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The MSU Web Accessibility Policy, administered by the Office for Civil Rights at MSU (OCR), states that ​all new and redesigned University Web pages and web delivered content published after May 15, 2009 must be in compliance with the ​technical guidelines​ set ​forth on ​webaccess.msu.edu​, unless granted an exception under Article IV of this policy.
General Policy
Accessibility in the context of disability is using universal design to create programs, services, and activities which can be utilized by all individuals, regardless of disability. To access is to enter into, participate in, and engage with the Michigan State University experience.
 
Michigan State University is committed to providing accessible digital experiences for persons with disabilities.
 
Policy Link:https://webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/web-accessibility-policy.html
Audience:
Faculty, Academic Staff and Graduate TAs
MSU Office(s):

Policy Ownership: Office of the General Counsel
Policy Enforcement: Office for Civil Rights at MSU
Policy Support: MSU Information Technology | Digital Experience Team (digitalx@msu.edu)
Local Support: Web Accessibility Policy Liaisons (https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/liaisons.html)

Leadership

Model inclusive practices by including statements about and a commitment to access and inclusion in your course. Check out the model language provided by the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at MSU: https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/get-started/faculty-departmental-resources/model-statements-disability-inclusion
Ask publishers, or other digital content providers to learn more about the accessibility of digital content that you are interested in using in your course. For more information check out webaccess: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/web_third_party_questions.html
Model lifelong learning by being transparent and open about your own level of awareness around the MSU Web Accessibility Policy and your technical abilities to make content accessible. Be willing to request support and engage in trainings.
Join the community movement and partner in campus efforts towards accessible learning. Events like the Accessible Learning Conference and monthly Web Accessibility Policy Meetings are a great way to get involved: https://www.accessiblelearning.org/ and https://webaccess.msu.edu/schedule/index.html
Follow the accessibility “quick tips” as you create your own digital content to make them more accessible: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/checklist.html
Participate in digital accessibility training: https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/classes-workshops.html

Communicating Policy

The MSU Web Accessibility Policydefines the accessibility requirements for University Web pages and online content. The current Technical Guidelines require that pages meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Conformance Level AA. More information on the policy is available on webaccess: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/index.html
When purchasing Electronic Information Technology (EIT), MSU faculty, staff and students should understand the impact these purchases have on individuals with disabilities in and outside the university. For more information refer to the MSU Purchasing website: https://usd.msu.edu/purchasing/eit-purchase-process/index.html

Respond to issues as soon as you become aware of them
Content that is not fully accessible to individuals with disabilities can and should be reported to the Digital Experience (DigitalX) team through the inaccessible digital content report form.
 

Title: LEAD -Digital Access & Inclusion
The MSU Web Accessibility Policy, administered by the Office for Civil Rights at MSU (OCR), states that ​all new and redesigned University Web pages and web delivered content published after May 15, 2009 must be in compliance with the ​technical guidelines​ set ​forth on ​webaccess.msu.edu​, unless granted an exception under Article IV of this policy.
General Policy
Accessibility in the context of disability is using universal design to create programs, services, and activities which can be utilized by all individuals, regardless of disability. To access is to enter into, participate in, and engage with the Michigan State University experience.
 
Michigan State University is committed to providing accessible digital experiences for persons with disabilities.
 
Policy Link: [https://webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/web-accessibility-policy.html]
Audience:
Faculty, Academic Staff and Graduate TAs
MSU Office(s):

Policy Ownership: Office of the General Counsel
Policy Enforcement: Office for Civil Rights at MSU
Policy Support: MSU Information Technology | Digital Experience Team (digitalx@msu.edu)
Local Support: Web Accessibility Policy Liaisons (https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/liaisons.html)

