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ENHANCING WELL-BEING IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ACTIVITY
PART 1: REFLECTION Communicate course expectations and your belief that all students can succeed Download and implement the Thriving in the Classroom toolkit and Innovative Learning's EDI Curriculum Toolkit Learn and use students' names (pronunciation) and pronouns Build community through regular icebreakers, collaborative thinking, small group activities, etc. Assess learners' prior knowledge about your field and topics to align instruction with their strengths/needs Encourage learners to visit your “Student Hours” and describe what happens during that time (e.g., share experience with course materials, questions about assignments, etc.) Communicate concern for learners' wellbeing and share information about campus resources at critical points in the semester Cultivate growth mindsets: Allow for productive trial and error (e.g., low-stakes practice quizzes, modelling, discussing wrong answers, scenarios). Emphasize that risk, struggle and failure are part of the learning process Build in flexible course design policies and academic flexibility to support learner absences, assignment deadlines, leaving class early for family or work committments, access to course materials (slides, recordings, notes, etc.) Create intentional opportunities for learners to provide feedback (e.g., anonymous polls, check-ins at the start of class, etc.) to provide formative feedback
PART 2: ACTION PLAN How do you envision the impact of these actions on your teaching and on the resilience and well-being of learners? What can I do in my course this week or semester to make it more inclusive to help facilitate learners' academic resilience?
Adapted from the CELT at Iowa State University and Thriving in the Classroom toolkit: www.thrivingclassrooms.ca Created by: Estefania Toledo | Inclusive Curriculum and Wellbeing Specialist | estefania.toledo@humber.ca
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