Avoid Chill in the Classroom

1
Avoid Chill in the Classroom

• Maintaining A Welcoming and Inclusive Learning
  Environment

2
Purpose

• To promote awareness and sensitivity
• To enhanced Faculty-Student relationships
• To increase teaching effectiveness

3
What is Chill in the Classroom?

• When a faculty members behavior unintentionally
  makes a student, usually from a minority group,
  feel unwelcome and excluded.

4
Effects of a Chilly Climate

• On Students Who are Chilled- Discourages class
  participation- Hinders seeking help- Erodes
  student confidence- Damages performance
  aspirations

5
Effects of a Chilly Climate

• For Other Students in the Classroom- Reinforces
  negative stereotypes- Minority students are not
  seen as individuals- May also be chilled

6
Creating a Welcoming Classroom

• Make good eye contact with everyone
• Use the same tone and inflection with talking to
  all students
• Be equally attentive to all student responses.
• Assign topics of equal difficulty to all
  students.
• EXPECT ALL YOUR STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE ACADEMIC
  EXCELLENCE

7
Creating an Inclusive Classroom

• Dont coach answers from only selected
  individuals
• Give equal time for everyone to respond
• Avoid minority specific language or style
• No racial or sexist humor
• Do not draw negative attention to minority
  student attendance/absences

8
Questioning Techniques

• Some Pitfalls
• - Always rewarding first respondent- Calling
  on the same student- Interrupting only some
  students- Gender specific behaviors
• Good Techniques- Allow adequate time for
  responses- Ask all students similar type
  questions- Ensure no group dominates the
  conversation

9
Summary Checklist

• Equally distribute your questions to all students
• Ask equally difficult questions to everyone
• Are students interrupting whom and why?
• Are your responses encouraging to everyone?
• Eye contact with everyone
• Consistent facial/body language for everyone
• Use examples/anecdotes that are inclusive
• Consistent language pattern with all students