Teaching Strategies: Creating an Effective Learning Climate
When instructors strive to create inclusive college classrooms, they need to consider multiple factors, including course content, class preparation, their own classroom behavior, and their knowledge of students’ backgrounds and skills. The articles in this section offer concrete strategies to address these factors and improve the learning climate for all students.
CRLT Occasional Paper #9: A Key to
Involving First Year Students (Fenty, 1997)
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no9.pdf
CRLT GSI Guidebook: Creating Inclusive College Classrooms (Saunders & Kardia)First-year students are, in many ways, the most vulnerable group in any academic community. This paper focuses on first-year students and what faculty can do to increase the likelihood that they will persist beyond the first year and attain their educational and personal goals.
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/P3_1php
CRLT Occasional Paper #7: Perceptions of Faculty Behavior by Students of Color (Chesler, 1997)Inclusive classrooms are classrooms in which instructors and students work together to create and sustain an environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and encouraged to express his or her views and concerns. Drawing upon focus group and interview data collected by CRLT, this paper provides guidance to instructors who seek to teach in more inclusive ways.
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/CRLT_no7.pdf
CRLT Occasional Paper #8: Academic Support for Women in Science and Engineering (Montgomery & Barrett, 1997)This paper reports the findings of a series of 15 focus groups with undergraduate students of color in which participants were asked to describe positive as well as uncomfortable interactions they had with majority group instructors. Suggestions for how faculty members can address students’ concerns are offered.
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/CRLT_no8.pdf
CRLT Teaching Strategies: Multiculturalism/Diversity in TeachingWomen continue to be underrepresented in a number of science and engineering disciplines. This paper describes factors that have been found to influence the learning and persistence of undergraduate women in science and engineering. Suggestions are offered for how faculty members can improve the academic environment to create a more positive learning climate for all students.
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsmdt.php
American society is becoming increasingly diverse, and colleges and universities are striving to reflect this diversity in both the faculty and student body. As part of these efforts, instructors have developed a variety of strategies to foster a safe and open learning environment for all students. The articles and links in this section describe student differences and their implications for teaching and learning. There is also a list of additional resources on a variety of topics related to multiculturalism and diversity.
CRLT Teaching Strategies: First Day(s) of Class
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsfdc.php
IDEA
Paper #39: Establishing Rapport: Personal Interaction and Learning (IDEA
Center, Fleming, 2003).
http://www.theideacenter.org/sites/default/files/IDEA_Paper_39.pdf
Describes the importance of building rapport with students. Lists four factors that help an instructor develop rapport with students, as well as strategies for improving teacher performance in these areas.