Inclusive learning and inclusive leadership

By Nathalie Moire

While it has always been wise to include colleagues and learners into decision-making and learning processes, the concept of inclusiveness has become more and more de rigueur in the workplace. Let’s start with what it means and implies, both in the classroom and at work.

What is inclusiveness?

Inclusiveness is the quality of including many different types of people and treating them all fairly and equally. It is a social and ethical responsibility which has a positive impact on the way we work together to improve the development of, and support for all. It is also a legal requirement under the Equality Act (2010) which outlaws direct and indirect discrimination on the grounds of the protected characteristics including age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, religion/belief and sexual orientation and requires all to take positive steps to promote equality.

Understandably, employers are increasingly recognising the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce for reasons which we will see further below.

How does inclusiveness apply to teaching and learning?

In the classroom, inclusive teaching is the creation of a learning environment which provides all learners, regardless of their background, with the opportunity to fulfil their own learning potential and support other learners who may wish to learn from them.

How to create an inclusive classroom:

1. The practice of inclusive teaching involves consciously working to foster learning across differences, for example by acknowledging and challenging biases and stereotypes that can impede understanding and undermine a student’s sense of belonging to the discipline. Trainers familiar with the ‘learner-centred classroom’ will understand the benefits of preparing lessons with learners in mind.

 

2. Catering for different learning styles (visual, kinaesthetic, etc) will also help get the best out of all learners. This can be done by making full use of the technology available nowadays – pretty much an infinite source of apps and online resources. For an example suitable for learners with a visual learning style, see this example.

 

3. The practice of inclusive teaching also involves keeping accessibility and transparency in mind when designing courses and assignments, as well as awareness of power differences within the classroom and of psycho-social factors that can affect learning. This implies ensuring resources are accessible to learners outside lesson time, in a blended format. for example.

 

4. Inclusiveness also implies an understanding of group dynamics between adults who work together in different roles, at various levels of responsibility, and with different degrees of seniority. To take full advantage of that dynamics and enhance the learning experience, different course formats are available to choose from at Language Services Direct.

What’s in it for the learners?

There are many positive outcomes to inclusiveness in the classroom – here are a few:

1. Mistakes aren’t just mistakes anymore – they’re opportunities for all to learn.
2. Feeling comfortable unlocks everyone’s potential, leading to enhanced learning i.e. the Affective Filter
3. Awareness of inclusiveness in class can help foster inclusiveness at work – and vice-versa.

How does inclusiveness apply to the workplace?

At work, inclusive leadership is a context where leaders who are aware of their own biases and preferences, actively seek out and consider different views and perspectives to inform better decision-making. It’s all about seeing a problem from several angles rather than just one’s own. This is where diversity leads to creativity.

Equally, inclusive leaders who understand how different thinkers react to change are uniquely prepared to communicate and influence in a way that gets everyone on board with new ideas and new ways of doing things.

We’re not just different in where we come from or what our outlook is – we live longer, and therefore work longer. This means we all need to get used to working with younger and older generations alike, another good reason to embrace inclusiveness.

Finally, and this isn’t negligible when it comes to investment – training and otherwise – inclusive leadership will help attract and retain employees.

Fortunately, our experience, methodology and technology are here to help. If you’d like to find out more about our bespoke language courses for business, click here.

References:

https://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/inclusive-teaching-learning/reducing-stereotype-threat/

https://www.inc.com/ryan-jenkins/6-reasons-to-be-an-inclusive-leader.html

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