CIC Belong: An Inclusive Learning Community
By Dr. John Johnson, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence
Whitman College recently joined the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Belong Community. The Belong Community is a national network of CIC member colleges and universities dedicated to making their campuses more welcoming and inclusive. Designed in partnership with the Association of College and University Educators, Belong offers a suite of professional development resources for faculty and staff to support student belonging in class and campus-wide.
As part of our involvement with CIC’s Belong: An Inclusive Learning Community, all faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to register and attend “Feeling Welcome: Connecting Through Conversations,” on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 11 a.m. to noon. This session will focus on how educators can facilitate classroom conversations that incorporate diverse perspectives, guide students in respectful disagreement, and help students summarize discussions to identify key points and achieve closure. Presented by Teresa Nance, Ph.D., Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Villanova University, this webinar will provide actionable strategies to enhance classroom dialogue and ensure all students feel heard and valued.
Webinar Description:
In the classroom, conversations can make the abstract concrete, the theoretical practical and the esoteric personal. Good conversations never just happen. As educators we know the importance of preparing both our materials and our students for what we want to happen with our time together. Creating constructive frameworks for classroom conversations is imperative.
Learning Objectives:
- Facilitate classroom conversations that incorporate multiple perspectives and diverse student experiences to achieve success.
- Teach students how to respectfully disagree with ideas rather than individuals.
- Guide students in providing internal summaries during discussions and a final summary at the end to help identify key points and achieve closure.
Please see the attached flyer for more details and register today!