Leadership

Model inclusive practices by including statements about and a commitment to access and inclusion in your course. Check out the model language provided by the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at MSU: https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/get-started/faculty-departmental-resources/model-statements-disability-inclusion
Ask publishers, or other digital content providers to learn more about the accessibility of digital content that you are interested in using in your course. For more information check out webaccess: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/web_third_party_questions.html
Model lifelong learning by being transparent and open about your own level of awareness around the MSU Web Accessibility Policy and your technical abilities to make content accessible. Be willing to request support and engage in trainings.
Join the community movement and partner in campus efforts towards accessible learning. Events like the Accessible Learning Conference and monthly Web Accessibility Policy Meetings are a great way to get involved: https://www.accessiblelearning.org/ and https://webaccess.msu.edu/schedule/index.html
Follow the accessibility “quick tips” as you create your own digital content to make them more accessible: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/checklist.html
Participate in digital accessibility training: https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/classes-workshops.html

Communicating Policy

The MSU Web Accessibility Policydefines the accessibility requirements for University Web pages and online content. The current Technical Guidelines require that pages meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Conformance Level AA. More information on the policy is available on webaccess: https://webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/index.html
When purchasing Electronic Information Technology (EIT), MSU faculty, staff and students should understand the impact these purchases have on individuals with disabilities in and outside the university. For more information refer to the MSU Purchasing website: https://usd.msu.edu/purchasing/eit-purchase-process/index.html

Respond to issues as soon as you become aware of them
Content that is not fully accessible to individuals with disabilities can and should be reported to the Digital Experience (DigitalX) team through the inaccessible digital content report form.
 

When I first started teaching high school, a student in my school was found dead, a suspected victim of suicide  We were given a letter to read to the students that detailed who had passed away and what had happened. The student who had died had not been one of my students, nor were any of my students’ particularly close with them, yet this incident affected me deeply. I was powerfully reminded that my students had just as many challenges as I did; likely, they had many more than I was even vaguely aware of. Throughout the rest of that school year, I continued to learn, at different points, about not only students’ academic but also non-academic struggles. Student challenges ranged from heartbreak and self-esteem issues to serious mental health issues and difficult home lives.
 
I don’t teach high school anymore, and thankfully I haven’t faced any more student deaths, but my students here at Michigan State still have challenges. They’re just different ones. Since I teach a math class commonly taken by freshmen and sophomores, I encounter students that are often in the middle of the difficult transition from high school to college and are dealing with the personal problems associated with this new phase in life. I have often felt a responsibility to do what I can to help my students with their challenges. My ability to help is limited (for example, I am not a counselor or social worker), but I have found there are some things I can do.  In this post, I’ll share some reasons I’ve found to care about student challenges and why colleges and universities nationwide are recognizing the importance of supporting teachers and academic staff in providing a safer, more welcoming environment for students. I will share some ways you can  recognize and respond to challenges that your students face, and will share some resources available to you to help students at Michigan State.
Why Do We Care?
With the ever-increasing educational demands on the American workforce, colleges and universities, including Michigan State, are taking more of an interest in students’ non-academic challenges. These challenges often affect students’ academic performance, and influence graduation and retention rates. Some may ask, though, why we should even care about our students’ challenges. Our students are adults and the final responsibility for their well-being rests with them. They have advisers and friends and roommates to help them. We have our own difficulties and demands in our life that can overwhelm us at times. Why do we need to care about our students’ personal issues?
 
We need to help because our students are people, just like us. One of my favorite parts of the Graduate Employees Union is their frequent use of the word “solidarity.” When there is solidarity in a group, the members of the group recognize a need to help each other, to stand up for each other as best they can. I have always believed in and sought for solidarity with the human race.
Every single one of my students is a person, a human, a fellow Spartan, and deserves the respect each of those titles entails. Yes, my students are not always responsible human beings, and sometimes they try to take advantage of me, and yes, they often frustrate me. But they are still human beings, still people, and when I recognize that, I feel a responsibility to do what I can to help them.
 
As teachers, we have especial opportunities to help our students. We are scheduled to see them at certain times each week. We have a responsibility to educate them and help them succeed in our classes. More often than not, a student’s personal challenges will make it more difficult for them to succeed academically. I see no reason why we cannot extend our academic responsibility for our students a little bit farther to caring for their personal success.
Providing a Safer, Welcoming Environment
My classroom environment is based on my belief in common humanity. All of my students are worth caring about because they are human, just like me. Because of that, I try to provide a safer environment for them. There may be no perfect way to make our students feel safe and supported in our classrooms, but there are some things I have done that have yielded success. I try get to class a little early to I can talk to my students as they come in. I learn as many names as I can, and try to call on students by name during class. If I see my students outside of class, I try to make sure they know I recognize them, either by saying, “Hi!” or just making eye contact and smiling. I talk to my students, I ask about them, and try to remember what they tell me. I try to make them feel recognized and known to me. I want my students to know that they are more than just the human aspect of my paycheck.
 
