Strategy 1: Managing Class Climate

Class Climate and Learning

Teaching and learning is - essentially - a social act. It is naive to think that student learning is dependent solely on their interaction with course content, lectures and textbook materials, or assignments. Students bring their whole selves to the classroom, not just their intellectual selves. The social dynamics of the classroom - from who speaks, how curriculum and assignments are presented, and individual student identity - affect learning in specific ways. Frequently, it is the most marginalized students who are impacted most by an unsupportive class climate. 

Carnegie Mellon's Eberly Center Links to an external site. presents four specific impacts: 

  • "Climate regulates the circulation and construction of knowledge. For instance, in an inclusive climate all students are more likely to volunteer different perspectives and thus enrich discussions; conversely, if some students or groups feel that their contributions are not as valued as those of others, they will withdraw from the conversation. As an example, women in technical fields often report feeling undervalued compared to their male peers.
  • Climate engenders emotions that impact learning. In a productive class, the learning experience is characterized by excitement for discovery, joy, satisfaction and pride at one’s accomplishments. All these positive emotions have the effect of motivating students for further learning. Conversely, if the predominant emotions in a class are fear, shame or embarrassment for being wrong, or boredom and apathy about the content, these negative emotions will be highly demotivating to students (Ford, 1992).
  • Climate can channel energies away from learning or toward it. For instance, if gay or lesbian students feel it is not safe for them to be out in class, they tend to carefully monitor their participation for fear of inadvertently exposing themselves, limiting their engagement with the material. Conversely, in classes where they feel free to be themselves, they often capitalize on their personal experience of having challenged conventional assumptions by engaging with the material in creative ways (Renn, 1998).
  • Climate impacts student persistence. When the cumulative direct and indirect messages students perceive communicate that they are not as able as other students and don’t belong in the course, students are less likely to stay in the course, the major, and even in the university (Tinto, 1993)."

The connection between the classroom and students learning is clear, and while some of the connected issues are in your control, many are not. We cannot control the other students in our classrooms, and we cannot control others' reactions. There is a module in this course that addresses building healthy relationships with students, including specific strategies to support students of color. You can access it here. 

This module will provide resources on a few specific aspects of climate that are in your control: your syllabus and how you respond to the inevitable moments when biased viewpoints or offensive things are said in class.  

 

Establishing Inclusivity from the Start

One of the first documents that your students encounter in your classroom is your syllabus. Including equity-minded language and statements in your course syllabus on the first day invites all students to engage with the course and trust you from the start. 

The TLC module on the syllabus includes strategies for designing transparent, motivational, and cruelty-free syllabi.  Your syllabus might also benefit from an inclusion or diversity statement: a short statement in your syllabus that explains why equity matters to you, your classroom, your course, your discipline. ACUE's "Inclusive Teaching Practices Toolkit Links to an external site." provides resources on the topic, including links to sample statements. The Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning Links to an external site. identifies the kinds of topics that you might cover, including:

  • "Giving explanations of why certain authors from marginalized backgrounds or identities are present or lacking on the syllabus reading list.
  • Providing personal stories of how the instructor has been affected by the lack of diversity in their field.
  • Giving examples of how the instructor struggled with the course material as a student because of challenges tied to background or identity.
  • Acknowledging the history of exclusion of people with diverse identities, backgrounds, or ideologies from the field.
  • Providing ground rules for discussing hot topics, such as national politics or campus controversies.
  • Explaining how teaching practices are meant to address the learning needs of diverse students."

Additional first-day impressions can also include introductions, icebreaker activities, and other "get to know you" discussions.  Building class community is a worthy goal, and using equity-minded introductory activities can also promote an inclusive classroom. Make sure that any activities don't highlight inequities or put students in uncomfortable situations (like asking everyone to publicly state their pronouns or identify previous academic successes or failures). OneHC has compiled a list of introductory activities Links to an external site., as well as more general engagement activities for college classrooms Links to an external site.. 

Defining Microaggressions

One of the first and most important steps in creating a classroom environment that supports learning is to ensure that it is a place where students can focus on that learning. If they experience regular patterns of hostility, anxiety, and isolation, they will be distracted from learning. The student learning environment is key to engaging and motivating learning.

