Teaching a college seminar class? Use these 5 tips to create a positive learning environment 🙌

Think back to your college seminars. Did you feel safe, heard, and included? Did your instructor implement different activities for your learning style? Then you were lucky to be in a positive learning environment!

Now that you'll manage your own college seminar, it's important to create a positive learning environment for all students. As someone who taught discussion classes in university, these tips made my job much easier.

Safe, accessible, and inclusive learning environments for the win!

Speaking your mind in front of others can be daunting — especially when in a classroom full of strangers! Getting to know each other will make the learning environment more honest, respectful, and enjoyable for both students and the instructor.

Have an introduction session where students introduce themselves to get the conversation going.

• Make notes when students are sharing their names, pronouns, and interests.

• Refer to students with their preferred names and gender pronouns. Check out this Byte on promoting inclusive language to avoid alienating students.

• Practice the correct pronunciations of your students’ names.

After the introduction class, start each session with a check-in question.

• Avoid discriminatory questions such as, “How did you celebrate Christmas?” Instead ask, “Did you do anything interesting over the holidays?"

• Use gender-neutral language when referring to all students.

Avoid:

• Guys

• Ladies and gentlemen

Use:

• All

• Everyone

• Folks

Equality vs. Equity

Equality means that everyone is given the same resources and opportunities from the start. Equity, on the other hand, recognizes different circumstances, such as disabilities and language barriers, to allocate resources in order to reach equal outcomes.

To ensure that every student has an equitable chance at learning, instructors need to implement accessible and inclusive course content.

• When incorporating multimedia materials, make sure it has close-captioning for students with hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and those who don't speak English as their first language.

• If you require the use of technology during class, ensure that students have access to laptops or smartphones to participate in the activities.

Increasing Diversity

There are different types of diversity — cultural, socioeconomic, gender, ability, and more. When creating course content, you can:

• Diversify your examples.

• Incorporate diverse voices (invite guest speakers, assign diverse readings).

• Update your reading list to include multiple perspectives.

• Check out this Byte on evaluating a syllabus for diverse perspectives.

You’ll have a diverse set of learners in a college seminar, which will include:

• Students with disabilities.

• Students from different backgrounds.

• English as a Second Language (ESL) learners.

• Different personality types, such as introverted and extroverted students.

Managing different needs in the learning environment is important to ensure everyone has an equitable chance at learning and participating.

Here are some tips to ensure the participation of diverse learners:

• Incorporate a mix of small-group and large-group discussions.

• Provide questions ahead of time in written format.

• Avoid discriminatory examples and questions unless the learning objective is related. For example, don’t ask students to imagine themselves drinking at the bar for a behavioral question. Use neutral locations and situations.

• Give students time to think after asking a question.

• If participation is graded, allow written responses. This will take the stress off of anxious students and allow them to actively listen to others instead of rethinking their answers throughout the class.

Develop a plan on how to address harmful behavior in the learning environment in advance of your first session.

Communicate ground rules in the introduction class:

• Clearly state where the lines will be drawn such as aggression, stereotyping, and disrespecting each others’ lived experiences.

• Check out this list of common ground rules to implement in a classroom if you need ideas.

• Learn about equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices and cultural differences.

• Check out this Byte on student inclusion in the classroom to practice some sample situations.

University students have a lot of responsibilities and often need support from their educators. To ensure the health and well-being of your students:

• Be balanced. Don't over assign readings and coursework.

• Be flexible. Have a clear process for requesting extensions. Don't ask for doctors' notes. Trust your students.

• Be alert. Check up on absent students. Know the resources offered by your institution such as student counselling services, sexual assault support centres, or accessibility and diversity offices. Refer students to these services if they reach out to you.

Teaching is a rewarding career because we get to educate the next generations of change-makers. Allowing students safe, accessible, and inclusive learning environments improves their quality of learning and hopefully allows them to apply these qualities in their future work.

So here are some next steps to help you implement those positive learning environments!