Doing these sociable things that make for a safer classroom environment are not always easy. We as graduate students sometimes end up in charge of large lectures where learning the names of all our students may not be as feasible. Sometimes talking and interacting with students is not something that comes easily to us. Our students themselves may at times be rude, shy, or closed to us. But that should not dissuade us from recognizing our students as human beings and then pushing ourselves further to reach out to them.
Recognizing and Responding to Student Challenges
One way or another, we know some things about our students. We may not know everything about them, but we get to know what “normal” looks like for them. Because of that, deviations from this “normal” can be an indicator of student issues. For example, I once had a student who was normally one of my most frequent participators spend most of class staring at her desk. After class, I talked to her and she shared with me that she was having troubles with a roommate. While teaching high school, I had a student who had started out as one of my highest achieving students, but started skipping class because he had developed severe difficulties with depression. I unfortunately did not realize this until another high school teacher made me aware of the situation. Other times I have had students who have disappeared from class after having almost perfect attendance for the semester, or have seen grades inexplicably drop. These are all warning signs that something is going on, and that we should do something to help these students.
 
As teachers, our options for helping students are limited. It is good for us to be aware of student challenges , but getting too involved in student problems is often a less than ideal solution, since we may not have the professional training to fully support them. If I notice a student is acting differently  or if their attendance or grades have changed abruptly, I’ll simply talk to them briefly before or after class to check in and see how they are doing. If I’m unable to catch them in class, a simple email expressing concern works well. I’ve found that, in addressing students’ personal problems, sometimes my students need a listening ear more than anything. They just need someone to recognize that they’re struggling and let them know that it is okay to struggle.
Resources Available for Struggling Students
As teachers, the help we can personally offer students doesn’t extend much past providing a listening ear and perhaps making accommodations in class during difficult times.If students need extra help, there are many on and off campus resources available. Students may need professional help with emotional problems, or perhaps need help external help resolving a conflict. Some international students may be struggling with the transition to living in a different nation and culture. In more serious cases, students may need help dealing with discrimination, relationship violence, or sexual assault. Michigan State has many on-campus resources available to help these students (see links listed under “Additional Resources”). And many of our students live on campus, and thus have access to the Neighborhood Engagement Centers. In addition to providing academic services, these Engagement Centers provide health and wellness services, intercultural engagement, and residential support for students. More information about these services can be found at http://www.neighborhoods.msu.edu/.  Also, you can share specific concerns about students with staff in the Neighborhoods by sending an email to nhds@msu.edu.  
More than anything, make sure your students know there is help available to them and that there is nothing wrong with seeking help. As a mathematics teacher, I am overjoyed when my students ask me questions. I don’t always know the answers, and sometimes I push the students to find the answers themselves, but I am always happy that they asked. As TAs and instructors, we can help students feel comfortable asking for help, both academically and personally. And that is a skill more valuable than perhaps any of us realize.
Additional Resources at Michigan State University:

Counseling Center
Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution
LGBT Resource Center
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
Office for International Students and Scholars
Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
Office of the Ombudsperson
Campus Police
Office of Institutional Equity

 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Gundlach, M. Students are People, Too: Supporting Students Academically and Personally. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

Recall your first day of teaching as a graduate student. If this was your first time in the classroom—as it is for many of us—you may have been anxious about the entire ordeal. Personally, all I remember is the nausea and tossing and turning in bed the night before. Indeed, teaching for the first time is a nontrivial endeavor.
 
