Inclusive Classrooms

From Ideology to Action: Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms

Amelie Sherry
University of San Francisco

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice

Richard Herrmann
February 10, 2015

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I am committed to becoming an educator who welcomes, challenges, and inspires students to

develop cognitive skills to think critically as well as empathic skills to act for the good of the broader
global community. I am dedicated to providing engaging, challenging, and culturally relevant curriculum
to cultivate these skills. Philosophies are paramount starting points toward becoming an effective teacher.
Nonetheless, ideologies need to precipitate down into real-life actions, when bell schedules motivate all
different types of people with backpacks and bags to scurry through passageways, halls and parking lots
to take their seat. This piece of writing is first a reflection of what diversity, equity, and social justice
mean to me. Second, I discuss some methods I learned in how to convert my teaching philosophy into
action that leads toward social justice by focusing on how to create a safe, inclusive classroom
environment.
Before entering the MAT program at USF, I always assumed diversity exclusively meant different
races and ethnicities. What I came to discover is that diversity incorporates the range of all differences
that make up a persons identity: race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic
status, learning styles, behaviors, interests, skills, experiences, etc. As years progress, diversity (or
varieties) increase. Ethnic intermarriage leads to entirely new cultures created, resulting in unique benefits
as well as challenges for people to embrace their roles in society. Innovative technology and changes lead
to different modes of interacting with the world; however, they create unintended consequences as well.
Learning styles, focus, interests, skill sets, behaviors and cognitive development are all examples of how
new technology can affect people, which leads to increased diversity.
As humans continue to evolve over time, diverse ways to identify oneself will evolve as well and
teachers must adjust accordingly to preserve a safe, inclusive learning environment. A. Roberti, history
teacher at the SRJC (personal communication, February 2, 2016), explains how one example of a new
trend in classrooms throughout Sonoma County is the increased number of transgender students.
Classrooms in the early 20th century did not have this demographic to address since transgender people
along with sexual orientation preferenceswere less common or less expressed publicly. In a future
century, there will be more diverse situations that will generate. Educators need to be trained in how to
navigate through this ongoing conversation about diversity and how to adapt teaching pedagogies in order
to meet the needs of students.

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Differences add richness to any given social interaction if cultivated in a positive, beneficial way.
Every difference is another link in understanding the complete story of humanity, experience, and truth.
As Todd Ziegler Cymrot (2002) expresses in his chapter in Learning to Teach for Social Justice,
classrooms are the meeting ground of cultures and good teaching facilitates an exchange of
culture (p. 14, 17).
I believe equity means fair, equal treatment of all people, regardless of who they are, and learning
how to meet their specific needs to provide them with the resources they need to learn, think, and grow as
a person. There should be equal measure for every person in every class, says A. Roberti (personal
communication, February 2, 2016). Another teacher I spoke with described equity as looking more
toward the left side of the classroom because [she had] a bad habit of only looking at the right side (M.
Weir, personal communication, February 1, 2016). Thereby, equity pedagogy incorporates practices and
methods employed by the teacher to ensure there is no preference or favoritism toward certain people in
the class, and learning how to ensure everyone can attain the objective of the curriculum. The instructors
who are committed to equity within their personal lives are most successful at promoting equity within
the classroom.
Social justice is where good teaching, safe classroom environment, and engaging curriculum
moves toward: a world where all people flourish freely in who they. Through their full expression, they
are best able to work to bring peace, good, and wholeness to their relationships and world. This means
more advocates who speak out and help others who cannot help themselves. This means social
engagement and using ones power for good. This means treating all people as individuals instead of
groups and stereotypes. In essence, social justice emulates humanity. We are most human when we are
most engaged with the world and people around us for the betterment of others.
After establishing a foundation for these topics and my calling as a teacher, my next step in this
reflection is to look at how these lofty, grand ideas descend down into the chairs, tables, walls, books and
actions to form a safe, inclusive classroom community.
According to research behind Moslows hierarchy, the primary goal of all people is to reach a
place of self-actualization, which is the ability to find fulfillment in an experience, have empathy, and
accept others. These are people who are more perceptive, more accepting of the self and others, more

