Principle 2. Pedagogical Strategies that Support Learning: Summary and Rationale
Use appropriate teaching strategies to build and foster an inclusive learning climate that allows for transformative learning for each student. Such a climate is the result of a collaborative effort between instructor and student.
The learning environment is essential to creating an inclusive course that values the individuality of each student and allows for transformative learning; it is the “intellectual, social, emotional, and physical environments in which our students learn” (Ambrose). Student participation strongly depends on feeling included and respected and understood as having varied lived experiences. When instructors are aware of the linkages connecting identities of students in the course – or in a research lab or other learning environment– they are better able to engage all students. Inversely, negative practices, often unconsciously engaged in such as exclusion, stereotyping, and micro exclusions can prevent students from engaging in the course.
Notably, learning environments are not only in courses, but also environments such as field- work, studio practice, research labs, and instructor-advisee relationships. In these sites, the opportunities for inclusivity may be less obvious but no less important: encouraging and engaging all students to participate and take advantage and succeed in these out-of-course experiences requires attention to individual students’ circumstances and learning styles. One special teaching environment of note is the participation of students in research activities as part of the research program of a faculty member. Such activities provide unique opportunities for mentoring and teaching, not only with regard to the specific field of study and its techniques, but also related to career counseling and professional development. It is critical that these learning environments are intentionally inclusive and value the contributions of each student including their intersectional identities.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 3:36 pm
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