A potential concern is that we aren’t yet experts, and worse yet, our students might sniff that out. And some of us may be hardly older than our students. Establishing authority while balancing research and schoolwork can make teaching challenging. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this post I’ll explore navigating the tensions inherent in establishing authority in the classroom along with the epistemological ramifications of doing so.
Teaching Beyond Our Experiences
Before we enter the classroom for the first time as teachers, we’ve spent no less than 16 years in desks. This might make us feel expert on what teaching commonly looks like. It’s no surprise, then, that our first inclination in teaching at the college level is to mimic this. Given that a large number of our experiences were likely traditional lecture followed by assessment, many of us may tend to do the same thing – a result of our previous “apprenticeship of observation” (Lortie, 1975). But we can’t just stand in front of a whiteboard – many of us may feel a need to project authority too. As young scholars attempting to demonstrate our command of disciplinary knowledge, it simply makes sense. This might manifest as dressing up more formally. Or refraining from asking students how they are doing, distancing ourselves as being potential friends with students.
 
But this is a dangerous trap to fall into. Such a style of teaching—wherein we position ourselves as a power above students—relays that knowledge is in our hands, that students are mere receptacles of what we have to say, and that learning is a one-way street.
 
But we know this is not the case. Instructors do not have all the knowledge. Students are not empty piggy-banks waiting for coins of knowledge (Freire, 1970). And you are learning alongside students. In his Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire (1970) argued that the “banking model” approaches to the classroom provide a disservice to students and limit the potentials of what we can do together.
Shifting and Sharing Power with Students: Five Starting Points
Now, given the low likelihood you subscribe to such views (if you do, check this out), this suggests that traditional ways of teaching in college are not suitable for your classroom. Does this mean you have to give up authority? That your students will disrespect you? Certainly not. The scary part is—and I know this firsthand—relinquishing part of your control to your students. This doesn’t mean that your students have to “discover” all of the disciplinary knowledge on their own; rather, they will become empowered to learn information without an instructor’s presence. This plays out in an especially unique fashion in classrooms taught by graduate student instructors, where students–at once–may both look to you for knowledge while also potentially questioning your authority. But this doesn’t have to be a tricky transition. Consider the starting points below for creating a classroom culture where students are agents of knowledge “creation” and are empowered to go further in whatever discipline they choose. This list comes from my experiences in classrooms at the middle-school and college level. I encourage you to share yours in the comments section!

Establish “ground rules” for discussions and collaboration by asking students what they think respectful interactions look like. Fill in the gaps if they don’t cover all your bases. Does this mean you’ll act as Professor Umbridge, the infamous instructor from the world of Harry Potter? No, or at least I hope not. Rather, you’ll set the stage for what the community’s in-class participation should look like. It’s much better than the alternative of verbal chaos.
Even in STEM disciplines, let students work in groups on open-ended questions. Yes, this means that you don’t know where the class will end up. This is ok.
Makes mistakes (not too many, of course). If you feign as though you’re perfect, you give students an image that they themselves can never achieve. Neither the world nor your classroom will fall apart upon a mistake.
Connect with your students. This doesn’t mean on Facebook (that’s the subject of another discussion), but before and after class. Remember their names and interests – they’ll respect you for it, yielding you authority when you need it.
Related to the last point, don’t be afraid to tell students about your background. You do have “credentials,” and you probably have a research passion. Sharing this could inspire them in ways related to your discipline that you hadn’t anticipated.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.
 
Lortie, D. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Tunstall, L. Authority for Graduate Teaching Assistants: Tension and Promise. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

