How inclusive are our classrooms really?

Look carefully at this picture. Is this the sign that is implicitly posted in our classrooms?

I thought that my teaching style was pretty inclusive for ESL students - I try to avoid or at least explain English idioms, I make a lot of eye contact and never speak to the board, I provide written as well as verbal instructions, I try to include cross-cultural examples, I ask students to work in groups so they can practice explaining concepts to one another...

But this past week I received a message from a student who felt that she had not done well on the first exam because her native language is Japanese, and it takes her longer to read and answer the multiple choice and short answer questions I required her to complete. I had prepared what I thought was a reasonable exam for a 45-minute time period - for an English speaker. It hadn't occurred to me how difficult my exam would be if you had to first break the language barrier before being able to really engage with the material.

I didn't know how to respond. Speaking English as a second language is not a disability, and therefore is not covered by the ADA academic accommodations policy. Generally my own policy is that unless a student has a documented disability, I don't provide accommodations that I am not willing to extend to all students in the class. I can't give everyone extra time (even if I wanted to, there's another class in the same room immediately before and after mine), and I can't make the exam much shorter without sacrificing the validity of the assessment tool (I wouldn't be able to adequately sample the material we had covered).

Unfortunately it seems that throughout higher education, unless they are taking an ESL course (such as those offered by our Department of Linguistics), ESL students have to "sink or swim". Is this the way it should be, or is there a way for me to provide ESL students with accommodations without native English speakers feeling that they have been treated unfairly? What is the equitable solution here?

I'm eager to hear your thoughts...

Timely, constructive feedback - it's not just for students!

Most instructors know that it's important to provide students with feedback on their performance early in the semester, so they have time to improve. But how many of us actually solicit feedback on our performance as teachers?

It's important that we get feedback on our teaching so we can continue to grow as instructors and provide our students with the best learning experience possible. There are several sources from which to pull - we can ask students to tell us what they think, ask our colleagues to observe our classes or review our materials and offer advice, and we can seek out those trained in teaching and learning in higher education (such as the consultants at CTLE) to consult with us and provide guidance.

So how should we respond to feedback once we get it? First, look for themes, and try not to take negative feedback personally. If only one person says they hate the way you dress, this is not very useful feedback. But if many of your students, and your colleagues, suggest that your lessons are disorganized, this is something to which you likely want to attend. Unfortunately, students usually won't be able to tell us how to fix the problem. However our colleagues can provide examples of approaches they've tried, and teaching consultants can offer ideas, workshops, and resources to help.

Some general advice, if you plan to change something based on feedback you've received, is to leave the structure of the course (e.g., course requirements and grading) untouched until the next time around, and to only change a few things rather than attempting a major overhaul mid-semester. Try to identify the one or two most important issues that could be addressed by making minor adjustments (e.g., incorporating more activities or discussion to liven up a long lecture class).

Finally, make sure that you let students and colleagues know that you appreciate their comments, even if you are not going to make all (or any!) of the changes they've suggested. For students, you can summarize the comments, touching on the major themes that arose, and let them know what you will be doing to address any concerns. If you are not going to make a suggested change, provide an explanation (e.g., I won't be grading on a curve, because I think it's important that you meet the course standards rather than be compared to one another, and for some grading on a curve could actually hurt their grades).

Did you know?

The Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence provides a wide variety of free and confidential services to help instructors at the University of Utah assess their teaching effectiveness, and we will also consult with you to help you interpret the feedback you receive and make decisions about how to make adjustments to your course. Review details and request services on our website.

Teaching ESL Students to Write

After my last post about writing, I received a message from Zuzana Tomas, a graduate student and instructor in Linguistics. She suggested that I share with you some information about the ESL Writing Initiative. According to their website, "The ESL Writing Initiative exists to provide accessible information to faculty members and instructors about how to teach, assign, and respond to the writing of students of English as a second language ("ESL students") across the U."

Although most of us support efforts to increase diversity in the classroom, we may not always be sufficiently prepared to adapt our teaching to the diverse set of abilities and needs that our students bring with them. In Fall 2008, 7% (or nearly 2000 U of U students) were identified as International Students, many of whom speak English as a second language. Furthermore, because of the diversity within the US, we would be naive to assume that all of our domestic students are native English speakers. Neverthless, the majority of our classes our conducted entirely in English.

Can you imagine how difficult it would be to try to master a subject at the college level in a language with which you are not entirely familiar? This is the position many of our students are in, so we as instructors need to find ways to help them strive towards the same high standards to which we hold other students. Perhaps not surprisingly, you'll find that many of the techniques used to help support the learning of ESL students can also help native English speakers as well.

Do you provide both written and oral instructions when giving an assignment? Do you ask a colleague to review your assignment to make sure the instructions are clear? Do you provide models, perhaps through the use of student examples?

These are just some of the tips provided by the ESL Writing Initiative. What else have you done in your class to support ESL students in their writing?

Did you know?

Students appreciate having examples of past student work. These examples are most effective if you've included your comments and grading along with the example. Just be sure to ask for permission before using a student's paper as an example, and to create written assignments that discourage copying the example (e.g., require students to analyze a different case than in the original paper, or incorporate real-life experiences).