Chapter 14: Inclusive Pedagogy: Foundations for Praxis in the Collegiate Classroom

Inclusive pedagogy in the collegiate classroom is one that engages all students, regardless of their academic, cultural, or social backgrounds. Faculty, however, are often subject matter experts and know less about designing an instructional environment that is inclusive of marginalized individuals. This lack of knowledge leads to differential collegiate experiences, academic achievement, and satisfaction. Those of us in higher education are at the critical juncture where we realize diversity alone is not enough. We must do more than recruit diverse students; we must keep them and ensure that they thrive. While we create programs on campus to support students from marginalized backgrounds or that are traditionally underrepresented, we must address inclusion at the heart of the collegiate experience—the classroom. Pedagogical practice includes the who, the what, and the how of teaching. It requires knowledge of content, knowledge of students, and knowledge of teaching. To be an inclusive pedagogue—one must critically examine their content knowledge (and see what they may not know) (Apple, 2012), one must prioritize knowing their students, and one must seek knowledge of the practice of teaching.