Addressing Students' Needs: Planning Considerations

Adapted with permission from Shari Saunders and Diana Kardia, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan.

There are a number of issues that should be taken into account during the planning process for any class. You need to become comfortable with your level of knowledge about certain groups and seek ways to inform yourself (e.g., through experiences, readings, and/or conversations with faculty, peers, and students who are knowledgeable about the particular groups). Below you will find examples of issues to consider during the planning process.

Accommodations

Students may have religious holidays and practices that require accommodations at certain times during the academic calendar year. Students with disabilities may also require special accommodations. Consider students' needs when assigning evening or weekend work. Be prepared to make accommodations for students who feel uncomfortable working in labs or at computer stations during the evening because of safety concerns. Students who are parents, particularly those who are single parents, may also appreciate alternatives to evening lab work or weekend field trips, as will students who work part-time.

Attendance

If you grade on the basis of attendance, it is important that you record all students' attendance at every class session (whether or not you use the information) rather than collecting a mental record of absences. Students who are different in a highly visible way (women who wear Islamic clothing, African Americans or Asian Americans in a predominantly Caucasian class, students who use wheelchairs, etc.) can be penalized because of their visibility. In particular, absences of such students may be noticed more easily and this may inadvertently and unfairly affect how you assess their performance.

Cultural Reference Points

Instructors who use examples drawn only from their own experiences may fail to reach all students in the class. Given that examples are designed to clarify key points, you should collect examples from a variety of cultural reference points. For example, in 1995/1996, "Friends" was a sitcom that received high ratings. However, this show was less popular among many African American people than shows like "Living Single" and "Martin." Similarly, when using sports examples it is important for instructors to include sports in which women predominate (e.g., track & field, figure skating, gymnastics, tennis, softball) as well as those in which male participants predominate (e.g., hockey, football, baseball).

These concerns can also be offset by asking about students' familiarity with an example before discussing it or asking students to produce examples of their own. You can also explain examples fully in order to reach a diverse classroom. Bring in guest lecturers. As appropriate, you can broaden and enrich your course by asking faculty or off-campus professionals of different ethnic groups or cultures to make presentations to your class.

Safe Discussion of Controversial Topics

Class sessions that address controversial topics may result in any of the following unintended outcomes:

1. altercations between individual students or groups of students
2. silence from students who feel intimidated or fear conflict 
3. the assertion and perpetuation of false stereotypes or problematic assumptions
4. the expression of offensive speech

There are no easy answers for dealing with these situations when they occur. It is best to work toward the prevention of these occurrences by investing time in the planning process. When working with a particular controversial topic, anticipate possible responses and how you might deal with differing yet passionate views on that topic.

You should plan strategies that provide structure for these discussions and that fosterstudents' ability to express their own ideas well, while also increasing their ability to listen to and learn from others. In the interest of free speech, students should be encouraged to honestly share their views during discussions. Be prepared, however, to correct stereotypes and challenge students' assumptions when comments are shared. It can be a difficult task to reconcile the tension between challenging offensive speech and not suppressing free speech. You should also consider your own response to emotion in the classroom and use this awareness to inform the planning process.

Establishing agreed-upon ground rules early in the class can be an important aspect of productive class discussions. If ground rules are established early, students will need to be reminded periodically of the rules throughout the semester, especially if their behavior suggests that they are ignoring them. If such rules are not established at the beginning of the semester, it is necessary to establish them when a problem becomes apparent. (For a list of important ground rules for discussion, go to the section on Discussion).

It is also helpful to focus on group processes. Activities and assignments during the first weeks of the course should include opportunities for instructors to get to know each student and for students to get to know one another. Establishing rules for classroom dialogues, building a trusting and open environment, modeling appropriate behavior during dialogues, and giving students the opportunity to practice these behaviors are important for positive dialogue. If you and your students engage in these behaviors early on, when problems arise, you will be able to address the problem by discussing the rules and appropriate behaviors.