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What is RCPD?
The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities helps to make MSU accessible for all Spartans, including students with visual, mobile, and learning disabilities as well as those who are deaf and hard of hearing and or those with psychiatric or chronic illnesses.
What role does RCPD play in digital accessibility on campus?
RCPD helps connect students with assistive technology and alternative formats of course materials. Through the Assistive Technology Center, RCPD can connect individuals at MSU with the top Assistive Technology and advise on best practices for use. Assistive technology is also made available in MSU computer labs and the Library. RCPD is continually exploring new Assistive Technology Initiatives, which you can read more about on their website.
Who should I contact about digital accessibility in RCPD?
Meet Tyler Smeltekop, Assistant Director of Assistive Technology Innovation for RCPD. In this role, he aims to expand on the MSU Community’s access to accessible technology, course content and equitable experiences across campus. You can learn more about Tyler on his RCPD profile, or you can contact Tyler via this form.This article is part of the Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

What do you desire as a teacher?
 
What content do you love teaching the most?
 
What do you take for granted in your classroom?
 
What might a questioning of norms do for your classroom?
 
As a queer student and teacher, I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about and working to enact queer pedagogies in my classroom and in my Writing Center tutoring practices. Just as queer theory focuses on pushing back against heteronormativity, queer pedagogy works to move beyond just building an inclusive classroom space, though a value of inclusivity and radical social justice is an important motivator for those who seek to teach queerly. Thus, not all queer-identified instructors enact queer pedagogies, and likewise I would argue that not all those who teach queerly identify as queer.I want to be clear, though, that enacting these practices does not necessarily mean you are doing queer work– because of the nebulous nature of queerness, such a contention is difficult to make for anyone. Instead, this blog post is aimed at providing some queer ways to think about your own pedagogical practices and activities, especially if you are concerned with issues of identity and activism.
 
Queer theory, and therefore queer pedagogies work to resist normativity because our concepts of “normal” are social constructs used to reinforce and bolster the power of the most privileged. Resisting normativity allows us to question why some things are normal and some things are not, which opens up space for exploration, interrogation, and dialogue.
 
Queer pedagogy, at its most basic, is the study of teaching that seeks to resist and subvert (hetero)normativity in the classroom. Resisting and subverting heteronormativity means to also contend with queer sex and sexuality. Queer pedagogy, then, grapples with queer sex and sexuality, often through the concepts of pleasure and desire. Thus, while queer pedagogy does not necessarily mean to teach explicitly about sex, it does mean that desire plays an important role in teaching queerly. To summarize, a place to start when thinking about queer pedagogies is to a) resist normativity and to b) keep desire in mind as you teach.
Resisting Normativity
Thus, one way to think about and enact queer pedagogies is to start by interrogating what is often taken for granted in both the discipline you teach and in the world around you and your students. I suggest starting first by thinking about the language you or your students use, especially when discussing identities. What coded language exists in your classroom that reinforces harmful normative gender, sexual, or racial stereotypes?
 
Some ways you might consider answering this question is to think about the assumptions you make of your students on a regular basis .For example, when I first began teaching college writing, when my students discussed relationships, I caught myself assuming their heterosexuality or monogamy when discussing boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands or wives. I try now, when talking about relationships, to honor relationships of all kinds, including (but not limited to) boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, friends, or chosen family members when addressing any student, regardless of gender.
 
Additionally, I became aware of the ways in which the male pronoun (he/his/him) was used as a neutral marker of anyone in much of the literature I was assigning my students. While I wouldn’t suggest throwing out any text that does not seem inclusive, I always try to mention the use of pronouns to my students so they might notice similar uses of language. As a practice, I utilize the singular they in my writing and have a conversation with my students about why.
Other examples of challenging normativity might be to acknowledge the overrepresentation of whiteness in many curricula; such a representation indicates that whiteness is the racial “norm.” For example, if you are an elementary school teacher, how many books do you have on your shelves with protagonists of color? Or, if you are teaching at the high school or college level, how might your rubric be geared to put native Standard English-speakers at an advantage by grading for grammar, but not content or ideas?
 
