Belonging in the Classroom and on Campus Is More Essential Than Ever

There is no need to elaborate on the urgent need to ensure that students feel a sense of belonging in their classrooms and their schools. While schools are not supposed to provide the kind of “wrap-around care” that some might prefer, caring faculty and staff can prioritize a feeling of community and care in their classrooms and facilities. Feeling adrift and sensing that your presence isn’t welcome, or perhaps even worse, isn’t noticed is devastating to a person’s sense of self-worth. It’s important to note that a sense of belonging can shift from moment to moment – a kind word that brings us into the group can be undercut by another’s facial expression or body language leaving us feeling outside the group again. A person who feels they don't belong or matter can be at risk of harming themselves or harming others.

When students feel that they are a valued member of their classroom community, they are more likely to show up in class. If you’re an educator or administrator, from pre-school through college, consider integrating some of the following suggestions to create a strong sense of community and care in your institution:

Attitude

• From the outset of the academic term, set the tone by showing, not just saying, you care about students’ success. Warmth and authenticity make a difference to others’ perceptions of a person. Even young children can tell when a person is being “fake nice.”
• View your relationship with each student as a partnership – while they are there to learn, you are there to educate them in a way that builds confidence and competence. It’s not faculty vs. student, it’s faculty partnering with students to accomplish the course goals.
• Believe that your students are motivated to learn and find creative ways to channel their motivation.
• Recognize that allowing students to practice and to refine their work supports deeper and more effective learning.
• Hierarchy is a part of the educational system and the classroom, but trade in authoritarianism for a more collaborative and trusting leadership style when possible.

Taking a Broader Perspective

• Be aware of any discipline-related stereotypes that are exhibited in the classroom, including through visual images, language, materials’ authorship, and content.
• Ensure that every student’s identity is recognized and represented in the course material and classroom. Decolonize your syllabus and your selected materials. This helps combat imposter syndrome of students who may feel that they don’t belong in the course or program.
• Help students understand how the course content is relevant to the larger world by noting societal/environmental applications of the content. This can help students feel that they and their learning matter and that their knowledge will allow them to be part of something bigger than just the class.
• Help students feel capable of learning – sometimes by sharing something about ourselves that is counter to the “model student” image can normalize students’ own feelings.

Practices

• Learn your students’ names, learn how to pronounce them, and use them – hearing our own names spoken gets our attention in a remarkable way and provides evidence that we are “seen” and “known.” Think about it . . . if a teacher doesn’t know your name, how can you feel that you belong?
• Rethink any “high stakes” assignments that you include and consider assignments that students can revise after receiving feedback. This supports deeper learning.
• Let students know you’re there to support their growth, not just assess their one-time, make or break, performance.
• Consider individual meetings or brief check-ins with each student, if feasible, early in the year or semester to show you’re invested in knowing who they are and what motivates them.

Build a Community

• At the start of the academic year/semester, invite students to develop a set of “Community Rules” to follow in interactions with you, with one another, and during group discussions.
• Hold brief weekly/biweekly class meetings, similar to a “family meeting,” to allow students to share how things are going in the class, share their views, and hear from others.
• Model acceptance for diverse viewpoints and instill in students the importance of being willing to listen to perspectives different from their own and bring curiosity, not judgment, to these discussions.
• Don’t be afraid to ask students how they’re experiencing the classroom community and invite suggestions for enhancing the classroom culture.
• Integrate activities and assignments that require students to collaborate and work together. You can allow students to choose partners/groups or make assignments based on ensuring diverse perspectives are shared.
• Be aware of the damage that being categorized can cause to a person’s sense of belonging. These include being singled out as “first generation,” “at-risk,” or even “older students” on a college campus.

In summary, remember that you can’t just tell someone that they belong – it's others’ words and actions that let us feel that we belong and that we matter. Belonging is very much an “inside job.”