Guide To Teaching and Learning

Academic Belonging

Cultivate students’ sense of connection to your course, the discipline, to the university, and to scholarly and professional communities.

High Expectations

  • Communicate high expectations and your belief that with effort and commitment all students can succeed. 
  • Emphasize that struggle and challenge are important parts of the learning process, rather than signs of student deficiency.
  • Discuss ways to overcome challenges and frustrations with your course content. 

Respect and Community 

  • Learn and use students’ names and pronouns; learn what they choose to be called (which may differ from a name on a roster) and how it’s pronounced.
  • Encourage students to learn and use one another’s names, correctly pronounced.
  • Build rapport through regular icebreakers.
  • Acknowledge campus, local and global events or incidents that may be creating barriers to students’ sense of being welcomed and valued; acknowledge the differential effects incidents have on different students.

Relevancy

  • Assess students’ prior knowledge about your field and topics so you can accurately align instruction with their strengths and needs
  • Help students connect their prior knowledge to new learning (e.g., when introducing a new topic, ask students individually to reflect on what they already know about the topic).

Diverse representation in your course content and delivery

  • Emphasize the range of identities and backgrounds of experts who have contributed to your field, and/or sponsor discussion about the reasons for a history of limited access to the field.
  • When inviting outside critics or speakers, seek to identify professionals who bring a range of backgrounds, including identities that are different from yours.
  • Prepare outside visitors to contribute to the inclusive environment in your classroom (by making sure they are aware of accessibility needs, sharing norms you’ve established for inclusive discussions, etc.).

Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduate

To apply to any of our Bachelor's programs (Except the Bachelor's Program for Adult Transfer Students) complete and submit the Common App online.

Graduates and Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctural, Professional Studies Diploma, Graduates Certificate, or Associate's programs, or to apply to the Bachelor's Program for Adult and Transfer Students, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

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