Resisting normativity as a teacher might also be about considering which ideas are taken for granted in your discipline. How does making those norms “strange” help your teaching? For example, the sciences are often considered unbiased, but what does thinking about science as a socially constructed discipline do to our conceptions of objectivity and replicability?
 
Challenging normativity can be uncomfortable for teachers and students alike, but working through that discomfort can lead to illuminating moments of discovery, as well as create space for inclusivity and social justice work. Be transparent with your students about why you are assigning projects or asking particular questions; letting your students know that challenging norms is your priority from the beginning can help student contextualize their potential discomfort.
Desire
Thinking about desire as a starting point for intellectual discovery is another way in which to enact queer pedagogies. For example, you may want to think first about what drives your desire to teach a particular subject in a specific way.  For instance, do you have a favorite unit of your syllabus that you’re most excited to teach? Think about why you enjoy that content and find ways to incorporate your excitement for that content into other content. Working from your desire can help you to think about what you love and why, which can help you encourage a love of the subject matter in your students.
 
It also may help you to think about your teaching methods; is there a specific type of learning activity you like the most? Why? Further, does that type of learning activity align with your students’ desires? Sometimes, I have found myself teaching content in a certain way because that is how I  would like to learn it, only to discover that such a teaching strategy was not reaching my students.
 
I work to align my own teaching desires with my students’ desires as much as I can so that we both get the most out of the course. However, sometimes this alignment is impossible; for example, if my teaching desires of focusing on inclusivity run against my students desires to be racist, sexist, homophobic, or ableist, I won’t compromise. But, I will work to think about how to better reach my most resistant students as much as I can. This is a challenging process, but you can start by having conversations with fellow teachers about they ways in which they have addressed racism, sexism, homophobia and ableism in the classroom. Brainstorm ways to disrupt a disruptor while still creating space for that person to learn and grow. Additionally, change your practices, discussion topics, or activities if they do not seem to be helping your students reach your learning goals. The classroom is an important space to foster personal growth and self-reflexivity.
 
Indeed, beginning with desire as a starting point is a way to think about how our intellectual development can be rooted in pleasure. Thinking about your students’ learning desires helps you to put them at the center of your classroom. Additionally, such a consideration of learning as pleasurable opens up new possibilities for you and your students.
Some Takeaways
Considering normativity and desire are two moves to make in the classroom that can help you to build a classroom environment that opens up space for critical inquiry, inclusivity, and radical change. Here are some final takeaways:

Pay attention to your environment. Consider what norms you take for granted in your field/discipline/classroom and question them.
Put your students at the center. Paying attention to desire should force you to consider what your students want and need. Adjust your pedagogy accordingly.
Be transparent. Work to explain to your students why questioning norms and working from desire can be beneficial to you all. Acknowledge when you make mistakes and explain what you may still not know yourself as a way to challenge your own authority in the classroom.
Change it up! When a lesson, an activity, or an assignment doesn’t work, change it. There is no harm in learning from your and your students’ mistakes.

I don’t want to suggest that enacting any of these strategies or takeaways means you are definitely doing queer pedagogy. The thing about queerness is that it avoids definition; instead, queerness seeks to ask questions. Queer pedagogy enacts practices that are fluid, amorphous, and ambiguous. However, learning is similar; we learn through asking questions and challenging the status quo. I encourage you and your students to do the same!
 
