Josh Luckens interviews Dr. Tracie Addy, who shares strategies for implementing inclusive teaching practices in the college classroom.

They discuss the relationship between active learning and equity, why student-centered teaching promotes feelings of belonging, and the pedagogical power of authentic human connection.

Dr. Tracie Addy is the Director of the Center for the Integration of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship at Lafayette College. She is a scholar of both teaching and learning and educational development, primarily focusing on learner-centered practices including active learning and inclusive teaching.

Dr. Addy is the co-author of the book What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching.

Paraphrasing Dr. Addy:

• In a learner-centered classroom, most of the students are engaged in participating; there's more equity in terms of participation.

• You'll see the instructor serving as a guide or coach in a process of learning and growth. You’ll see the instructor trying to understand where their students are coming from, viewing their diversity as an asset, and really seeing their full humanity.

• Learning is a back-and-forth collaborative process. We know that people learn through stories and by working together to creatively solve problems, constructing new knowledge in meaningful and authentic ways.

Additional resources:

• Who is in class form

• Inclusive teaching visualization site

• Inclusive Instruction Q&A Video with Dr. Addy from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)

Editors: Megan Hamilton Giebert and Lorrie Weldon

(January, 2023)