit Inclusive Culture project work • Guidance on teaching in racially diverse classrooms on Harvard’s website (The Derek Bok Centre for Teaching and Learning):  TEACHING IN RACIALLY DIVERSE COLLEGE CLASSROOMS • Guidance on many aspects associated with inclusive teaching from Sheffield University's Centre for Excellence in Inclusive Teaching (including case studies plus hints and tips) http://www.shef.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivelandt • The Open University's guidance on Inclusive teaching http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/index.php • The Higher Education Academy's weblinks to Inclusive Teaching http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/subjects/psychology/Teaching_practice_issues_Accessibility_and_Inclusive_Practice

16. Useful references • Aguirre, A Jr and Martinez, R (2002) Leadership Practice and Diversity in Higher Education: Transitional and Transformational Frameworks. The Journal of Leadership Studies 8(3): 53-62 • Baez, B (2000) Diversity and it’s Contradictions. Academe 86: 43-47 • Bourke, B. (2010) Experiences of black students in multiple cultural spaces at a predominantly white institution, in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, vol.3, no.2, pp.126-136 • Ellis, S.J. (2009) Diversity and inclusivity at university: a survey of the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) students in the UK, in Higher Education, vol.57, no.6, pp.723-739 • Holloway, S. (2001) The experiences of higher education from the perspective of disabled students, in Disability and Society, vol.16, no.4, pp.597-615 • May, H (2010) Towards an Inclusive Culture: Engaging Students in Institutional Enhancement. Presentation accessed via www.heacademy.ac.uk Dec 2010 • May, H and Bridger, K (2010) Developing and embedding inclusive policy and practice in higher education. York: Higher Education Academy.