Special thanks to Alex Lange of the MSU LBGT Resource Center!
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Dixon, E. Teaching Queerly: Beginning from Desire and Non-Normativity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

"Being a part of the Learning Communities at MSU has been a wonderful experience. Within our community we have had the opportunity to share ideas, brainstorm solutions to challenges commonly faced, and expand our thinking with individuals from a wide variety of departments. I have deeply appreciated being a part of this new campus-wide community and having a space to connect with faculty and academic staff in similar positions to my own. Seeing what the other Learning Communities are doing has helped with inspiration for our own progress," said Mary-Anne Reid co-facilitator of the Sharing Process Improvement Tools in Undergraduate Internships and Experiential Education Learning Community. 
Learning Communities are self-organized, safe, and supportive spaces for faculty and academic staff to address complicated questions of curriculum and pedagogy. Michigan State University has supported these initiatives since 2004 and continues to do so through a funding program administered by the Academic Advancement Network in collaboration with the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology.
See what Learning Communities are available
 
Different Aims, Different Practices
Dr. Michael Lockett, the program Director, is quick to point out that the word “safe” is crucial to that statement of purpose, as it conveys the agency members and facilitators of Learning Communities enjoy. 
“Once a community is funded, our interventions in their work only take place at the most basic administrative level,” says Lockett. “It’s a space we designed to maximize autonomy and academic freedom.”
Learning Communities at MSU are free to propose their own topics and determine the structures that best support their interests. Accordingly, communities tend to vary greatly in their practices and topics. All communities, however, share three things in common: they meet at least eight times across the academic year, explore important educational themes, and welcome all members of MSU’s instructional staff, regardless of rank or discipline.
“We have approximately thirty communities running. That means approximately three hundred faculty members are contributing to and benefitting from the program.  Given that scale, there’s tremendous diversity in terms of topics and methods,” says Lockett. “Broadly defined, the conversations all connect back to ideas of education, teaching, and learning, but not necessarily in a formalized curricular context. We don’t limit their purview to credit-bearing courses at MSU and some communities are invested in educational topics that transcend this campus, or this country, or even this era.”
 
Dialogues Characterized by Freedom and Safety
Although many Learning Communities do not discuss fraught topics, some do.  “Because some groups explore topics related to critical pedagogy, they may require particular community structures,” says Lockett. “Which is to say the community is not closed but carefully defined.  All communities are inclusive. But the facilitators (those members responsible for the administration and protocol within the Community) determine the structure and it’s fair for them to ask their membership to commit to certain protocols.”
Some Communities only meet the required eight times during the academic year and encourage members to drop in or out at their discretion. Other Communities are working on highly complex questions of critical pedagogy, and require regular attendance, as the associated dialogues must be sustained and reflected upon. Ultimately, the facilitators decide the protocols for each Community. 
The conversations held in the Learning Communities might also involve very personal pedagogical experiences; those kinds of conversations require time, trust, and a sense of open inquiry to make the dialogue supportive and generative. The AAN strives to provide that atmosphere by respecting the autonomy of the facilitators and working diligently behind the scenes to design flexible administrative structures that can support diverse methods. Lockett says, “although it’s not necessarily their primary role, Learning Communities can be therapeutic spaces. There’s an emotional dimension to teaching, particularly in high-pressure contexts. These communities can become a place where people find support, where they can share and hopefully resolve some of the challenges they’re encountering, teacher-to-teacher.”
 
Why Learning Communities?
Variations on the Learning Communities program exist on many campuses. “Questions of curriculum and pedagogy are always complicated and often best addressed face-to-face,” says Lockett. “You can do a lot of important work through dialogue.  When colleagues get together to discuss curriculum and pedagogy, their conversations become nuanced and empathetic and situated in a way they can’t through other discursive forms.  They can also be highly creative and generative places where good ideas disseminate swiftly.”
 
Getting Involved
The Learning Communities at MSU grew over 150% last year, from 12 to 30 groups. Lockett credits the passion of the facilitators and the leadership of Drs. Grabill and Austin (Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, and Interim Associate Provost for Academic Staff Development, respectively).  He also applauds the work of his predecessor, Dr. Patricia Stewart, who advocated for the program’s continued existence and provided a vision of success. “We wouldn’t be seeing this level of engagement and success without Patti’s leadership and dedication to the program,” he says.
A full list of Learning Communities and the contact information of their facilitators is available below and on the Academic Advancement Network website, in addition to information on proposing new communities.
"As a co-facilitator of the ANS TLC the past few years, I have been impressed with our cohort’s desire to continue to become better educators. Our learning community focuses on presenting and supplying tools to our members that address their reported concerns of education, including but limited to instruction, assessment, and student engagement. Since the pandemic has rendered our instruction to be “survival mode”, the ANS TLC has reached out to provide tips and tricks to its members for better classroom experiences, in whatever platform is being used. We look forward to hosting monthly “Chitter-chatter What’s the Matter” discussions alongside our continual scaffolding of the ANS curriculum for the Fall 2020 semester." said Tasia Taxis, co-facilitator of the Department of Animal Science Teaching and Learning Community (ANS TLC) Learning Community.
 

