The 90.5 WASU FM radio station recently had Dr. Jamie Parson—Appalachian State Professor in the Finance, Banking and Insurance department—on their APP1800 radio show to discuss the ways in which inclusive teaching habits enhance her classroom teaching methods. "Inclusive teaching strategies are really just examples of good teaching practices", says Parson, "...I am teaching a course on employee benefits and if I am teaching a concept on employee benefits and turn around and give an example of a person with a disability, that serves two-fold benefits in my class. One, it gives students an opportunity to relate to that question... but it also gives the entire class a scenario that they could possibly see in the real world, which is just good teaching."
Dr. Parson spoke on the ways in which diversity enhances college campuses: "Diversity is important because it makes for a richer educational environment; If you have classes that are filled with students from big cities, rural communities, various ethnicities, religious identities, and lived experiences, it really lends itself to more robust opportunities for good conversations. Inclusivity is also important because if students don't feel comfortable sharing their experience and we miss their perspective in the classroom, we end up with this incomplete educational experience which then provides a disservice to our students as a whole."
Listen to the full interview here.
