Promoting Inclusive Classroom Dynamics in Higher Education

Kathryn C. Oleson is dean of the faculty at Reed College. Before becoming dean in July 2020, she was professor of psychology and inaugural director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (2014–2016) at Reed. Prior to coming to Reed in 1995, she was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at The Ohio State University after finishing her PhD in social psychology at Princeton University. With Robert Arkin and Patrick Carroll, she coedited the Handbook of the Uncertain Self (Psychology Press, 2009). She is a teacher-scholar who conducts collaborative research with undergraduates. Much of her research has examined students’ reactions in challenging academic contexts, concentrating on self-doubt, achievement goals, academic procrastination, and behavioral strategies. Currently, her research primarily explores ways to create inclusive classroom dynamics in higher education, with a particular focus on productive discomfort.

• Foreword—Tia Brown McNair Acknowledgments Preface 1. Instructors 2. Students 3. Context and Content 4. Class Dynamics I 5. Class Dynamics II—Robert R. Murphy and Kathryn C. Oleson 6. Conclusion. Bringing It All Together References About the Authors Index

From the Foreword:“Promoting Inclusive Classroom Dynamics in Higher Education provides a pathway for faculty to help students develop agency, achieve higher levels of learning and reflection, and have a sense of belonging.”Tia Brown McNair, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive DirectorTRHT Campus Centers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities“Presenting research, strategies, and lived experiences in engaging and accessible ways, Kathryn C. Oleson invites us to reflect on ourselves as facilitators of learning, to recognize the necessity not just the benefits of more equitable and inclusive classrooms, and to dedicate ourselves to transforming our thinking and our practices. She provides an impressively wide range of conceptual frameworks, concrete approaches, and helpful examples that can guide the necessarily ongoing work of promoting inclusive classroom dynamics.”Alison Cook-Sather, Professor of Education and Director, Peace, Conflict and Social Justice concentration and Director, Teaching and Learning Institute, and co-author of Promoting Equity and Justice through Pedagogical Partnership (Stylus, forthcoming)Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges“This book offers essential, evidence-based strategies for faculty and students to foster transparent learning and teaching conditions, including the sense of belonging and the collaborative, intentional support for equitable learning that is so essential to students’ persistence and success in college.”Mary-Ann Winkelmes, executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; and co-editor, Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and LeadershipBrandeis University“Every new and seasoned faculty member who reads this book will make more intentional decisions in how they bring themselves into their classes and organize small group engagement. Faculty developers will rely on this book as an essential resource for the how and why of inclusive group dynamics in higher education.”Becky Wai-Ling Packard, Professor of Psychology and Education; author of Successful STEM Mentoring Initiatives for Underrepresented StudentsMount Holyoke College