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spontaneous, more autonomous, more appreciative, and more creative, and have a richer emotional life
and more frequent peak experiences (C.M. Aanstoos, 2014). However, this can only occur after the other
basic needs are met in this order: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem. The first factor within the
domain of a teachers control is safety, which is a precursor for inclusion.
A safe classroom is a place where all students feel free to express who they are with all their
different identity-defining associations culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, behavior, learning
styles, etc. They are free to have a voice and opinions without fear of retaliation or punishment for what
they say. Classrooms should be a place where all diverse associations are not merely tolerated, but
accepted and embraced.
Students are not only less motivated to learn in an unsafe classroom, but they are physically
distracted and unable to learn. In their book The Triple Focus, D. Goleman and P. Sange (2014) confirm
how learning in general happens best in a warm, supportive atmosphere, in which there exists a feeling
of safety, of being supported and cared about, of closeness and connectionthe brains centers for
learning operates at [its] peak when we are focused and calm (para. 219,110), which can only occur
within a safe environment. They continue, the brain uses the same circuitry that helps us focus on a goal
to also manage destructive emotionsthe more upset we are, the more self-focused we are (para. 132,
233). If students are distracted by trying to defend their self-image or preserve their self-confidence, they
are paralyzed from focusing on others or the task at hand.
Correctional feedback is another important tool that needs to be used at times to ensure all
students feel safe. I asked A. Roberti who has taught over 15 years in places such as Texas, Egypt,
Portugal, England and California several questions about managing a classroom toward being more
safe and inclusive of diversity. She emphasized how crucial it is to continually scan the room to read body
language, overhear comments, and observe facial cues to ensure all individuals seem comfortable and
engaged, especially during sensitive topics. Juggling exchanges of opinions in discussions is tricky, she
mused. I had one women use a highly offensive statement several times in one class with no regard for
others. In that moment, I told her that if she continues in that manner, she will be asked to
leave (personal communication, February 2, 2016). This example demonstrates how one persons
freedom to speak can lead to another individuals oppression. The teacher must continually learn how to

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navigate through the classroom dynamic to ensure kindness, respect of others differences, and inclusion
are chief among expressions of thoughts.
A sense of safety and inclusion generate first from the teachers acceptance of each student, who
embraces them holistically. Next, classmates need to learn how to empathize, respect and accept one
another because it is not enough for only teachers to be accepting of individual students. Allison Rowland
(2002) describes how community draws students into learning (p. 186). Students resist learning when
their identities and backgrounds are not respected. Ergo, there are strategic, effective practices that can be
incorporated into a lesson plan to help bridge peer to peer inclusion. With the teachers guidance,
classmates can learn how to gain empathy and respect one another.
Goleman (2014) explains three main kinds of empathy:
The first is cognitive empathy: understanding how other people see the world and how
they think about itthe second is emotional empathy: a brain-to-brain linkage that gives

us an

instant inner sense of how the other person feelsthe third is called, technically,

empathetic

concernwhich naturally leads to empathic actionlike the Good

Samaritan, the

person who tunes in and who stops to help. (para. 219)

One method of developing an inclusive, empathetic community within a class is through checkins. For five to ten minutes at the beginning of class, the teacher opens up the floor for a couple students
to express anything they would like to share. According to Rowlands experience, topics such as
stereotypes, religion, difficulties at home, friendships, pain, dreams, and interests were shared. Every
moment became a teachable moment (2002, p. 187). Perhaps not all students will become caring and
empathetic through check ins, but it provides a space for perspective-taking and respect of others to begin.
High schoolers are always hungry, so make them eat [different, ethnic] food! M. Weir high
school history teacher of over 30 years excitedly answers to my question on how to foster a diversefriendly, accepting environment in the class. Food is another way students have an opportunity to learn
how to develop empathy and care for one-another through taste instead of words. Weir continues to tell
me a story about how some of her Latino students never ate Chinese food before. One day, a Chinese
student brought chow mein for everyone to taste as part of the projects requirement. The Latin boy took
a bite and exclaimed, this is amazing! Can I have more? All of the sudden, Weir explains, the Latin

