Implementing Inclusive Teaching Practices: Checklist
For instructors, use this checklist before class. For librarians, use this checklist before a meeting or before emailing an instructor to discuss your library instruction session.
Instruction
- For library instruction sessions, initiate a conversation with the instructor to gain a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum or program’s overarching objectives.
- Utilize your knowledge of the class’s diverse student body, including their cultural backgrounds, and encourage students to share or evaluate two resources relevant to their academic journey.
- Build a connection with students by sharing your own experiences both as a student and your professional journey. While personal information isn’t necessary, sharing a personal story can foster a sense of belonging.
- Employ inclusive language that centers social, political, and gender diversity. Refrain from using terms like “you guys,” and gendered language which are prevalent, and instead, opt for “folks” or “everyone” when addressing students in class. When discussing authors, use “they” or “them”.
- Create a welcoming environment by starting with an ice-breaker exercise that encourages interaction and helps build rapport among students. Think-pair-share activities are excellent for sparking conversations.
- Encourage students to share their experiences and insights about using libraries to help them feel connected to these resources. If they haven’t used a library before, ask about their experiences with bookstores or reading rooms.
- Conduct a search exercise or activity that empowers students to discover authors from their countries of origin who are recognized experts in their respective fields of study.
- Promote the normalization of seeking assistance by facilitating convenient access to educational support services and emphasize that utilizing these resources is a widespread practice among accomplished students.
- Encourage diverse viewpoints in critical discussions by addressing bias, opposing perspectives, the importance of citing sources, and the credibility of authors.
- Implement strategies to solicit feedback from all students, irrespective of their political and socio-economic beliefs.
- Integrate a range of multimedia resources to make it easily accessible but also interactive for students with a wide range of learning needs.
- Embed accessibility considerations within the course to accommodate students with disabilities.
Services
- Allow students with linguistic barriers to explain themselves and be attentive to their needs by speaking slowly and clearly.
- When students approach the desk, remain attuned to their needs and provide opportunities to students to freely share their questions but giving them time to state what they are looking for.
- Be mindful of academic practices that the students project and invite students to share any concerns with you at the desk.
- Be attentive to the cross-cultural values of students, where eye contact may or may not be a sign of respect, physical distance and body language may convey an unknown communication style.
- Accompany students to their destination if required as places such as libraries can be vastly unknown to them.
- Constantly check with students if they have understood the information and provide them with written communication that can allow them to reflect on the information provided.
- For students with linguistic barriers, speak slowly and clearly, avoid jargon, and ensure they have understood you. Ask if they need an interpreter. Consider maintaining a list of staff members who are linguistically diverse for such situations. Use an AI tool or Google translate if you don’t find yourself with an individual who can assist with the conversation.
Collections
- Conduct a diversity audit of your collections. If resources are limited or the collections are extensive, consider focusing on a smaller subset. An audit doesn’t necessarily have to cover the entire collection; it can be targeted to a specific course or reading list you’re providing to instructors.
- Familiarize yourself with the diversity of library collections by creating a list of subject headings, author names, international authors, authors from equity deserving groups, Indigenous, Black, visible minority authors from the discipline.
- Consult with instructors about course content and assignments. Including diverse perspectives in readings, lectures, library searches, images, and case studies can help all students see themselves represented in the learning materials.
- Put a self-care plan in place to support student resilience, being intentional about offering options for learners. Be thoughtful of the nature of the course material; if it covers traumatic or challenging topics, remind students that alternative assignments are available.
- Encourage faculty to incorporate cultural context into the assigned texts, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural contexts in which the material was produced.
- Engage in discussion with faculty members about course materials.
Include quality content that is not peer-reviewed in western scholarly context in your subject/course guide or recommend them to faculty. This may include underrepresented voices quoted in newspapers, community websites and publications; emerging scholarship such as theses and dissertations; oral (in person or archival), visual, or performative knowledge and communications.
Trauma-Aware teaching Checklist
A trauma-informed approach to library instruction
This checklist has been developed using the Trauma-Aware Teaching Checklist…which has been created using the six principles (safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice and choice; and, acknowledgement of cultural, historical, and gender issues) of trauma-informed care developed by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration):
Instruction
- Familiarize yourself with principles and concepts of trauma-informed care and education.
- Establish clear guidelines and a safer/brave space policy for students in your classroom.
- Evaluate the needs and requirements of your students in the classroom, and adapt a compassionate and flexible approach by providing clear alternate solutions to support their work.
- Develop strategies for integrating trauma-informed approaches into your instruction.
- Recognize that students grappling with trauma may struggle with coursework and learning challenges. Identify barriers and offer solutions.
- Be aware that past experiences, such as historical racial traumas and sociopolitical issues, may lead students to feel disengaged, powerless, and undervalued.
- Implement a feedback mechanism to gather input on policies and procedures; advocate for student representatives in meetings.
- As instructors, if the topic of discussion is going to trigger past and current events, inform students beforehand by clearly outlining the subject matter and potential sensitivities.
- Embed alternative assignments into your course and provide guidelines that allow students to report concerns or encourage them to reach out if an assignment or class discussion becomes too triggering for them.
- Empower students by redirecting the focus from the authority figure. Clearly define your role and remain open to addressing any questions students may have about your position, authority, or responsibilities.
- Respect students’ privacy and perspectives on discussion topics, while adhering to established guidelines and authoritative frameworks that ensure discussions are conducted in a way that is sensitive to issues of racism and inclusive of all students’ experiences.
- Include information about counseling services and campus resources in course materials.
- Establish and communicate boundaries, both physical and interpersonal, to help create a sense of safety.
- Empower students through peer-oriented activities like group work or ice-breakers to foster belonging and value in their contributions.
- Adopt flexible assessment approaches to foster trust and prevent punitive measures that could diminish students’ confidence in the academic system.
Services
- Create a warm welcoming space that fosters a sense of safety and belonging for students.
- Design spaces including a quiet and private area to accommodate all individuals requiring accommodations.
- Review library and institutional policies to ensure alignment with trauma-informed principles outlined by SAMHSA.
- Collaborate with counseling services and other relevant student support departments on campus to create a comprehensive network of support for students.
- Participate in training sessions for library staff, instructors, and students that focus on trauma-informed practices, such as the BC campus’s FLO series
- Consider current geopolitical events and their potential impact on students, such as decreased participation, missed classes, emotional challenges with assignments, or falling behind on coursework.
- Foster a culture of active listening and empathy in all interactions with students.
Collections
- Provide students with options and alternatives for accessing resources and utilizing services.
- Create an inclusive curriculum with course materials that cater to the diverse needs of all students.
- Ensure that instructors are aware of the various methods for providing openly accessible library resources to students.
- Incorporate search examples that are generic but are representative of the student’s demographics in the class.
- Include universally familiar topics for assignments or activities, avoiding subjects specific to a particular subset of individuals, to broaden participation opportunities.
- Design activities where students play a central role in creating and using knowledge, empowering them to actively engage with and shape knowledge systems.
- Incorporate active learning strategies to assess students’ skills and motivation, offering them meaningful ways to participate.