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

In continuing our conversation about inclusive classrooms, let’s consider linguistic inclusion. You might think linguistic diversity equates to different languages people speak. However, I urge you move toward a more nuanced understanding, one where our linguistic background involves both our variable linguistic repertoire (the resources of a language we use or have access to) and our sociolinguistic competence (our ability to interpret social uses of language and use language in socially meaningful ways). A linguistically inclusive classroom, then, would include nuanced understandings of linguistic diversity. To help you intentionally move toward linguistic inclusion, I provide seven tips below.
Seven Tips Toward Linguistic Inclusion
(1) Learn a little about language. 
Language is a resource we utilize for a variety of purposes (e.g. prestige, power, recognition, etc.). For instance, you might use language perceived as “more proper” to be identified as educated or professional, or use more colloquial language to fit in with peers. Thus, before you engage with language in the classroom, make sure you can differentiate the facts from the myths (to start, see Richard Nordquist’s post about Language Myths).
(2) Get to know your linguistic background. 
Have you thought about how you use language? If not, you might be surprised by how your own language varies (from how much -ing vs. -in you use to your speech in formal or informal situations). Taking some time to get to know yourself as a language producer and perceiver will help you come to terms with your linguistic identity.
(3) Get to know students’ linguistic backgrounds. 
No matter where you teach, you will surely come across language variation. Recognizing this will help you understand students and how they use language. Students come from different linguistic backgrounds and bring different language experiences (with different associated norms). I get to know students by having them talk about where they are from on the first day of class, but mostly this work requires listening for clues enabling you to differentiate between, for instance, dialectal features (e.g. “ain’t”) and mispronunciations.
(4) Become aware of linguistic assumptions. 
Though it is not always easy to talk about, we all have linguistic biases. These might surface as pet peeves (see Weird Al’s parody “Word Crimes” for some examples), stereotypes (e.g. that “southern”-sounding speakers are “lazy”), or assumptions (e.g. thinking there is an objectively “right” or “correct” way of talking). Acknowledging and addressing these biases will help you see language more objectively and address language in the classroom more dynamically.
(5) Know how linguistic assumptions affect the learning environment.
Regardless of whether you teach a course that discusses language or not, you are in a position to set rules and expectations about language. As such, it is important to consider what you tell students about language. Language assumptions can lead to linguistic profiling. They can make students linguistically insecure, or feel they are somehow linguistically inferior. Make sure you’re creating classrooms flexibly, accommodating multiple and diverse language uses.
(6) Be willing to accommodate. 
As a result of individual linguistic backgrounds, students’ language behaviors might not map to your expectations. Some students might not have experience writing essays, but might be profound bloggers, tweeters, or novelists. Some might speak different languages or come from backgrounds where there are different cultural norms surrounding language use (e.g. the use of silence, turn-taking, interruptions, etc.). Before jumping to conclusions, ask yourself if a student comes from a culture where language use is governed by different rules. Be flexible, willing to accommodate, and work together toward where you all hope to go. Start by defining culture- or dialect-specific terms in course content and assessments; vary assessment types to accommodate different communication  preferences; and grade based on content, not grammar (unless grammar is the focus of your class). Grammar-based grading privileges native-English speakers and students from certain educational backgrounds.
(7) Recognize linguistic diversity as a resource. 
Some assume classrooms should run under cultural norms expected by a given region, country, or community. However, as sociolinguist Carmen Fought (2006) points out, “…interactional patterns from different ethnic groups might enhance learning and ultimately provide all participants with a wide range of skills.” Seek to understand ways the inclusion of several different interactional norms and behaviors might benefit learning environments. Some communities, for instance, encourage a “collective orientation […] group harmony, and the avoidance of conflict” in classrooms. Though inclusion of this orientation can be viewed as problematic, it could also be used to teach concern for others, humility, and an ability to work cooperatively (pp. 193-4).
 
If we aim to make students feel seen and heard, we must question what we really listen to when students communicate. We have an opportunity to co-construct an inclusive curriculum, classroom, and community built out of diverse linguistic resources.
 
We’d like to know: How do you engage with linguistic diversity? How do you discuss academic language standards? Have you ever thought about your language-based biases and pet peeves or their relation to learning environments?
 
Additional Resources:
Baugh, J. (2000). Beyond ebonics: Linguistic pride and racial prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 
Fought, C. (2006). Language and ethnicity: Key topics in sociolinguistics. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
 
Inman, M. (n.d.). How and why to use whom in a sentence. The Oatmeal. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/who_vs_whom.
 
