How to create a more inclusive classroom

The more we get to know our students, the more we see how truly diverse our classroom is. Even in homogenous contexts, we find differences in attitudes, beliefs, practices, identities, challenges and goals. Yet the one thing that all students need is to feel included.

It can be overwhelming for a teacher to think about all the things they need to do to create an inclusive environment, especially since there are so many factors to consider. The good news is that teachers do not need to do it alone. Schools, materials writers, and publishers are also responsible for making students feel welcome and represented.

Let’s take a look at all the ways educators can collaborate to move the industry towards one where everyone feels welcome and can achieve their learning goals.

In your classroom

You are probably already using a lot of strategies in your classroom to reach students where they are. For example, you provide written instructions alongside spoken ones, which helps students with auditory processing differences. You may also allow students to draft responses in their L1 first before moving to English since it reduces cognitive overload for EAL learners and neurodivergent students.

Here are a few more things to try in your room.

• Let students choose how they want to respond to a prompt. They could draw and label a picture, record a voice note, or edit together a short video

• Use open-ended tasks that can be interpreted at different levels without singling anyone out. Consider the prompt "Write about a time things didn't go to plan". This can be answered with past simple at low levels, or past perfect and narrative complexity at higher levels

• Seat students thoughtfully, taking into account focus, visibility, and peer dynamics rather than alphabetical order or habit. Find a comfortable spot closer to the board for students with ADHD, and pair them with someone who is calm and patient.

At the school

Just because your school isn’t aware that you need support doesn’t mean they don’t want to help. It is important to communicate your ideas for building inclusivity with your school director and academic manager.

Here are some ideas to get that conversation started.

• Request a CPD session on inclusivity. This will raise awareness at the school and bring teachers together to share their experiences.

• Audit the curriculum for bias to ensure a wide range of stories are being told and not just voices from the majority. Whose stories, cultures, and beliefs are represented?

• Suggest the school bring in diverse English-speaking voices such as guest speakers, and then mark and celebrate a wider range of cultural events.

When purchasing materials

As teachers, we may not have a direct line to publishers, editors, and materials writers. But remember that money talks, so let’s spend it on materials that include underrepresented and marginalized voices. Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding which materials to use.

• Do the materials include diverse family structures and relationships, including LGBTQ voices, and do they appear without fanfare?

• Do they include a genuine range of names, settings, and cultural contexts and not just a Western default with occasional token diversity?

• Do listening and reading texts include a range of accents and English varieties?

• Do they represent a range of gender identities and move beyond outdated social role assumptions? 

Some final thoughts

If you are struggling to find inclusive materials, remember that you can use AI to generate lesson content that meets your expectations. Give a description of the learning outcomes, language targets, as well as your students’ level and backgrounds. You can create a new text that is relevant to the whole class, or take it a step further and create hyper-personalized texts for each student. The same can be done for audio using AI text to speech tools which allow you to choose the accent you’d like the students to practice listening to.

Looking for more ways to create an inclusive culture? Ask your students. Involving students directly boosts agency and ownership in the classroom, which not only makes them feel heard but also encourages them to take part. Start with a simple survey that can lead to a conversation. Then use that conversation as a springboard to a meaningful project-based learning initiative that brings all stakeholders together and strengthens the learning community.