Background:  In an Art and Design institution, first year students consist of a diverse population, and each six-hour studio class (16-20 students) has a wide and disparate range of learning levels that are dependent on factors such as; cultural background, motivation, ability and/or disability, and diverse interests in future majors with different background knowledge to name a few.  One of the important learning outcomes of a studio course is the ability to honestly critique works of peers. Differentiated instruction must be built into each class, where student-centered group discussions are key to critique through learning from different perspectives, and using TBL can promote inclusive pedagogy. I discovered through the use of these practices, that shy and international students especially benefited because it created a safe classroom community to practice their verbal communication skills._x000D_ _x000D_ Description:  Even in Art and Design schools, studio classes tend to follow lecture-based instruction and historically there exists a hierarchy of power in critiques, where the majority of discussion is led by the professor with little dialogue and input from students. This sets up a passive learning situation where students do not often interact, creating silos of learning and prohibits them from seeing different perspectives. The use of different application exercises learned through TBL restructures the old methods of critiques and has helped my students engage in class discussions.  They are now much more open to giving and getting critical feedback of one another's work._x000D_ _x000D_ Results: The students reported that my course utilizing TBL has created a more genial working environment where they feel comfortable asking their peers for feedback.  End of course surveys have also found that the international students writing and critical assessment of their peers have also improved. Using TBL application exercises have helped students with self efficacy and gave them agency in their own learning process._x000D_ _x000D_ This research was conducted with the support of Pratt Institute's Center for Teaching and Learning through their Faculty Learning Community grant.