levels ( national , university , department and module convener ).
Inclusivity in module design
May and Thomas divide student diversity into four main categories : educational , dispositional , circumstantial and cultural . 3 In order to cater to this varied demographic , I aspire to be as inclusive as impossible in my teaching practice . Diversity and inclusivity are intrinsically linked within the university setting ; instructors must respond to students ’ diverse needs with inclusive teaching methods . Hockings describes inclusive education as ‘ the ways in which pedagogy , curricula and assessment are designed and delivered to engage students in learning that is meaningful , relevant and accessible to all . It embraces the role of the individual and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrich the lives and learning of others .’ 4
In abstract terms , I follow the Higher Education Academy ’ s core principles for inclusive curriculum design in planning not only the overall module design , but individual seminar sessions : anticipation , flexibility , accountability , collaboration , transparency and equality . 5 At the foundation of each of these tenets of inclusivity is , in fact , diversity : diversity in the teaching programme in terms of both learning activities and assessment tasks . Striking a balance between individual and group work , assessment tasks and teaching activities appeals to as many students as possible . An inclusive teaching programme is the best way to address a diverse community of learners .
While the HEA provides a strong structural framework to consider teaching pedagogy in broad terms , for me , Hockings ’ scholarship provides a more concrete blueprint to enact this philosophy into practice . In more tangible terms , I closely follow Hockings ’ guidelines for inclusive teaching and learning : facilitate collaboration , develop strategies for sharing and generating knowledge and connect with students ’ lives . 6 First , to facilitate collaboration , I explicitly set out guidelines for group work and discussion in the seminar setting ( i . e . engage in debate in a mindful and respectful manner with other students and the instructor ). I discuss these guidelines verbally in the first seminar and I include them in on the virtual teaching and learning platform , the Keele Learning Environment ( KLE ), as well as in the module handbook . It is prudent to make these expectations explicit and clear from the start of term to all students .
To develop strategies for sharing and generating knowledge , I strive to pose more open-ended discussion questions , not solely depended on the set seminar readings , for students to link the day ’ s material to their wider course of study . For instance , in studying the Confederate home front , I ask students to connect this material to other war cultures they have studied : Are there any similarities between women ’ s roles in wartime societies across time and place ? How important is the home front to the military effort on the front lines ? How does one measure the strength of nationalism on the home front ? In adopting this broader scope of questioning , I include more students in the dialogue and enable students to better contextualise the day ’ s material within their overall programme of study . As such , this follows a staff-led inquiry based learning approach : students participate in the building of knowledge through investigating open-ended questions ( producing ; discovery-responsive : How can I answer this question ?). 7
To connect with students ’ experiences outside of the classroom , I devote the final seminar of the teaching schedule to a session exploring the legacy of the American Civil War ( 1861-65 ) in the present day United States . After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement , the memory of the Civil War and the legacy of slavery is an omnipresent issue in the American political and media landscape . Connecting the term ’ s material to issues students encounter in the daily newspaper , makes the material more tangible and hold more resonance for their personal lives . This is not just material relegated to a classroom ; this is material that shapes their understandings of the world today . Furthermore , I plan activities to promote critical engagement and collaborative group work in this session . For instance , I ask students , in groups , to act as the current Mayor of Richmond , Virginia ( the former capital of the Confederacy ) and decide whether a statue of General of the Army of Northern Virginia , Confederate war hero and slaveholder Robert E . Lee should be removed . Such sustainable teaching and learning practices focus on civic engagement and how classroom debates can be applied to wider issues outside of the classroom , such as racial
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