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students were more understanding and better listeners when the Asian students spoke. It is a way to
understand a culture inside out, from belly to heart. If their food tastes this good, surely their culture
must have something good about it, Weir speaks as if she were a teenager savoring Chinese food for the
first time. When you eat food of another culture, you start to understand and appreciate them.
Appreciation leads to acceptance, and acceptance leads to empathy, which is a step toward creating a
safe classroom community where learning can take place (personal communication, February 1, 2016).
Bringing food from different cultures and allowing for check-ins at the beginning of class, allow for the
cultivation of both cognitive and emotional empathy among students.
Part of creating an inclusive classroom culture, is incorporating teaching methods and curriculum
that connect to the diversity represented by the students. Understanding who students are, how they think,
and their difference allow teachers to bridge the divide between what students already know and care
about, and what they need to learn (Darling-Hammond, 2002, p. 89). If teachers do not take the time to
understand their students, classes become a boring waste of time, unsuitable for adolescent cognitive
development. Curriculum that is inclusive and connects to students prior knowledge and experience
allows people to experience self-discovery and see themselves as important vessels in making an impact
in the world (Darling-Hammond, 2002, p. 5).
A. Roberti tells me a story of Chicano students who thanked her for teaching them about their
heritage. They had never known anything about the people, history or culture of their ethnicity. After
asking her how she develops a diverse-friendly curriculum that promotes awareness and inclusion in the
classroom, she informs me that she takes whatever textbook is mandated, reads through it, and draws out
the social history, especially regarding minorities represented in her class. She undergoes further outside
research, utilizing her notes from grad school, documentaries, books, etc and takes several months of
analysis to ensure all diverse vantage points are represented. Whites are not the majority anymore. Look
at the classroom. We need to start teaching people from different ethnicities where they come from.
People of color, students who identify with reverse genders and sexual orientations will have better ability
to connect with stories and experiences of the people they are learning about (personal communication,
February 2, 2016). This also helps other students not of that particular group to gain awareness of others,
especially minorities.

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My inquiries into how to enhance inclusiveness in a classroom through social interactions as well
as curriculum, lead me to explore cognitive research of the brain. I am sitting behind seven Chinese
foreign exchange students, watching the lecture of a high school ESL teacher who I assist in the
classroom. My mind keeps drifting. I resist the fierce urge to yawn. I glance around to see the students in
a similar plight. The problem with this particular teachers lecturing is not only the lack of awareness of
what motivates and inspires these Chinese students to connect with the objective, but the traditional mode
of engaging with only a small aspect of the brain.
Though the brain acts as the control center for the body, it consists of many different key players
who are each responsible for different roles to do and signals to send out to the rest of the body.
According to the research of Traci Lewis (2015), the occipital lobe controls vision, the parietal lobe
controls spacial perception, the frontal lobe is responsible for planning, emotional control, and problem
solving. Higher thinking happens in the frontal lobe, and that is the last part of the brain to develop in
adolescents. Gray matter is responsible for the computing power of the brain, memory and and
communication between other parts of the brain (Human Brain: Facts, Anatomy & Mapping Project, para.
5).
Ineffective teachers, similar to ineffective speakers, talk only to one aspect of the brain (that being
the computing, logic-oriented aspect) instead of engaging the full control center. There are less signals
sent out to the body and less synapses generated. Lectures that do not engage all aspects of the brain will
have little to no affect on adolescent minds. Cognitive psychologists tell us that students are more likely
to remember concepts and theories if they can connect them to their personal experiences (Narez, 2002,
p. 139). Personal experiences are connected to the memory and communication part of the brain which
create strong signals to send to the rest of the body.The ESL teacher does not connect to the Chinese
students interests, experiences, learning styles or even language. Thereby, students are less likely to feel
comfortable, understood, and a sense of belonging within a classroom when modes of teaching and
purpose of the content is entirely non-relatable to who they are.
A safe, inclusive classroom community is the locus of where learning and growth can flourish.
From check-ins, to various ethnic cuisine brought to school, from curriculum encompassing different
types of groups, to lecturing styles that honor the cognitive complexity within the development of

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adolescents, these are some examples of methods to help students become more accepting of others.
When they learn how to collaborate with people different than them in order to achieve common goals
and solve problems, this translates into action that has potential to ameliorate problems across the world. I
believe when diversity, equity and a genuine care for people are authentic passions of an educator,
classrooms become powerful breeding grounds for good, effective, collaborative work toward social
justice to take place.

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References
Aanstoos, C. M. (2014). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Salem Press Encyclopedia Of Health. DarlingHammond, L., French, J., & Garcia-Lopez, S. P. (Eds.). (2002). Learning to Teach for Social
Justice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Goleman, D., & Senge, P. (2014). The Triple Focus: A New Approach to Education (1st ed), [Kindle DX
version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Gray and white matter. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/behavior/
biological-basis-of-behavior-ner/v/gray-and-white-matter
Lewis, T. (n.d.). Human Brain: Facts, Anatomy & Mapping Project. Retrieved February 8, 2016, from
http://www.livescience.com/29365-human-brain.html
Roberti, A. (2016, February 2). Equity and Social Justice with Classrooms.
Weir, M. (2016, February 1). Diversity and the Classroom.

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