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Jackie Heymann
Abstract:
This workshop will engage participants in critically reflecting on their classroom and co-curricular spaces, the neurotypical "norms" expected of students within those spaces, and the additional challenges experienced by neurodivergent students when those norms are enforced. Then, using the framework of the social and the social justice models of disability, participants will identify tangible action steps they can take to create spaces that are more welcoming of neurodivergent students.
Session Resources:
Presentation Slides (pptx)
ADHD & Autism Communication Learning Resources
ADHD

ADHD & Conversations: (Sandra, @theADHDgoodlife on IG)
ADHD & Masking: (Sandra, @theADHDgoodlife on IG)
ADHD Mind (Zoe, @ADHDactually on IG)
ADHD & Conversations (Zoe, @ADHDactually on IG)
Smilges, J. (2020). Bad Listeners. Retrieved from: https://cfshrc.org/article/bad-listeners

Autism

Tee on masking (Tee, @unmasked on IG)
Tee on autism and auditory processing disorder (Tee, @unmasked on IG)
On language and talking "professionally"(@autistictic on Twitter)
Eiza Wolfe on masking (@eizawolfe on TikTok)
Eiza Wolfe on neurodivergent listening (@autistictic on Twitter)
Brown, L. (2018). The Neurodiversity Movement Needs its Shoes Off and Fists Up. Retrieved from: https://www.autistichoya.com/2018/10/neurodiversity-needs-shoes-off-fists-up.html

Additional folks to learn from:

Cole (@semispeaking on Twitter)
Lydia X.Z. Brown (@autistichoya on Twitter)
Sandra (@theADHDgoodlife on Instagram)
Jess Rauchberg (@disabledpHd on Twitter)
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (@autselfadvocacy on Twitter)
Black Disability Collective (@blackdisability on Twitter)

This post provides an overview of inclusive pedagogy. This post is the first part of the Inclusive Pedagogy series and playlist.
Inclusive pedagogy is an umbrella term that encompasses many frameworks for teaching (e.g., critical pedagogy, feminist pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy, universal design for learning). Many of these are defined and overviewed in Emory University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Guide. Across these frameworks, all center intentional pedagogical strategies working to make education where “all learners feel welcomed, valued, and safe” (Hogan and Sathy 5), particularly working to remove systemic barriers that have harmed learners. 
It asks educators to consider, “Who might be left behind as a result of my practice? How can I invite those learners in?” (Hogan and Sathy 11). According to Cardon and Womack, inclusive pedagogy’s “approach is deeply contextual, personal, and political” (2). Within that, educators work to lifelong unlearning and learning as they raise critical consciousness to bias and systemic oppression while also supporting all learners equitably to feel agency, valued, and supported in their learning. 
When diversity, inclusion, and equity are centered in education, learners have enhanced learning, success and retention, and feelings of belonging (University of Michigan). Moreover, inclusive pedagogy increases learners’ critical thinking, collaboration, and sense of “mutuality and reciprocity” (University of Chicago).
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article, “Centering Intersectionality in Inclusive Pedagogy” or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.

MSU Extension has developed a three-part document to guide employees in creating and delivering educational materials and programs as well as event planning in a way that reflects our values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The first section focuses on considerations and strategies for facilitating, or delivering, programming.
The second section focuses on the development of educational materials, or products.
The last section focuses on event planning considerations.

