Humanizing your blended classroom

Humanising your classroom provides an opportunity to create an emotional connection with your students. Four principles guide humanised teaching: trust, empathy, presence and awareness: With social isolation and distance learning, we need to intentionally build in activities that encourage social inclusion.

The week before lectures and the first week are considered “high opportunity zones” to engage with your students and incorporate kindness cues of social inclusion (Estrada et al., 2018).

Kindness cues
Create a humanised homepage

How to record an introductory video for your course

Get to know your students
Provide information about student services

Regular communication
Encourage student voice
Check-in with your students
Give warm and regular feedback
References

Cohen, G. L. & Steele, C. M. (2002). A barrier of mistrust: How stereotypes affect cross-race mentoring. In J. Aronson (Ed.), Improving academic achievement: Impact of psychological factors on education (pp. 205–331). Academic Press.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Estrada, M., Eroy-Reveles, A. & Matsui, J. (2018). The influence of affirming kindness and community on broadening participation in STEM career pathways. Social issues and policy review, 12(1), 258–297.

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