Lippi-Green, R. (2004). Language ideology and language prejudice. In E. Finegan & J. R. Rickford (Eds.), Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first century (pp. 289-304). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
 
Mallinson, C. and Charity Hudley, A. H. (2014). Partnering through science: Developing linguistic insight to address educational inequality for culturally and linguistically diverse students in U.S. STEM education. Language and Linguistics Compass, 8(1), 11-23.
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Shellgren, M. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Toward Linguistic Inclusion. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

In our Spring 2015 blog post, we discussed anti-oppressive classrooms (learning environments where all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged) and the importance of considering instructor identity (specifically that how you employ your identity can empower and/or oppress students). We use the word anti-oppression because it specifically targets unjust treatment in learning environments. We may often think of an example of oppression in the classroom as a blatant act, such as a student using overtly racist language. However, when you think of oppression in the classroom we want you to include subtle forms of oppression in your definition – such as students interrupting one another. We introduced a 4-step process of self-reflection on your identity, which we put forth as necessary to create and maintain anti-oppressive learning environments. For this blog, we want to continue the journey on inclusive, anti-oppressive learning environments, but with a focus on student identities.
Continuing to Teach Inclusively
Let’s begin with a brief thought experiment. Take a second to view the two photos above. Starting with the photo on the left, ask yourself how you view the students in this class? Do you view them as a homogenous group? A diverse group? As a note, we are intentionally not defining these two terms here to enable you to work through this thought experiment using your own conceptualizations of homogenous and diverse. Next,  think about how you would teach this class. Would your approach (curriculum, chosen pedagogy, assessment methods, other)  to teaching the class on the left differ from your approach to teaching the class pictured on the right?
 
In this blog, we will think about the reciprocal nature of student identities and classroom learning environments. ? In doing so, we will promote the idea that we must be mindful of all student identities (both that which is visible and that which is not) in order to create and maintain learning environments that are anti-oppressive. For instance, if you view students as homogenous, you may repeatedly use certain teaching methods or make certain assumptions which reinforce systems of power in your classroom (thus creating an oppressive learning environment). But in seeing students as a diverse group, teachers can begin to diversify their assumptions about learning and develop a repertoire of anti-oppressive teaching methods that can optimize the learning of all students.
Why Student Identity is Important: A Conversation with the Data
Does identity in the classroom matter to students? In our conversation with a second year undergraduate female in the sciences at MSU, the answer was overwhelmingly, “yes.”  She was able to provide us with a useful perspective, as identity is very rarely an object of study or discussion in the typical science class. As someone who conceptualizes identity as,“Who you see yourself as[…], how you feel about yourself, and where you think you fit in the world,” she told us that identity was rarely overtly talked about in her classes. When asked whether she thought identity mattered in the typical science classroom at MSU, she said, “…no. You’re much more of a number or a student ID to them than you are a person.” However, when asked whether she wished identity was overtly addressed, she replied, “Yes, definitely…I wish that you were able to build relationships and express who you were[…] I feel like when you’re just being talked at, the professor doesn’t understand who you are as a person and they don’t understand where you’re coming from, like what you’re good at, what you’re not good at.” She also reported that she thought identity “most definitely” matters for a life as a scientist and future scholar. As the conversation came to a close, she added that when identity is directly addressed in the classroom, you get to know fellow classmates and the instructor better, and that with increased awareness and understanding of the identities present in the classroom, different viewpoints and experiences were respected, leading to decreased prejudice.
 
It became clear as we spoke to the student that intentionally addressing identity in the classroom isn’t just an epistemological position that we hold as instructors – students also really want identity to be explicitly addressed and recognized and not be something that is rendered invisible in the classroom.
 
We learned that purposefully and directly addressing identity in the classroom can:

     increase student engagement and improve student performance
     build community
     accommodate student learning preferences
     actively engage all social identity statuses (such as gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.)
     and help members of the learning environment overcome prejudice

We found the insight of the student’s perspective on identity to be a pleasant surprise, but we were also astonished by the depth of her insight into how intentionally addressing identity can impact a learning environment, particularly given that she is not asked to think about identity in the classes she describes as typical of her major.
 
