This teaching academy session focuses on creating and maintaining a mutually respectful classroom environment for students and instructors of diverse backgrounds and social identities. The first part of the session will provide tips on pedagogical considerations and practices for setting up an inclusive classroom atmosphere. The second part of the session will address how to handle the challenges that instructors may face in the classroom, including how to address microaggressions, facilitate difficult classroom conversations, and manage the implicit biases students may hold. This session is geared toward graduate teaching assistants but also offers valuable perspectives for instructors of all credentials.

The speakers for this session are from the Department of Communication at the UIUC. Monét Tchamdjoci is a master's student and instructor of record for Public Speaking (CMN 101), Shaimaa Khanam is a doctoral student and instructor of record for Social Movement Communication (CMN 250), and Mardia Bishop, PhD, is the Course Director for CMN 101: Public Speaking.