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Breathe, Think, and Respond: Reacting to Difficult Situations in the Classroom
Addressing difficult conversations can be complex, especially when teaching in a classroom. In an upcoming Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) Lunchtime Seminar Series, Maridia Bishop, Ph.D.. and Déjà Rollins, M.A., from the Department of Communication provides recommendations on ways to use the Breathe, Think, and Respond (BTR) method for addressing microaggression in the classrooms. Here are the steps to implement the BTR method:
- Breath. Take a moment to collect yourself and not react without thought.
- Think. What do you want to accomplish with your response? What is possible in this moment? What is the context for the situation?
- Finally, Respond. Depending on context, ask them to clarify their remarks, examine where an idea or term came from, stop the conversation and divert away from the situation, or revisit at a later time when participants have cooled off.
You can learn more about ways to use the BTR method and respond to difficult situations by watching our recent Art of Teaching recording.
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Designing Your Course with Inclusion in Mind: Start by Knowing Who Your Students Are
Jordan Leising & Manny Rodriguez Rivera
Creating or redesigning a course can be daunting, especially when aiming for inclusivity. Start by making small, inclusive changes to avoid burnout. The best way to make small inclusive changes to avoid burnout is to ask a few questions to understand your learner’s backgrounds, establish starting points, and identify barriers that can hinder your course design. For example, knowing most students are freshmen helps tailor learning objectives and scaffold projects. Recognizing barriers, like limited internet access, allows for flexible deadlines. A comprehensive view of your students’ lives enhances course success and outcomes.
What are some easy ways to get to know your students? A quick method you can start the semester with is by creating a questionnaire for students to introduce themselves to the instructors. Some good data points to collect:
- What year in undergraduate are they?
- What is their prior experience with the course content?
- What are their goals for the course?
- What are their hobbies, interests, plans for after this class, etc.?
- What access to technology do they have outside of class (e.g. laptop, desktop, mobile phone, tablet, etc.)?
- Any information that a student feels is important for you to know that can help you in your teaching and their learning (e.g. if they have preferred pronouns not reflected in their records, obligations outside of class, etc.).
By collecting this information (and kept confidential), you are achieving a few different goals. First, you are trying to understand where your students are in their learning and what barriers are present in learning. Second, you are showing your students that you are invested in their success and want to tailor your approach to meet them where they are in learning. And finally, you are gathering information that allows you to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for your students.
Want to know more about inclusive course design? Join the Inclusive Course Design Workshop Series this January on Tuesdays from 9 to 9:50 a.m., where we will discuss the details and work through the mechanics of inclusive course design.
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Join the University of Illinois Office of Online Learning!
The Office of Online Learning at the University of Illinois is expanding its team with two exciting new positions focused on K-12 pathways and digital education strategy.
🔹 Project Manager – Leads online learning initiatives, coordinating teams and stakeholders to drive innovation, and align with university goals and objectives. The candidate will possess expertise in online pedagogy and learning design with a commitment to inclusive learning across modalities.
🔹 Online Learning Program Coordinator – Coordinate programs and support online learning strategies, focusing on digital education pathways for diverse learners to access higher education, particularly through partnerships with external mission-driven organizations, including K-12 institutions.
These hybrid roles offer the flexibility to work remotely, with periodic travel to Champaign-Urbana (including Chicago) as required.
If you or someone in your network has an interest and skills in online education and digital learning strategies, we encourage you to apply or pass along this opportunity!
Quick Start Workshops: Enhance Accessibility in Your Courses
Learn practical strategies to make your course materials more inclusive and compliant with accessibility standards in these engaging, hands-on workshops.
🔹 Make Your Videos Accessible
📅 Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20, 3 – 4 p.m.
Learn how to create accessible video content with tools for captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions to support diverse learning needs.
🔹 Make Your Canvas Courses Accessible
📅 Date & Time: Tuesday, December 10, 10 – 11 a.m.
Discover practical tips for improving accessibility in Canvas, from course navigation to content formatting and inclusive design features.
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Innovation Studio Open Hours
Every Monday and Tuesday, 12 - 4 p.m.
Location: Innovation Studio, Room 172, Armory Building
MCOT - Master Course in Online Teaching
Wednesday, November 20, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Microsoft Teams
Host: David Favre (CITL)
Quick Start Workshop: Make Your Videos Accessible
Thursday, November 20, 3 - 4 p.m.
Zoom (Registration Link)
Speakers: Ann Fredricksen (DRES) and Bob Dignan (CITL)
Canvas Open Office Hours
Every Thursday, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Zoom
Host: CITL Instructional Support Team
Quick Start Workshop: Make Your Canvas Courses Accessible
Tuesday, December 10, 10 - 11 a.m.
Zoom (Registration Link)
Speaker: Lindsey Sharp (Tech Services)
Bookmark the CITL Event Calendar and the Training Services (formerly FAST3) Calendar to stay tuned for upcoming events, workshops, and additional training opportunities!
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UDL Tip of the Month: “Clear Goals, Multiple Means”
When designing your course, one of the most powerful ways to make learning more inclusive and engaging is by clearly stating your learning goals and offering multiple means for students to achieve them. Practically a mantra in the UDL world, “Clear Goals, Multiple Means” underscores the importance of clearly defining what students need to accomplish while offering flexibility in how they get there. This approach makes learning more inclusive and engaging by empowering your students to make choices that maximize their strengths and support their learning preferences.
With content-based goals where the focus is on understanding the content, multiple means can open avenues for your students to explore a topic in a variety of ways. For instance, if the goal is to “analyze how early jazz shaped social and cultural movements,” you might offer students multiple ways to explore the impact of jazz music. Students could examine how jazz challenged social norms in the early 20th century, promoted cultural expression, and sparked movements in art, dance, and fashion. They could look at how jazz spread globally, shaping music traditions worldwide, or analyze its role in advancing civil rights or breaking down racial barriers. To meet this goal, students might choose to write an essay, create a multimedia timeline showing jazz’s influence on different art forms, or produce a video or podcast discussing jazz’s role in social justice movements. The possibilities here are rich and, in the spirit of Thomas Tobin’s +1 model, can be expanded in an iterative, reflective, and evolving manner.
For goals that are more skills-based, it’s important to offer multiple means for students to practice and to demonstrate the relevant skills. For example, in a business course focused on data analysis, a clear, skills-based goal might be to "use spreadsheet software to analyze data sets and present findings through visualizations." To meet this goal, you could offer multiple means for students to practice. Some might prefer watching a video tutorial, while others might prefer following step-by-step written instructions or a live demonstration during office hours. For assessments, you could also allow students to demonstrate their spreadsheet analysis and data visualizations in different ways: a written report with charts, a recorded walkthrough of their data analysis process, or a live presentation. The more flexibility you offer, the more students can engage with the material in ways that align with their learning preferences and strengths.
In a nutshell, by designing with clear goals and multiple means in mind, you’re creating a learning environment that respects, and provides for, students’ diverse ways of engaging with content and demonstrating their knowledge. This approach not only makes learning more inclusive and impactful—it also encourages students to take ownership of their learning, fostering greater independence and confidence on their pathway to becoming what UDL educators commonly refer to as “expert learners.”
Resources
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