How do I engage in classroom interactions & dynamics?

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The previous engagements have introduced:

The idea of ‘contexts within contexts’

How this relates to the concept of positionality
An intersectional lens as a tool for analysing how certain identities experience exclusion produced by particular social dynamics

As a reminder, meta refers to the global context, macro encompasses the societal landscape, meso describes the institutional level of higher education, and micro indicates the classroom environment. One of the main observations was how different contexts overlap, producing the social dynamics that are present in a digital classroom environment. The virtual classroom context then is not neutral to the outside contexts, but rather partially a result of them.

This engagement will allow you to reflect on your perspective of interactions between individuals and contexts. Before looking at concrete instances of such interactions, it is useful to expand on the micro context and what it exactly entails.

Concept

The micro level encompasses the online classroom environment, including students and teachers. Online classrooms are embedded in educational institutions, shaped by the society they reside in, and affected by global events. Some influences are less visibly present in an online classroom than in a conventional one, but manifest through the perspectives and experiences of everyone present in the online setting. Think of the interactions between students and teachers, but also their diverse lived experiences, abilities, degrees of academic preparation, levels of performance, personal expectations, different motivations, financial risk of pursuing an education, access to pertinent information, and many other factors. While a teacher is obliged to practice their vocation in accordance with the institutional policies, the online classroom remains a domain where teachers make decisions at their discretion which have a profound impact on the experience of their students. Online classroom management is thus an important determinant of the classroom environment and can be defined as the actions of teachers that serve to create and maintain a virtual environment for effective learning where students’ social and emotional needs are met. This cannot be separated from the regulations and norms in the educational system and institution, included the unwritten norms, such as those about what is good teaching, what is academic communication, what is talent, what is good participation, what makes a good teacher, what makes a good student – all aspects of what is called the hidden curriculum: unspoken, unwritten, and unofficial lessons that students (unintentionally) learn in school. It then becomes important for teachers to be aware of how far their agency and power to shape the experience of their students extends. More concretely, it requires teachers to be aware of what actions and dynamics lead to inclusive or exclusive online learning environments.

Scenario

After being misgendered multiple times, a student sends you an email explaining how uncomfortable they are with this. They indicate that because of the frequency with which it happens, they are reticent about correcting people and are tired of the emotional toll it takes to educate people on their identity. As a result, they are asking whether it is possible to let everyone indicate their pronouns next to their names on their profile. People can then see each other’s pronouns visibly without having to rely on their own assumptions about their peer’s identities. The learning management system (LMS) that your university is using does not have an option for adding pronouns. However, this solution is technically feasible, because it would just require you to pass on this request to the class along with instructions for the workaround the student sent for adding you’re their pronouns next to their name. Whatever course of action you decide to follow, the student is very clear and adamant about remaining anonymous.

Challenge (10 minutes)

Think about how you would handle this request of your student. Reflect on the interplay between your personal perspective and the perspective of the student making the request. Try to use the proposed insights and the concepts in the analysis for your reflection. Writing your answers down can help your reflection process. Use the prompts below to guide your thoughts.

Prompts

What are your personal thoughts on the student’s request? Do you think the issue is a legitimate concern or not, and why?
Do you think the student’s peers should have a say in the matter; namely, should adding pronouns to the profile remain optional? Why?
How would you broach this subject (of gender diversity) with your students?
What do you see as your personal role in addressing this issue?
What solution would you offer the student? Why?

How do you think your students perceive your position and perspective regarding this situation?
What do you think online classroom participants (including yourself) can learn about this situation?
How might different students experience this situation? How do you think this impacts them in the setting of the classroom? How can you find out?
How can you use digital approaches to your advantage in this situation?

Example

In this challenge your analysis and observations are central. The concept section already provides a concrete explanation for the micro context, so instead of a mock answer this example section shares some considerations for your answer.

Consider…

… what all the options are in reach and what you are willing to do.
… what you are basing your decision on and why between all the possible courses of action.
… what a democratic approach of majority rules would mean for the requesting student and for an inclusive approach.
… how the issue raised by the student touches upon broader implications of language use.
… what the link is between language and inclusivity.
… what aspects of the hidden curriculum are present in this scenario.
… what limitations the LMS can have and how they reflect the views of the people who design them.
… how despite the limitations of the LMS, there are creative ways to use digital tools to create an online inclusive environment.

Learn

This particular scenario touches on language and how it is tied to inclusivity. Gaining a better understanding of the ways in which language affects your students’ online experiences requires an understanding of their needs regarding language and communication. You can then develop an awareness of how your language use can be inclusive or exclusive to students. From this awareness, teachers may then develop the competence to communicate in an inclusive way online and the language conducive to an inclusive virtual classroom.

The micro-learning module ‘Use Inclusive Language in Digital Education’ is a learning resource which helps develop language and communication that strives to make everyone feel safe and invited to participate in the classroom regardless of their positions and identities. See also Guideline 5 Create an inclusive digital learning climate’ in the e-Inclusion Handbook.