Title: 50 Tips and Tricks to Facilitating a More Inclusive Classroom
Headings: 50 Tips and Tricks to Facilitating a More Inclusive Classroom
50 Tips and Tricks to Facilitating a More Inclusive Classroom
1. Incorporate less commonly heard points of view in lessons.
2. Go deeper on “heritage days”.
3. Educate kids on why their language matters.
4. Don’t ignore when students use harmful language—even when they’re not using slurs.
5. Use Comic Sans, Ariel, or Dyslexie for your handouts.
6. Make sure your field trips are accessible.
7. Keep some “toys”—even fidget spinners —available.
8. Don’t police gender.
9. Use restorative justice.
10. Keep consequences consistent.
11. Offer your notes or PowerPoints to students.
12. Interrupt when students police or shame each other.
13. Avoid using students differences for “ teachable moments”.
14. Offer a wider variety of options in your classroom library.
15. Avoid using language like “mom or dad” in reference to your students’ households.
16. Support students in creating affinity spaces.
17. Support students in creating pride organizations.
18. Work with your principal to change school culture.
19. Use your professional development days to gain more diversity and inclusion training.
20. Teach the material in a variety of ways—play to your kids’ strengths.
21. Allow your students to develop their own milestone projects.
22. Let marginalized students have the floor—but don’t force it on them.
23. Genuinely care about and consider other factors in your students’ lives.
24. Plan activities for your students to share more about themselves—but don’t put them on the spot!
25. Give space for preferred pronouns, but avoid requiring students to share.
26. Keep in mind where a student is coming from when addressing issues.
27. Plan activities for your students to think about and show appreciation for each other.
28. Work with your administration to create a more inclusive dress code.
29. If you’re teaching about religions, spend equal time on each that you cover.
30. Learn as much as you can about what students from different backgrounds might be experiencing at home.
31. Refrain from having class-wide celebrations that involve food during times students may not be able to partake.
32. Be aware of any food allergies before planning a food-related event.
33. Offer snacks for students who may be missing meals.
34. Keep handouts for local social services readily available.
35. Avoid segregating students by gender.
36. Use gender neutral language.
37. Celebrate your students’ diversity, but please don’t tokenize.
38. If possible, offer important documents in your students’ and parents’ primary languages.
39. Think of IEPs and other support plans as opportunities to do better by your students—not as impositions on your time.
40. Help students identify their own learning outcomes—and support them in meeting them.
41. Take time to appreciate student accomplishments regularly.
42. Work with administrators to establish gender neutral bathrooms around campus.
43. Spend more attention with feminine-presenting students in math and science.
44. Avoid even positive stereotypes of different groups.
45. Learn how to say your students’ names.
46. Use content warnings.
47. Make E-readers available.
48. See if your school can spring for audiobooks.
49. Make space for differently abled students.
50. Supplement your curriculum.
Posted by        Kirstin Kelley

Content: 11. Offer your notes or PowerPoints to students. Students who struggle with hearing issues can benefit from having a written reference available to them so that they don’t miss out on critical details. 12. Interrupt when students police or shame each other. Students often say things that aren’t nice to each other. Instead of ignoring it when students make fun of each other for smelling funny or dressing different, let them know that behavior isn’t okay and be sure to follow through if it persists. 13. Avoid using students differences for “ teachable moments”. I’m a firm believer in providing students with the “why” whenever possible, but when a student is teasing another for dressing in ill-fitting or hand-me-down clothes it’s not appropriate to point out that the student they’re teasing may be low-income.