Master Training Specialist: Building Inclusion in the Classroom

Good trainers and educators will recognize and capitalize on the diversity adult learners bring to the classroom. Our learners come from all over the world, from different cultures and different age groups. They have different rating and ranks, different career experiences, different histories, and different operational experiences. Facilitators need to recognize this diversity and craft a supportive classroom environment that builds a classroom of inclusion. Building inclusion builds trust amongst our learners which will enable them to share more of their experiences to increase the classes' overall knowledge base.

In Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn, Dr. Wlodkowski discusses the many strategies to build inclusion in the adult learner's classroom. Below are a few key strategies to help:

Strategy 1: Allow for introductions.

Your learners want to know about the other learners, their experiences and their background. Learners want to know about you, not just your level of expertise, but a little bit about you personally.

Strategy 2: Provide an opportunity for multidimensional sharing.

These are the icebreakers where learners share something about themselves to the class. It is important not to ask learners to share something too personal that may embarrass them, so ask them to share something like "name a movie or speech that has a special meaning to you, and why."

Strategy 3: Concretely indicate your cooperative intentions to help adults learn.

Adult learners fear failing. Failing a particular training may influence their promotion status, their job placement, and hurt them financially. Let the learners know you are available to aid them in learning. Make them feel that you are not just an instructor, but a partner in figuring out problems.

Strategy 4: Share something of value with your adult learners.

Share with the learners a credible intense experience that you have had that relates to the topic being taught. Talk about a situation and how the problem was overcome. Remember to stay positive throughout the discussion. This will help build your credibility.

Strategy 5: Use collaborative and cooperative learning.

Build small workgroups or teams to solve problems. Let the learners build on each other's diverse experiences to solve issues. Keep rotating the teams for different problems or scenarios so the learners can learn to work with other people.

Strategy 6: Emphasize the human purpose of what is being learned and its relationship to the learners personal lives.

Adults feel they are part of something that is relevant to them. Discuss lessons learned that relates to your topic, and the human implications of that lessons learned. Human implications help even the shyest learner want to participate.

Strategy 7: Explicitly introduce important norms and participation guidelines.

Inform the learners at the beginning of class the expected norms of the class (uniforms, muster times, clean up, etc). Enforce these norms for everyone. Learners quickly pick up when someone is excluded from the same standard as the other learners.

Strategy 8: When issuing mandatory assignments that are out of the norm, give your rationale.

There are times when instructors feel an individual may need some extra assignments to increase knowledge. Give your rationale behind your decision. Do not let your learner feel that they are being singled out by these assignments.

Adult learners have their own diverse experiences and knowledge. They want to share this with you and their classmates. It is our responsibility to build a strong safe inclusive classroom environment.