Fostering Inclusive Classrooms: Strategies for Equity in Teaching
It’s 8:30 a.m. in Dr. Priya Ramanathan’s Introduction to Engineering Design course. The classroom buzzes with quiet energy as students gather around modular workstations, each equipped with adaptive tools, multilingual instructions, and collaborative whiteboards. The room is designed for flexibility so students can stand, sit, or use assistive technology as needed.
Dr. Ramanathan begins the session with a brief check-in: “What’s one thing you’re curious about today?” Students respond in various ways. Some speak aloud; others type into a shared digital board anonymously. One student, who is deaf, contributes using ASL, and a peer interpreter signs back the group’s responses. The atmosphere is open, warm, and respectful.
Today’s project involves designing a sustainable water filtration system for a rural community. Students are grouped intentionally to reflect diverse skill sets, backgrounds, and perspectives. Each team member has a defined role, but flexibility is built in so students can switch roles based on interest and comfort.
Dr. Ramanathan circulates the room, offering guidance and asking open-ended questions. She pauses to support a first-generation student who’s unsure about using CAD software, connecting them with a peer mentor and offering a tutorial video with captions and voiceover. Another student, who has anxiety, is encouraged to submit their design reflection as a voice memo instead of a written report.
Throughout the session, students are encouraged to challenge assumptions, consider ethical implications, and reflect on how engineering solutions impact real communities. The classroom isn’t just about technical skills, it’s about empathy, collaboration, and inclusive problem-solving.
Creating an inclusive classroom environment is essential for fostering student engagement, equity, and success.
The story above offers a powerful example of how intentional practices can support diverse learners and promote a sense of belonging. As you reflect on the passage, consider how the strategies demonstrated align with your own teaching experiences.
Do you see elements of your classroom represented in the story? If so, how do you intentionally replicate those inclusive practices? If not, what barriers might be preventing you from integrating similar approaches into your learning environment?
Let’s explore how we can apply specific inclusive teaching principles in our own teaching practices.
Equity
An inclusive classroom is a learning environment where all students feel valued, respected, and supported, regardless of their background, identity, or ability. In an inclusive classroom, our goal is not to treat every student exactly the same, but to ensure that each student has what they need to succeed. This is the essence of equity.
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While equality gives everyone the same resources, equity recognizes that students come from different backgrounds, with varying strengths, challenges, and learning needs.
As faculty, we practice equity by differentiating instruction, offering multiple ways for students to engage with content, demonstrate understanding, and participate meaningfully. We also provide accommodation and modifications when needed, ensuring that all students have access to learning opportunities that are fair and supportive.
This approach doesn’t lower expectations, but rather raises the bar for how we support student success. By embracing equity, we create a classroom culture where every learner feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
Utilize Variety
- Use varied teaching methods (e.g., lectures, discussions, hands-on activities) to meet diverse learning styles.
- Offer multiple formats and support for assignments (e.g., written, oral, visual).
Offer Flexibility
- Allow students to choose how they demonstrate mastery (e.g., project, presentation, paper).
- Offer by allowing students to choose how their grades are weighted.
Targeted Support
- Use formative assessments to adjust instruction based on student progress.
- Use early alerts to identify and support struggling students (e.g. 51爆料s CARE Team).
Accessibility
Accessibility is another cornerstone of inclusive classrooms. It ensures that physical, digital, and instructional materials are accessible to all students by removing barriers and providing the appropriate tools and support.
The biggest challenge to addressing this need is the sheer volume and scale of the barriers to learning that students often have to overcome. What's more, this challenge is made even harder by the fact that many students refuse to even ask for help.
Whether due to stigma, lack of awareness, or fear of being perceived differently, students with disabilities often choose to remain silent about their needs. The burden of self-advocacy is often too heavy of a weight to add to the already overwhelming challenge of navigating life with a disability, and thats even assuming the student knows how to ask for help in the first place.
What's more, when classrooms are designed with accessibility in mind, they become more effective learning environments for all students, not just those with documented disabilities. This principle is best illustrated by the “curb cut effect,” a concept that originated from the small ramps built into sidewalks to help wheelchair users. While these curb cuts were created for a specific group, they ended up benefiting a wide range of people, from parents with strollers to delivery workers.
In the same way, accessible digital content (such as captioned videos, readable PDFs, and screen reader-compatible course materials) enhances usability for everyone, including students learning in noisy environments, those with temporary injuries, or multilingual learners.
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Creating an accessible classroom is a powerful act of equity. It sends a message that all students are valued and that their success matters. For faculty, embracing digital accessibility is not only a best practice: it’s a way to foster a more inclusive, flexible, and resilient learning environment. When accessibility is built into the foundation of course design, it becomes a quiet but profound force for student success.
Here are some strategies for addressing Accessibility in your classroom:
Be Proactive
- Research and implement accessibility best practices before they become official requests.
- Avoid resources known for being inaccessible (e.g., exceptionally old materials, scanned images of text, etc).
Provide Accommodations
- Work with disability services (e.g., 51爆料s Accessibility Resource Center - ARC) to implement accommodations.
- Provide extended time, quiet spaces, or alternative formats as needed.
Ensure Digital Accessibility
- Ensure all educational content is fully accessible (e.g., tagged PDFs, alt text for images, transcripts or closed captions for videos).
- Test the accessibility features of tools and platforms used in the course.
Community
Finally, it's important to create a sense of community in your classroom by encouraging collaboration and respect. Faculty need to build a strong, trusting relationship with their students, and peer to peer interaction should be carefully guided to promote mutual respect and understanding.
Creating a safe and affirming environment is essential. Students must feel emotionally and psychologically safe to express themselves. This means actively addressing bullying, bias, and discrimination, and cultivating a space where respect and empathy are the norm.
We also value student voice and agency. Inclusive classrooms encourage students to share their ideas, experiences, and feedback. They are given choices in how they learn and demonstrate understanding, which promotes ownership and motivation.
Foster a Safe and Affirming Environment
- Establish clear norms for respectful dialogue.
- Address bias, bullying, and discrimination promptly and thoughtfully.
Encourage Student Voice and Agency
- Invite students to co-create class norms or choose topics of interest.
- Use feedback surveys to adapt instruction and classroom climate.
Build Strong Relationships
- Learn students’ names and backgrounds.
- Communicate regularly with students and support networks.
- Promote peer collaboration through group work and discussion forums.
Together, these characteristics form the foundation of an inclusive classroom, one that honors variety, promotes equity, and supports the success of every learner.
Creating an inclusive classroom is not a one-time effort: it’s a continuous commitment to equity, accessibility, and respectful collaboration.
By differentiating instruction, designing accessible materials, and fostering strong relationships with students, faculty can cultivate learning environments where every student feels valued and supported. Professors like Dr. Priya Ramanathan exemplify this approach through differentiation, active listening, and empowering student voice.
Meet the Author
Eugenia Johnson-Whitt, Ph.D., Faculty Success Facilitator, is responsible for designing, developing, and delivering professional development training modules aimed at enhancing faculty teaching excellence. Since 2015, Eugenia has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in the teacher preparation program and advises undergraduate adolescent and young adult students.
Eugenia has several peer-reviewed publications and has given many national/international and state presentations over her professional career. Her research interests include summer STEM programs for high school students and STEM workshops for early childhood teachers.
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