Building Positive and Inclusive Classrooms: A Guide to Success

Classrooms are where leaders are born. It is a place where minds flourish with ideas and help build characters of the future. The effectiveness of classrooms matters as it holds a great image in a student’s life. So, enhancing a positive environment in the classroom is quite essential. A positive and inclusive classroom environment contributes to a free and open space for any conversation, resulting in the free exchange of ideas and concepts.

What are Inclusive Classrooms?

Inclusive classrooms can be defined as an environment where opinions are free of judgment and information is unrestricted for all. The sense of inclusivity among peers can have a great impact on the process of learning. Hence, fostering such ideologies can help create a smooth knowledge-gaining process in an individual. The teachers of an inclusive classroom educate the students by setting clear behavioural standards where discipline is the key. This type of learning helps build social and emotional bondings between peers and helps reduce the complexities of life.

Inclusive classrooms can be built in both virtual and traditional modes of learning where the teachers play the most crucial part. Inclusive classrooms help in the following ways:

1. Build communities: Communities can help enhance communication between peers. Through effective communication, the bond among the peers gets strong and thus help in making the classroom environment more inclusive. Community-building activities help in breaking the ice between peers and enhance a more effective communication process. It is the task of the teachers to help students create a sense of respect which can be done through building proper bonds in the communities.

2. Teamwork: Inclusive learning is enhanced by effective teamwork. The teams created act as the source of communication which helps in better understanding of the subject. The collaboration amongst the peers helps in building strong bonds which results in more inclusive learning as a whole.

3. Behavioural management in classrooms: Inclusive learning in a classroom helps in managing the behaviours of the students to a greater extent. Be it in traditional or distance mode, inclusive learning helps manage the behavioural patterns and help maintain discipline in the students. Treating everyone equally helps reduce the negative perceptions among the peers and see each and everyone as equals. Thus, resulting in greater sense of discipline and behavioural management.

4. Boosting confidence: Inclusive learning can help boost the confidence of the students as everyone is treated equally. The lesser the judgements the more effectively one can showcase themselves. Thus, since this is what inclusive learning fosters, confidence boosting is one of its positive outcomes.

What are Positive Classrooms?

Positive classrooms can be defined as environments that foster positivity among students. They are places where students feel safe and secure expressing their opinions. This is similar to an inclusive learning method. So, what actually makes a positive classroom?

1. Judgement-free environment: The moment judgment enters the context of learning, the effectiveness of knowledge-gaining reduces. A positive classroom enhances a judgement-free environment and helps the students communicate effectively.

2. Enhanced interactivity: A positive classroom environment helps students to be more open, thus resulting in enhanced interactivity among themselves. Communication is the key to every relationship, and thus, students can enhance their interaction in a positive classroom.

How to Build a Positive and Inclusive Classroom?

Building a positive and inclusive classroom can have a significant impact on students. These are some of how it can be built:

1. Elevate the curriculum: Inclusive learning can only be implemented if the curriculum as a whole is inclusive. It should represent everyone and effectively present perspectives from all backgrounds. Thus, making the curriculum more inclusive and positive in nature. Certain sensitive topics which might harm the sentiments of the individuals of any background must be eliminated from the curriculum.

2. Inclusive tones and languages: Teaching students using inclusive tones and languages can help boost their interest in learning. Teachers need to avoid using outdated terms that might be offensive. They should focus on making students feel important and that their knowledge-gaining process is the only thing that matters.

3. Empathy building: The classrooms should be designed so that teachers can help build empathy amongst the students. Students should also be taught how to be empathetic towards their peers and others. Creating a space for this practice can help build better characters, and this positivity learned in the classroom can go a long way. Thus, empathy building plays a major part in creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment.

4. Avoid stereotyping: By avoiding the practice of stereotyping, one can help educate the students about inclusivity. It is very essential to avoid singling out a particular student while speaking about a topic, be it controversial or not. Stereotyping may foster aggression and shame in them resulting in ultimate accumulation of rage and anger. Thus, in order to build a positive and inclusive classroom, stereotyping should never be a part of teaching.

5. Learn from the globe: Expanding one’s horizon regarding learning is essential. Learning from people worldwide can help develop a wide range of ideas and help gain knowledge. Students should be encouraged to show their curiosity about the world events, different cultures and overall the diversified people all around. Society is the biggest teacher and when students would see how vast the world is, their minds will automatically open up.

Wrapping up!

Today in the fast-growing world where everything has become a mere competition, students being a part of a positive and inclusive classroom can make all the difference. The openness and character-building capacity of this type of learning can help build the best achievers in life. This type of learning further can help students thrive in their future, aiming to have a bigger and greater life ahead.