This student’s viewpoint, though one in a student body of over 50,000, also echoes the literature on student identity in the classroom. It has been reported, for instance, that students who had a firm understanding of their identities had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression (A. Elion, K. Wang, R. Slaney, and B. French, 2012); stronger academic performances, such as higher GPA’s (T. Chavous, D. Hilkene Bernat, K.Schmeelk-Cone, C. Caldwell, L. Kohn-Wood and M. Zimmerman, 2003); and a reduction in negative social attitudes, such as sexism (K. Case, 2007). While these studies showed the benefits of actively engaging student identity in the classroom, they focused on one aspect of identity, such as race. If we commit to developing an anti-oppressive classroom and address all student identities, then imagine how great the potential outcomes could be.
 
Let’s return to our thought experiment and to the words homogenousand diverse. When we look at the picture on the left, we may think that group of students is homogenous because we view that group as having one identity, such as race (i.e. “All my students are white, therefore they constitute a homogenous group”). Comparatively, if we look at the picture on the right, we may view that group as diverse because we see that group as having different types of one identity, such as race (i.e. “Not all of my students are white, therefore they constitute a diverse group”). However, if we move beyond thinking of identity as representing one aspect of self, but rather all, we will come to realize that all groups of students in every learning environment are necessarily diverse due to the fact that they are made up of infinitely complex individuals, each of whom will differ on at least one individual difference/aspect. Thus, in order to develop anti-oppressive learning environments, we must define concepts like homogeneityand diversity as related to all identities and not one.
Reflecting on Student Identity
Now that we’ve thought about why students’ identities are important in the classroom, we can begin the process of reflecting on students’ identities. To help you start the journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your students’ identities. After each question, take time to think about what strategies you could use in your classroom, lab, etc. We offer a couple of potential strategies that could be utilized in developing an anti-oppressive learning environment.
Four Questions to Begin the Journey
(1) Are you aware of all student identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of the student identity statuses so that you can begin to understand their meaning and how they intersect.
Suggestions:

Administer a survey before the start of the term (where you could, for instance, allow students the opportunity to share about their cultural background, make you aware of preferred nicknames or pronouns, etc.)
Have students record how they pronounce their names for a pre-semester D2L assignment

(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what student identities mean to students? 
Answering this question allows you to understand who students are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with student identity statuses.
Suggestions:

Establish discussion guidelines with communication norms and expectations
Facilitate discussions and assignments    that allow students to relate course material to their experiences.

(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with student identities? 
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting student identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that students can embody their identities in a true and authentic way.
Suggestions:

Recognize unfair treatment when it surfaces
Have open and honest dialogue with the students regarding privilege and oppression

(4) Do you actively engage student identities within your teaching?
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted all student identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
Suggestions:

Provide a variety of course material, references, and examples that reflects all of the student identities.
Use Identity-specific or targeted activities, like the Class Race.

For more strategies, see our workshop slides on the Inside Teaching website (coming soon!).
 
We are all works in progress
Teaching to who and where your students are is an essential part to anti-oppressive learning environments. Committing to this endeavor, however, takes constant reflection and revision. We hope this blog will help you begin the process.
 
Additional Resources
Barber, S. A., Ricker-Wilson, C. Kumashiro, K. K., Wong, P. L., and Richardson, E. (2004). Preparing teachers for anti-oppressive education: International movements. Teacher Education 15(3), 257-275.
 
Case, K. (2007). Raising Male Privilege Awareness and Reducing Sexism: An Evaluation of Diversity Courses. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 31:426
 
Chavous,T. Hilkene Bernat, D., Schmeelk-Cone, K., Caldwell, C., Kohn-Wood, L., and Zimmerman, M. (2003) Racial Identity and Academic Attainment among African American Adolescents. Child Development. Vol. 74, No. 4 (Jul. – Aug., 2003), pp. 1076-1090
 
Elion, A., Wang,K., Slaney, R., and French, H. (2012). “Perfectionism in African American Students: Relationship to Racial Identity, GPA, Self-Esteem, and Depression.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology18(2):118-127.
 
Kumashiro, K. K. (2000). Toward a theory of anti-oppressive education. Review of Educational Research, 70(1), 25-53. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/214114515?accountid=12598
 
Okun, B. F., Fried, J., and Okun, M. L. (1999). Understanding diversity: a learning-as-practice primer. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
 
Spradlin, L. K., & Parsons, R. D. (2008). Diversity matters: Understanding diversity in schools. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
 
Teaching Inclusively. (2005). Mathew L. Ouellett (Ed.). New Forums Press: Stillwater, OK.
 
