{"id":1105,"date":"2021-02-11T15:40:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T15:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/university-advice\/?p=1105"},"modified":"2023-01-05T14:39:10","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:39:10","slug":"inclusivity-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/tutors\/inclusivity-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"LGBT History Month | Inclusivity in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1106 alignleft lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/steph.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"85\" height=\"85\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 85px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 85\/85;\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1106 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/steph.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"85\" height=\"85\"><\/noscript><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This LGBT History month we have a guest blog all about how to make your tutorials more inclusive. It&#8217;s written by Steph Acaster, <\/em><em style=\"font-size: inherit;\">a psychology, maths, and science tutor on MyTutor.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Often when LGBTQ+ issues are discussed in relation to education, people\u2019s first thoughts are about sex and relationships education. Whilst this is undoubtedly an important area, it\u2019s also important to focus on education in general, including subjects where LGBTQ+ content may not be a main focus.<\/p>\n<p>Young people spend a huge portion of their time on educational activities, whether in school lessons, in tutoring sessions, or in extra-curriculars &#8211; so it\u2019s vital that they all feel included, respected, and represented within those settings. A feeling of inclusiveness and belongingness can create an incredibly positive effect on both academic learning and mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1108 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/02.20_MYTUTOR_HANDPICKED-TUTORS.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"297\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 350px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 350\/297;\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/02.20_MYTUTOR_HANDPICKED-TUTORS.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"297\"><\/noscript><\/h2>\n<h2>The benefits<\/h2>\n<p>LGBTQ+ inclusivity benefits all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. For some, it means validation of their feelings or experiences, or a safe space to express themselves. For others, it means gaining a more balanced understanding of the people around them. Thankfully, it\u2019s not challenging or time-consuming to change our approach to lessons to increase inclusivity and bring these benefits to students.<\/p>\n<h2>Inclusive introductions<\/h2>\n<p>A first step for tutors who communicate with students and their guardians, can be simply not assuming that every student has \u201cmum and dad\u201d at home. Allowing students to introduce themselves and any family members that you\u2019ll be in contact with, and saving them from the awkward feeling of having to correct an adult\u2019s assumption about them is an easy step to take that can make a great difference for some students.<\/p>\n<p>It can also be useful to include your pronouns (e.g. \u201cI use she\/her pronouns\u201d or \u201cmy pronoun is she\/her\u201d) when meeting someone new, even if you are cisgender or you think your pronouns might be obvious based on your name. This can help to normalise sharing pronouns for everyone, and allows trans and gender diverse students to feel safe and welcomed when they would like to include their pronouns.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-896 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/illustration_online_lesson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"309\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 347px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 347\/309;\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-896\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/illustration_online_lesson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"347\" height=\"309\"><\/noscript><\/p>\n<h2>Representation in the (virtual) classroom<\/h2>\n<p>Tutors can also improve inclusivity and representation in lessons, contributing to a world where LGBTQ+ people and relationships are normalised, rather than seen as being entirely separate from daily life and tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Small changes can make a big difference. For many subjects, such as Maths, English, Psychology, and Foreign Languages (any time when using scenarios to set up an activity), tutors can include a variety of characters, family structures, and gender-neutral or non-stereotypical names and situations. The focus of the activity need not be the LGBTQ+ characters facing LGBTQ+ related issues &#8211; but the presence of this type of variety can help LGBTQ+ students to feel that they are represented in the materials that they\u2019re being asked to work with. It can also help other students to recognise and become familiar with, for example, families which may not match their own family structure.<\/p>\n<p>In subjects like History, Art, Drama, and Sport, including the stories of LGBTQ+ individuals and the kinds of issues faced by them, can help give context to the curriculum topics in focus, and build an awareness of \u201cLGBTQ+ identities\u201d as real people who play a role in a wide range of professions.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1107 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/divideandrulejpg-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"315\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 426px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 426\/315;\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-1107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/divideandrulejpg-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"315\"><\/noscript><\/p>\n<h2>Learning is for everyone<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s also a good thing to acknowledge not knowing something. Just like with any other topic, if a student raises a question that you can\u2019t answer right away, don\u2019t avoid it! Whilst it\u2019s best not to make assumptions or give opinions on something you\u2019re not sure about, allowing students to see your reasoning or research into a question can be a great way to encourage them to develop an open-minded and intellectual approach to learning new things. And of course, there are plenty of sources available for you to teach yourself more if you feel like this would benefit your interactions with students or others in the wider community.<\/p>\n<p>Online education brings with it the great positive of more choices than ever before, where families can choose tutors who\u2019ll provide an inclusive learning environment, and a safe space for learning. It also means that we as tutors have great opportunities (and responsibilities) to ensure that we include and represent people from a diverse range of backgrounds in our teaching and learning environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This LGBT History month we have a guest blog all about how to make your tutorials more inclusive. It&#8217;s written by Steph Acaster, a psychology, maths, and science tutor on MyTutor. Often when LGBTQ+ issues are discussed in relation to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[790,795],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LGBT History Month | Inclusivity in the classroom | MyTutor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/tutors\/inclusivity-in-the-classroom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LGBT History Month | Inclusivity in the classroom | MyTutor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This LGBT History month we have a guest blog all about how to make your tutorials more inclusive. 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