Nursing Education and Inclusive Learning Environment, Classroom Dynamics and Microaggressions

Inclusive Learning Environment In Nursing Education, Classroom Dynamics In Nursing Education, Microaggressions In Nursing Education.

Inclusive Learning Environment In Nursing Education

    Learning environments can be unequal power
spaces, but when faculty adopt an “inclusive excellence” framework, they view
everyone in the academic program or course as a resource on the topic at hand
while at the same time recognizing that students’ perspectives will vary based
on their personal experience with the topic (Bleich, Mac Williams, &
Schmidt, 2014; Pederson Clayton & Pederson Clayton, 2008).

    Inclusive
learning environments are places in which thoughtfulness, mutual respect,
multiple perspectives, varied experiences, and academic excellence are valued
and promoted. This is largely due to the fact that the faculty and students
work together to create and sustain an environment in which everyone feels
safe, supported, and encouraged to express her or his views and concerns. 

   In
the classroom, content is presented in a manner that reduces all students’
experiences of marginalization and, wherever possible, helps students
understand that individual experiences, values, and perspectives influence how
they construct knowledge in any field or discipline. 

    To create an inclusive
learning environment, everyone in the school is responsible for making students
feel welcome and comfortable. Managing dynamics that go beyond fitting in if
one is different from the majority to messages of belonging and safety are
crucial. 

    The admission to schools of nursing of diverse populations of students
directly affects factors such as the learning environment of the educational
unit (campus wide and the school of nursing), the social environment, and
recruitment (and retention). Therefore, concerted efforts must be made to
direct interventions that will have positive effects for all students. 

    Because
most of the interaction among students and faculty occur in the classroom and
clinical agencies, faculty must be prepared to create a learning environment
there that is sensitive to the dynamics of student interaction, recognize and
manage microaggressions and gender and linguistic biases, and understand racial
and ethnic differences in students’ learning style. 

Classroom Dynamics In Nursing Education

    One of the major barriers to learning for
minority students is fear of participating in class and experiencing rejection
from their classmates. In the classroom, faculty must be aware of students’
backgrounds and response patterns and how classroom norms and rules are forms
of power. 

    Payne’s classic book A Framework for Understanding Poverty (2005) is
an excellent resource summarizing the major hidden rules the unspoken cues and
habits that differ among the classes of poverty, middle class, and wealth. Students
who have experienced poverty have at least two sets of behaviors from which to
choose one for the street and one for the school or work settings. 

    Students
from the middle-class value work and achievement while students from wealth
emphasize financial, social, and political connections. When faculty understand
these behaviors and the hidden rules and power differentials, they can
structure the classroom to overcome these differences.

   Capitalizing on the
opportunity from the beginning to create a welcoming environment will
neutralize to a great degree the stress that comes with the feeling of not
belonging. A caring pedagogy makes allowances for behaviors that are exhibited
by students in the classroom even during moments of silence. 

    It is especially
important to stay learner-driven and therefore student-centered. This calls for
an astute awareness of the adaptations that may be needed while simultaneously
complementing participatory learning.

Microaggressions In Nursing Education

   Microaggressions, which are reported to be
common, are defined by Sue and colleagues (2007) as “brief and commonplace
verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or
unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights
or insults toward people of color” (p. 271). 

    In addition to race, they are
reported to be perpetuated on the basis of gender, sexual orientation,
religious beliefs, and ability status. The effect of
continuing microaggressions to exclude the person of difference is real. 

    Individuals experiencing these microaggressions have expressed feelings of
lessened self-confidence and productivity (Mays, 2009). The implication is for
educators to think about any method of verbal exchange so as to eliminate
statements that might be perceived as microaggressions.

    When microaggressions occur, faculty or
anyone present has the responsibility to manage the incident. The goal is to
preserve the dignity of those involved: 

• Be open to discussing, exploring, and
clarifying what is felt and seen. In other words, “pay attention to the
tension.” 

• Do a check-in. Watch body language and indications that students
have checked out. This will do much to engender trust and to positively seal a
caring relationship. 

• Offer a simple “I’m sorry,” which is all that may be
called for in many instances. 

• Reduce ambiguity and uncertainty, and make the
invisible visible. 

• Use the opportunity to educate all members of the
community. Education holds one of the primary keys to combating and overcoming
the harm that microaggressions deliver. 

• Indicate at the outset that anyone
present could unintentionally or intentionally commit these acts, especially
through the language we use. 

    Managing the situation when one is involved as
either the target or perpetrator requires particular acumen. Faculty and
students can be open to exploring the possibility that one has acted in a
biased fashion and controlling defensiveness. 

    This involves suspending
interpretation of behavior for those who challenge views, and becoming aware of
values, biases, and assumptions about human behavior. 

    When faculty or students
are working in a team when microaggressions occur, they should manage the
process, not the content. This occurs by acknowledging the accuracy of
statements when appropriate, helping individuals see the difference between
intention and effect, and encouraging individuals to explore how their feelings
may be saying something about them and enlisting the aid of others on the team
by asking them what they see happening. 

    When courage shows up, it is important
for faculty to recognize, validate, and express appreciation for the
individual’s willingness to take a risk and to hold a courageous dialogue. By
doing so, faculty model healthy relationship behaviors.