We’d like to know: Where are you on this identity journey? What have you done to engage student identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or engage with the discussion on Twitter by tweeting @InsideTeaching with the hashtag #iteachmsu.
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Mo, S. & Shellgren, M.. Teaching to Who and Where Students Are: Being Mindful of Student Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

Returning to Teaching Inclusively
Last week, Dr. Melissa McDaniels introduced inclusivity in the classroom, focusing on course curriculum design. This week we encourage you to extend this focus and think about how your identity influences the classroom environment.
 
This week, we want you to consider an alternative perspective about how you can make classrooms places where all students feel seen and heard. This perspective – that of “anti-oppression” – rather than inclusivity or diversity – will help you understand the role instructors play in creating classroom environments in which some students are oppressed and others are privileged. We recommend this lens because it focuses on the systems in which oppression operates rather than on differences themselves. Individuals differences can too often be used by educators (consciously or unconsciously) to privilege or oppress those they are teaching. Anti-oppression in the classroom begins with you. A later blog post addresses how student (rather than instructor) identities influence the classroom environment.
What is an Anti-Oppressive Classroom?
Anti-oppressive classrooms are those in which all forms of oppression are actively and intentionally challenged. Anti-oppressive classrooms attempt to directly address issues of power toward the fullest recognition of all individuals. As instructors, we have considerable power/influence over the classroom environment. How we assume that role and use that power will determine the boundaries and expectations for a non-oppressive classroom. As the instructor, you set the parameters. Your students will either be empowered or oppressed as a result of how you employ your identity in the classroom. This is why it’s important to begin the process towards an anti-oppressive classroom by reflecting on elements of your own identity.
Reflecting on Your Identity
Authentic self-reflection may not be easy, but is required if you commit to a non-oppressive classroom. This is a process…it involves steps. We can only start from who and where we are. To help you start your journey, we provide four questions to engage you in intentional thought towards becoming mindful of your identity.
Four Questions to Begin your Journey
(1) Are you aware of your identity statuses: sex, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, religion, socioeconomic status, national status, language, etc.?
Answering this question is the first step toward a non-oppressive classroom in that you become aware of your identity statuses so that you can understand their meaning and how they intersect. (For instance, you’re not only Latino or White …you’re a [Latino or White], heterosexual, cisgender (insert other identity statuses here) male.)
(2) Have you acknowledged/do you understand what those identities mean to you? 
For instance, do you know what it means to be white racially if you identify as racially white? Answering this question allows you to understand who you are, so that you can begin to address the privileges (or lack thereof) associated with your identity statuses.
(3) Have you accepted the privileges (or lack thereof) that comes with your identity? 
Have you internalized why this matters? Answering this question allows you to deal with reactions you may have while accepting your identity statuses (such as defensiveness, guilt, powerlessness, responsibility, ownership), so that you can embody your identity in a true and authentic way.
(4) Do you actively engage your identity within your teaching? 
How do you situate or position yourself in the classroom? Now that you have become aware of, acknowledged and accepted your identity statuses, you must critically consider what actions you can take to address your privilege (or lack thereof) in the classroom.
We Are All Works in Progress
These issues are complex. Remember, you can only start from who and where you are. To create a non-oppressive classroom environment, it’s imperative that instructors commit to becoming conscious of their own identity and the impact identity has on teaching and learning.
 
Additional Resources
Case, K.A. (Ed.). (2013). Deconstructing privilege: Teaching and learning as allies in the classroom. New York, N.Y.: Routledge.
 
Johnson, A. G. (2006). Privilege, power, and difference. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill.
 
We’d like to know: Who and where are you on your identity journey? What have you done to engage your identities in the classroom? Share your experiences (both successes and challenges) with us in the comments section below or via social media using the hashtag “#iteachmsu.”
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Shellgren, M. & Mo, S. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Being Mindful of Your Identity. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu