creating an inclusive classroom
A student’s level of participation in a class is often determined in the first few days of class. If you would like to hear from all of your students during the semester, try to get them feeling comfortable and included within the first week. Students must trust not only you, but also their peers. Include icebreakers to help everyone learn names and get to know each other—use these icebreakers throughout the semester, not just day one! Build in small, low-stakes ways for students to practice sharing their ideas. This can be done through including brief small-group discussions, class polls, or short reflections. When sharing with a partner or in front of the whole class, ask students to begin with stating their names. Consider merging icebreakers and idea-sharing by asking questions that are not necessarily related to class content. Remember that the goal of these exercises is to encourage participation, so you can have some fun with content and format to encourage a relaxed classroom environment.
Build agreements with students
Another important step in creating an inclusive classroom where discussions can thrive is to establish agreed-upon behavior expectations. In the first few days of the semester, co-create community agreements that include general and discussion-specific guidelines. When developing these agreements, make sure that they include concrete examples. For example, if “respect the opinions of others” is an agreement, include an example such as “avoid interrupting during discussion”. Additionally, tell your students that there may be times throughout the semester where students (or you) make comments with unintended consequences. Encourage students to be open to rephrasing such comments and asking clarifying questions of each other. Taking these steps will help set a welcoming and respectful tone that will guide equitable discussions throughout the semester.
Get to know your students
One of the simplest and most effective steps you can take to increase student engagement is to learn and use your students’ names. Research supports that even the appearance of knowing students’ names can lead to better performance in courses! Remember that as a TA, you are often the primary contact for your course. For those of you that TA for large enrollment courses, this will be the only opportunity that students can be seen and named by an instructor.