Inclusive learning environments address inequities in the classroom and improve student retention.

Inclusion is the degree to which all individuals in a community are welcomed, valued, respected, heard and able to participate.

WTCS students are diverse and they need different supports to improve their chances of success.

Here are some ways to create inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of our diverse student body.

Explore bias and assumptions.

Recognize that your experiences probably differ from your students.

They probably even differ from your favorite coworker.

Inclusive faculty acknowledge that their students' abilities, beliefs, background, sexual orientation and economic status shape their learning and responses to the course material.

Try not to make assumptions about your students, who they are or how they learn.

Instead, get to know them and allow their experiences to help shape your classroom.

Build relationships with students.

Learning more about our students' personal learning experiences and challenges can help us understand the barriers students may face in our classrooms.

One easy way to build relationships is to reflect on how you use students' names.

Have you noticed that you use some students' names but not others because some names are harder to pronounce?

Learn to pronounce all your students' names or at least show that you are making the effort.

Examine your curriculum.

Take some time to examine your own curriculum.

Are there places where course content prioritizes certain experiences?

There are opportunities within the courses and curriculum to include authors, speakers, mentors, case studies, examples, and learning styles with varying backgrounds.

When students see their own experiences and cultures reflected in course content, they can better connect and increase their chances of success.

Creating an inclusive classroom is an ongoing process.

You can start right where you are today.

The goal of this video is to encourage individual reflection and spark ideas.

How will you increase inclusion in your classroom?

For additional resources on creating an inclusive classroom, please visit www.60forward.org forward slash resources forward slash.