In a classroom environment, some students may not react as fast as others. This could be due to a hearing disability or because of difficulty understanding a question or instruction, for example. Teachers should allow for this and provide an opportunity for everyone to get involved by pausing after asking a question or giving an instruction in class. This means students who need time to digest what has been said aren’t left behind. During a classroom discussion, the teacher can also ask multiple students for their opinions on an issue so that more individuals get a chance to speak.
If a teacher is concerned that certain students find it hard to stay active within a group, she can arrange for extra support to be given to those students as part of an activity. So if students are sorted into groups and given a task as part of a lesson or seminar, the teacher might spend more time with particular students so that everyone is eased into the task. Classroom assistants can work with students whose first language isn’t English, so that each person understands the task before beginning.
Language barriers are a major issue that can prevent students from becoming as involved as their peers. If a student is being taught in a language he’s still learning, it’ll take more time to digest any information and this can be a source of frustration. Teachers can reach out to these students though by integrating their primary language into learning activities. The Scholastic website gives an example in the form of a performance by a Hmong storyteller to a class containing both English and a few Hmong-speakers. The English students were familiar with the story already so weren’t confused, and the Hmong-speakers felt especially included in the lesson.
Students arriving on a college campus from another country may feel a sense of exclusion, especially if the culture of college life is particularly different from home. Colleges can set up orientation programs that aim to ease these students into college life. For example, the orientation program might include social events that encourage both American and international students to mingle.
Buddy schemes are a method of pairing two students up as one or both enters a new school or college. Often one student is older and has knowledge of the institution that can benefit the younger. Buddy systems also benefit students by establishing a social connection between the pair, and helping younger students feel included in the institution’s community.