While there are a few definitions of microaggressions, a good place to start is the work of Dr. Derald Wing Sue: 

“Racial microaggressions are the brief and everyday slights, insults, indignities and denigrating messages sent to people of color by well-intentioned white people who are unaware of the hidden messages being communicated. These messages may be sent verbally ("You speak good English."), nonverbally (clutching one's purse more tightly), or environmentally (symbols like the confederate flag or using American Indian mascots). Such communications are usually outside the level of conscious awareness of perpetrators.” (Sue “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Is Subtle Bias Harmless? Links to an external site.”)

Dr. Sue focuses on racial microaggressions in this definition, but it applies to the variety of personal identities that create our sense of selves. People experience microaggressions about their gender, their age, their appearance, their body type, their religion, and much more. 

Unlike outright or direct racism (also referred to as microassaults), microaggressions can be subtle and even intended as a compliment. The following examples may be uncomfortable to read, but they are taken from the lived experiences of real students: 

“You’re pretty for a Black girl.” 

“I wouldn’t have known you were married to another man. You don’t look gay.” 

“Where did you learn such good English?”

“You are the least scary Black man I know.”

“But where do you really come from?”

Comments like these remind individuals that they are different, that their existence is not the “norm,” that their identity needs some kind of explanation. For additional information on the concept, there are additional links at the end of this section. 

 

The Impact

For a powerful collection of student voices on microaggressions, I recommend “Microaggressions in the Classroom” by Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann from the University of North Texas. Her interviews with students and discussion of the different types of microaggressions (based on Dr. Sue’s work), is worth your time. 

Microaggressions may or may not be intended to hurt the listener; often, they come from unconscious bias. Regardless of intent, they can do real damage. It might be easy to dismiss them as small and relatively harmless, but the accumulation of these comments - day in and day out - adds up to a feeling of isolation, difference, and alienation. These emotions are not conducive to learning. 

On a most basic level, being the recipient of frequent microaggressions can raise stress levels and keep people focused on the classroom environment, their instructor and their peers rather than the course content. This distraction can affect learning; when we are being vigilant to threats around us, we don’t learn the same way. 

If the impact is severe enough, there can even be physical and mental consequences that impact the targeted individuals. In a 2012 study, the connection between microaggressions and mental health is clear: 

“Individuals who perceive and experience racial microaggressions in their lives are likely to exhibit negative mental health symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, negative affect (or negative view of the world), and lack of behavioral control” (Nadal Links to an external site., et al, 62)

Because they happen frequently and because others can dismiss biased comments and accuse the victims of being “too sensitive,” some writers have suggested they have a more negative impact than “old school racism.” Gloria Ladson-Billings called these comments “a thousand daily cuts.” 

 

Responding to Microaggressions

If you hear something that appears to communicate a biased perspective in your class, it can be difficult to know how to respond. Depending on the severity of the comments, your response might range from embarrassment, to mild shock, to outright anger. Whether it is directed toward you or someone in your presence, having the right words to say in the moment is tough for a lot of people.  But, intervening in microaggressions is an essential part of supporting those who are targeted, as well as educating those who speak them. 

My largest recommendation is to think through your response now - in advance of anything happening -  so you are as prepared as possible. In my own experience, my most common response to microaggressions in class is stunned silence; I simply don’t know what to say. Keeping my mouth shut might be perceived as support for biased language, especially to those who are the targets of the microaggression, and that is not my core belief. So, planning and having an intervention ready is really important to me. 

One of the best approaches to responding to microaggressions is the RAVEN approach. Developed by Dr. J. Luke Wood and Dr. Frank Harris III, the RAVEN approach works this way:

    1. Redirect the interaction with the goal of immediately stopping the conversation to prevent further harm from occurring. 

Sample language: “I’d like to pause this conversation right here, because I’m concerned with the language that is being used.” “I am going to interrupt for a moment and make sure that we all have a chance to unpack this.”

    1. Ask probing questions to the aggressor to help them understand their statements and actions and how they can be perceived as rude, threatening, or harmful.

Sample Language: “I think I heard you say that student barely speaks English and doesn’t belong in college. What did you mean by that?” “I want to make sure I understand you, were you saying that non-native English speakers shouldn’t be in college?” 

