2 Building Welcoming Classrooms
Building welcoming classrooms is a crucial component in supporting both our students and the learning process. This page draws on research from culturally responsive pedagogy, humanizing online practices, and strategies for HSI servingness.
Reflection: As you review the below list of core classroom strategies, consider:
- Which strategies do I already apply?
- How can I create more authentic strategies?
- Which strategies do I already excel at?
- Where do I struggle to apply these strategies?
- How can I identify new ways to apply these strategies?
Core Strategies for Building Welcoming Classes
Learn and use learners’ names and pronouns
Recognize and respect the multilingual abilities of learners
Co-develop course policies such as AI Use Statements and Course Community Guidelines
Create a get-to-know activity or survey early in the semester, and check in at midpoint
Share personal stories, experiences, and mistakes
Recognize and incorporate family, including chosen family, and community
Encourage peer-to-peer connection, collaboration, and community among learners
Apply active and social learning activities, especially those that connect to our communities
Create assignments that connect learning to real-world issues and actions
Develop activities that support social justice, equity, and community improvement
Incorporate elements of gamification to motivate and engage learners
Celebrate learner achievements, both big and small; highlight their successes
Provide options for how learners access course information and, when appropriate, how they are assessed on their knowledge
Give learners control over learning by allowing them to chose project topics, set learning goals, and/or contribute to course content
Build a safe and inclusive environment through addressing microaggressions and discriminatory behavior promptly and effectively
Acknowledge the challenges learners face through flexibility with deadlines
Provide feedback that is specific, constructive, and encouraging
Review grading policies for transparency and equity
Humanizing Pima’s Online & Distance Classes
Learning From Our Students: Recommendations on What Works
Faculty Senate Syllabi Statements
Syllabus Statements & Additional Resources
Works Cited
Bartolome, L. (1994). Beyond the methods fetish: Toward a humanizing pedagogy. Harvard educational review, 64 (2), 173-195.
Palacios, A. & Wood, J. L. (2015). Is online learning the silver bullet for men of color? An institutional-level analysis of the California Community College system. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(8), 1-13.
Rendón, L. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development. Innovative Higher Education, 19, 33-51.
Wood, J. L., Harris, F. III, & White, K. (2015). Teaching men of color in the community college: A guidebook. Lawndale Hill.
From: Humanizing Learning & Building Welcoming Classrooms, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Toolkit