When a classroom environment encourages a sense of community, fosters mutual support among peers, and affirms students’ diverse identities, students are more likely to feel safe, which allows them to fully engage and succeed in school.
INTRODUCTION
Introduction to Classroom Belonging
An introduction to motivating learning conditions from PERTS.
An introduction to the learning condition Classroom Belonging
CHAPTER 1: FACILITATE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS
Creating a community of learners where students learn from and support each other is critical to student engagement and growth.
Strategies that help students feel a connection with other students in their class
Three ice-breakers that engage the students without being cheesy or forcing them to take social risks.
A middle school teacher encourages her student groups to learn from each other and support each other to make sure that everyone gets a voice
A video on how small-or large- group discussions can be used for student voice
An activity to guide your students through setting classroom goals and norms
Examples of how different educators engage with group work in the classroom
Guidance on how to train students to become peer tutors and mentors
An activity prompting students to reflect on and affirm the values they hold
Learn how Classroom Circles can be used to build a sense of community among your students
A teacher talks about the importance of building community in the classroom and shows strategies she uses in her classroom
CHAPTER 2: LEARN ABOUT AND AFFIRM STUDENTS AS INDIVIDUALS
Learning about your students and affirming who they are as people foster meaningful student-teacher relationships.
Strategies that help teachers learn more about their students and affirm them as individuals
This video shows how a professor engages all the students on a personal level in a large course by using student surveys and name tents
Teachers can take concrete steps to learn about their students' rich lives outside of school.
This toolkit provides strategies, inspiration, and tools for authentically connecting with your students
Tools used to learn more about your students and integrating those learnings into your instruction
Certain kinds of honest feedback are critical for promoting students’ learning but need to be delivered with care
Meaningfully engaging families is a critical part in affirming students’ backgrounds. This guide will help provide an overview on home visits.
A guide for how to use affective language effectively
CHAPTER 3: ESTABLISH AN IDENTITY-SAFE ENVIRONMENT
Creating safe space for students in the classroom where they can be their whole, true selves and feel comfortable sharing and learning is integral to an equitable learning environment.
Strategies for creating an environment where students feel comfortable bringing their whole, true selves.
A resource to help you offer more variety in your instructional practice to suit the specific learning styles of your students
A brief primer on Reality Pedagogy
A resource on what it means to affirm cultural ways of being and doing in the classroom
A teacher demonstrates how two techniques - voice modulation and proximity - support a sense of belonging in the classroom.
Video with an overview of the importance of representation, and strategies to make students feel a sense of belonging.
Sharing accounts of successful students from diverse backgrounds can normalize doubt and increase persistence, effort, and engagement.
How to send cues to students that signal recognition, value, and belonging in a classroom.
Methods and questions for collecting student feedback
