Using diversity-sensitive communication in the classroom means including all students. It means embracing different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, leading to valuable interactions where each student is seen and valued. Research shows that both social inclusion (bonding with your students) and academic inclusion (academic achievement, self-perception and personal commitment to lecturing and supporting students) may increase student participation. Building on student collaboration enables them to gain competences to use inclusive communication. As a result, they are able to gather and interpret relevant information in their course to form opinions on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues. But how do you go about this as a lecturer?
Encourage your students to use diversity-sensitive communication
- Enable students to freely express their ideas, beliefs, aspirations and identities in an environment that guarantees mutual trust and respect, empathy and openness. A good way of ensuring that is by making them reflect on their own frames of reference and (implicit) biases. Show students that as long as they are able to simply tolerate each other's point of views, they do not need to agree or convince each other.
- You can do this by giving students exercises that encourage constructive interaction with different perspectives and approaches. You can also have them work together around these perspectives. We ask our students to create a crest about their values and norms. Afterwards, they discuss their frames of reference in small breakout groups (Dilyara Nigmatullina)
- Try using methods that require students to use point of views that are different from their own. This can reduce emotional tensions between students. Consider, for example, Deep Democracy Debate (HuMMus), where students have to come up with pro- and then counter-arguments by simultaneously answering to a yes/no question. Use this exercise to discuss conflicting views without risking escalation.
- Sensitivity to 'hot moments' and timely intervention are also important diversity skills.
- Give students the opportunity to give feedback during or after the meeting. Ask for their views on how to work more inclusively and ask for their main takeaways.
How to use diversity-sensitive communication?
Use the D&I reflection tool for written and spoken language, visual and auditory content, and events. The reflection tool also provides comprehensive examples that apply to our university context. This tool allows you to critically analyse what you're communicating and to engage with a wider audience.
1. Use language that is more inclusive:
Use gender-conscious language by paying attention to pronouns and gender-inclusive forms of address. This allows you to acknowledge different identities (M/W/X) and address students who identify as non-binary, women or men.
For example: A student can take his exam on Monday.
- A student/students can take their exam on Monday (plural pronoun)
- A student can take his or her exam in June (using both feminine and masculine pronouns)
- You can take your exam in June (you as a second person pronoun)
Read more about gender-inclusive communication in our information sheets, and the ECHO-tip on gender and sexual diversity in education.
2. Be aware of empowering communication
Focus on the student as a whole. Do not reduce students to one characteristic. This characteristic is one of many that a person may have.
For example: Say 'a student with autism' > (instead of) an autistic student
Use terms with positive connotations that are accepted by the community that is targeted.
For example: Say 'a student with a migrant background' instead of 'a foreigner'. Our Glossary of Terms on Diversity can be helpful if you are unsure about the proper term to use.
Use images that are respectful and try not to emphasise a particular aspect of a person's identity. Avoid reinforcing stereotypes and, if possible, look for intersections in the people you are portraying (see age, gender, skin colour, clothing, tattoos and piercings, etc). You can do this by consulting databases of inclusive images, such as the following:
Always consider the visible (e.g. age) and invisible (e.g. beliefs) diversity of your students. Even when providing examples, you can ensure that there is sufficient representation of a variety of cultural backgrounds, philosophies, gender identities, relationship types, etc. (watch out for stereotypes and 'well-intentioned' jokes).
For example, when providing case studies, you can ensure that the characters use gender-neutral pronouns, have names from different ethnic-cultural communities, or that different types of relationships are represented.
3. Consider inclusive elements for your courses and its related activities:
For example, at the beginning of the semester, you can ask about certain accessibility needs.
Try to take into account certain temporal thresholds such as early/late hours, school holidays (e.g. for people with caring responsibilities) and (religious) holidays when planning your mandatory classes/assessment periods.
Avoid mentioning background characteristics unless they are relevant.
For example: if you are creating a registration form/questionnaire for an educational activity, it is best to ask only about background characteristics that are important. A question about age and gender is a common practice, but is not always relevant for every registration. Do try to ask about certain accessibility needs.
For example: Your survey is about the hurdles that are experienced by students with a different first language. This is an example of a context in which mentioning this background characteristic is relevant to explore the social phenomena that cause these barriers.