Course Climate and Identity

Last updated on 2024-12-04 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • Why is it important to create a welcoming learning environment?
  • How can we support Instructors in creating a welcoming learning environment?

Objectives

  • Describe the target audience of Instructor Training.
  • Plan strategies for supporting Instructor Trainees from a diversity of backgrounds and previous experiences.
  • Predict challenges faced by new Instructors in creating a positive classroom climate and propose possible solutions.

Reading:

From How Learning Works:

  • Chapter 1: Why Do Students’ Identities and Stages of Development Matter for Learning? (p. 9 - 38)
  • Chapter 7: Why Does Course Climate Matter for Student Learning? (p. 162 - 186)
  • Appendix A: What are Instructor Self-Assessments / Reflections and How Can We Use Them? (p. 219 - 222)

From The Carpentries Instructor Training curriculum:

Discussion Questions

  1. What stood out to you from this week’s reading? Think of things that made sense in light of your own experience, things you’re not convinced of, or questions that you have.

  2. Write a learner profile for an Instructor trainee and share with the group (see the “Additional Exercises” page for detailed instructions on learner profiles). How different are your profiles? What kinds of support might each of your imaginary trainees need?

  3. What content do you think might be missing from the Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility episode that would be important for our Instructors to understand in the context of Carpentries workshops?

  4. Try to identify one opportunity for interaction with learners during the Welcome episode. How might you use this to establish a positive learning environment?

  5. How might The Carpentries Code of Conduct function in supporting an “explicitly centralizing” (p.167) classroom climate?

  6. Choose a strategy among those suggested on pages 177-186 that seems useful or essential to a Carpentries workshop. What factors might prevent an Instructor from effectively implementing this strategy? As an Instructor Trainer, how might you help?

Key Points

  • Student-centered teaching requires teaching students, not content. It requires not treating all students the same (equality) but giving each student what they need (equity).
  • Class climate has a major impact on learning.
  • Creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone in your workshop or training takes planning, self-reflection, and humility.