    1. Values clarification identifies shared organizational values (e.g., trust, diversity, inclusion, safe spaces, welcoming environments, treating everyone with dignity and respect) and conveying to the aggressor that their actions or statements are not aligned with these values. 

Sample Language: “At the beginning of the semester, we all agreed to create an environment that was safe and welcoming.  The statement you just made is not aligned with these values.” “What you said is not aligned with our institutions values of equity and inclusion.”

    1. Emphasize your own thoughts and feelings to make the aggressor recognize that a racial microaggression is not only harmful to the person or persons who were directly targeted but also to those who are present to observe it.

Sample Language: “I was saddened to hear you say that about people from Valencia Hills. I think someone from that community would be hurt by what you said.” “When you said that John was ‘articulate,’ I felt like you were implying that John spoke better than you expected him to speak.” 

    1. Next steps suggests what the aggressor can do to correct or change their behavior moving forward.

Sample Language: “You might want to offer an apology to the class / to Jane in particular.” “It is important that you think about how words and phrases like this affect people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community.” “If you want to avoid unintentionally insulting people, you should learn more about implicit bias. There are great resources on the Implicit Association Test site, and I have some great videos that I can share with you.”

The two authors have an article Links to an external site. on the topic as well as an hour-long focusing on online microaggressions. I highly recommend both these resources. 

Another approach for responding to microaggressions is PALS Links to an external site., developed by the University of Michigan. PALS stands for the four-step process of interrupting bias: 1. Pause/Halt/Slow the conversation, 2.  Acknowledge/Ask what the person is saying, 3. Listen to what the person said, and 4. Speak your truth/share stories. This approach is simple, and the one-page handout Links to an external site.provides language that can be used for each of the steps. 

Additional examples can be found closer to home as well. In the May 2020 Safe Campus Advocates Working with LGBTTQQIAP+ Students (Intermediate) course, facilitator Nick Franco shared some thoughts as well as examples of phrases or questions that interrupt microaggressions: 

“It took me years to refine my skills in knowing when and how to intervene in those sorts of situations. One trick I learned was to ask a question or make a statement to the group about what was just said. For example, if someone said something problematic or prejudiced, you might say some of the following:

    • Gosh, what you just shared got me thinking... (or, what you shared earlier still has me thinking)
    • I’m finding myself ruminating on what you shared — it really got me activated. I wonder if anyone else feels the same way.
    • I wonder what another explanation or viewpoint is on that…
    • Thank you for sharing. Can we consider other perspectives on this?

These are designed to (1) indicate to (at least some members of) the group that you noticed something problematic but without saying "that's problematic" directly, (2) give others the opportunity to step in, especially if they are feeling voiceless, and (3) give you time to formulate a response.”

Of course, no matter how supportive you might intend for your intervention to be, many people will be offended by your response. Because the common understanding of racism is close to being synonymous with “evil,” people fail to separate themselves from their language, and they fail to see how they have adopted societal stereotypes and biases. So, calling someone out for saying something that can be considered a microaggression often leads to excuses, explanations, offense, and protestations of “But, I am not racist!” If the point of intervention is partially about educating the speaker, your tone matters. But, ultimately, it is not your responsibility to change other people’s behavior - all we can do is offer opportunities to learn. Keep in mind the other purpose of intervening in microaggressions: supportting those whose identities have been targeted. Wood and Harris address this in their article, encouraging people to respond even if they are worried about speaking up or feel paralyzed by shock: 

Dr. Derald Wing Sue and colleagues argued that this sense of paralysis occurs because observers are typically unsure about what actually occurred, lack awareness on how to respond, are concerned about negative repercussions that may occur if they do respond, perceive that it may be better do to nothing, or somehow convince themselves that what observed really did not happen. Our belief is that educators have a moral duty to respond when a microaggression occurs.  Simply put, not interceding is allowing harm to occur. (Wood and Harris). 

Intervention is the right answer, even if the outcome is out of your hands. Take the action that is within your control. Interrupt microaggressions. 

 

Additional Resources

SCC faculty Jenny Wilson has started a video collection project, interviewing students of color about their experiences at SCC. Here's a conversation with Eve C.

Stay Woke Eve C.mp4 Download Stay Woke Eve C.mp4Play media comment.

 

If you would like to know more about microaggressions and how to address them, there are many valuable resources.