An appendix of useful sites is also included, including a section on sources for diverse images.  This document can also serve to help outside trainers and contractors understand our values and how we expect them to play out in educational programming. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/dei-in-action-developing-planning-and-facilitating-educational-programs-and-events

Understanding Pronouns for Educators
On Friday, June 21, I was invited to give a talk on "Understanding Pronouns for Educators" to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 
The Slides
Below, you'll find some modified slides based on that presentation. You may also access the presentation slides via Google Docs.

Further Resources
This collated list of further resources includes resources for many realms, including:

Current Context
Impact of Using Correct Pronouns
Pronouns Overview
Gender-Inclusive Environments
MSU's Policies and Processes
Teaching and Classroom Resources


Understanding Pronouns for Educators © 2024 by Bethany Meadows is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. “Pronoun Stickers” by Harald Groven is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

This post delves into inclusive assignments and assessment as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
What are some strategies for inclusive assignments and assessments? 
The assignments you give and how you assess them can work to be inclusive to all learners. Equitable assignments take into consideration how to help all learners succeed by incorporating flexibility, scaffolded learning, clarity, and inclusive assessment. Some specific strategies include: 

Connect assignments to the course learning outcomes
Scaffold assignments to not only begin with low-stakes before moving to higher-stakes assignments, but also allow for practice, feedback, and revision
Design assignments that are authentic to the practical skills and norms that learners will need once they graduate
Allow for learners to bring in their cultural and lived experiences as well as incorporate examples and materials from diverse perspectives and authors. For instance, if you use case studies, these should include diverse perspectives and identities
Incorporate flexibility in options for learners to engage and compose in multiple means (e.g., essays, presentations, projects, audio, visual)
Develop Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) where you have clear, well-structured assignments and assessments
Provide assignment instructions in writing and verbally
Use inclusive and non-binary language in assignments and assessments and remove any problematic language
Consider the equity issues that arise when using proctoring and potential alternatives
If using tests, quizzes, or exams, provide ample time for it to be completed and account for learners’ testing anxiety by previewing exactly the realms they should study for
If using a rubric, share it ahead of time and answer questions learners may have on how you will asses it
Provide feedback throughout the assignment process and once their final submission is in that helps learners understand what they did well and areas to improve in
Consider assessing work in D2L’s anonymous mode to reduce implicit bias
Assess learners’ work when you are in a space to provide equitable and kind feedback and grades. For instance, if you have had a really bad day, your grading may be unconsciously harsher

How can I reflect on my assignments and assessments for inclusion? 
Some reflection questions for thinking about inclusion in your assignments and assessments include: 

How well do my assignments connect to the course learning outcomes, and how can I communicate this to learners?
How do I structure assignments to provide low-stakes tasks, practice, feedback, and revision opportunities before high-stakes assignments?
How do my assignments reflect practical skills and norms relevant to learners' future careers, and how can they be made more authentic?
How can I incorporate learners' cultural and lived experiences into assignments, and how diverse are the perspectives and examples I use?
What options do I offer for assignment completion (e.g., essays, presentations), and how can I expand these to better meet learner needs?
How clear and well-structured are my assignments for a learner perspective, and what feedback have I received from learners about this?
Do I provide assignment instructions in both written and verbal formats to ensure understanding?
How inclusive is the language in my assignments, and how can I improve it?
What equity issues might arise from proctoring tools, and what alternatives can I consider? How do I allocate time for tests and help learners manage testing anxiety and preparation?
How can I share grading criteria ahead of time and provide feedback that helps learners understand their strengths and areas for improvement?
How can I ensure I am in a positive and equitable mindset when grading, and what strategies do I use for providing constructive feedback?

Where can I learn more about inclusive assignments and assessments?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more: 

Columbia’s Assessing Equitably with All Learners in Mind
Denver’s Inclusive Assessment
Indiana University Bloomington’s Equitable Assignment Design
Indiana University Bloomington’s Proctoring and Equity
New York University’s Inclusive Curriculum Design and Assessment Practices
Reinert Center’s Creating Inclusive Course Assignments

Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive classroom activities or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.