Digital Promise Signature Workspace
Sense of Belonging
This workspace includes some of the key factors and strategies that can contribute to and promote a student's sense of belonging in school.
Transcript
>>Falon: Anything else special happen this weekend, friends?
>>In the pool, I did a cannonball.
>>I know how to swim.
>>Teacher: You know how to swim?
>>I do.
>>I know how to blow bubbles under water.
>>Falon: You do?
>>Falon: As human beings, one
of the most essential needs we have is the need to belong.
In school, children need a sense of belonging
to be able to be productive learners.
They need to be connected to their fellow students,
connected to their teachers, to also be affirmed in who they are in a way
that is positive and accepting.
>>I take swimming lessons.
>>I don't take swimming lessons.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: In a belonging classroom,
there's a community being explicitly built.
The teacher knows each child and things about each of those children
that they can mention and draw on.
>>Falon: I pay attention, I listen, I'm really invested in what they tell me.
The students feeling loved, students feeling nurtured, students feeling
like they have a place at school.
They're safe, it activates their brain cells.
>>Dr Cantor: Sense of belonging is one of the most important activators
of a child's engagement in learning.
Everything about activating a child's cognitive skills begins
with activating their social connectedness.
The energy for learning is coming from the social connection the children have.
>>Teacher: But in the end, we're trying to come up with an agreement.
>>Excellent.
>>Kirsten: We're not going to comment, question.
We're only going to encourage.
>>Kirsten: Because they're culturally and linguistically diverse students,
I want to really make sure that we are making them feel connections.
All the writing we do in our class, it's very much about them.
It helps them, promotes them to find their own voice
and to share their stories.
>>Anissa: Sometimes people think every Muslim person is a target
or is a terrorist.
>>Kirsten: Thank you, Anissa.
>>Molly: What did this show us about what we are good at, as a group?
>>Student: Working together because we often argue a lot.
>>Molly: Today, we did an activity that was really designed to get them thinking
about how they're going to support each other.
I think that reiterating the idea that we're in this together,
I think it's hard to find the time but doing some team building exercises
at the beginning of the year
and revisiting them can really help illustrate that point.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: In a belonging classroom, they have a community
that may meet in classroom meetings to problem solve together,
to read stories together, to tell successes and accomplishments
or important events together.
They celebrate like families do things
that each other have done or have experienced.
>>Falon: Let's talk about what we admire about some or our friends.
>>Student: I admire Jazara because she is so compassionate.
>>Falon: We're always talking about being compassionate,
being supportive of one another.
It's to build that deeper connection, for everyone just to feel
like this is their school family, this is somewhere where they're loved,
they're nurtured, they're taken care of, they're valued.
>>Kirsten: Thank you for speaking.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: The community becomes a place
where you can bring your emotions, your fears, your needs.
You can be honest about what's going on and know that there will be acceptance,
support and love that's available to carry you through.
>>Ernie: We all can work together and we all can try to strategize together
and create a better pathway for others
to be successful, and we can make it fun.
>>Molly: They're working together, they take care of each other,
not just personally but academically.
>>Student: We're always pushing each other.
English
AllSelf-confidenceClassroomsConversationListenableRelatedFrom Edutopia
What does it mean to belong? Belonging isn't a new concept. Research has backed, for at least two decades, creating a sense of belonging as an important stepping stone to experience learning and other opportunities in school. For a students, it means being respected, accepted, and welcomed in school by teachers and peers. Belonging is tied to a student's identity and is context-, race, and culture-dependent. While some students' identity may be more apparent, such as their race, for some students, "invisible" identities, such as mental and emotional health or learning disability, may be fraught with stigma, which can similarly impact their sense of belonging.
Check out a free CE-credit webinar that showcases this research and an incredible story of how Sense of Belonging can be incorporated, featuring the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, Juliana Urtubey: Creating a Sense of Belonging: A Critical Need for Student Engagement and Success.
Factors that Contribute to a sense of belonging
A Sense of Belonging allows us to feel included, respected, and supported in school.
Learning is powerful when we learn with and from each other.
Emotions are complex psychological states stemming from a person's experiences.
In our society, there are many stereotypes that exist about the academic abilities of learners based on characteristics such as their race, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status.
Social Supports are the perception and presence of a support network available to help a student if needed.
The trauma that comes from experiencing adversity in childhood releases stress hormones that can lead to changes in the body and brain.
Safety is being and feeling physically and psychologically secure at home, at school, and within our neighborhood and larger community.
Primary Language is the language a person has been exposed to from birth.
A student's Math Learning Environment encompasses the opportunities provided by their home, school, and community that contribute to their development of math knowledge and skills.
Students build knowledge from their experiences both in and out of school.
Math 3-6
Incorporating multiple senses with strategies like chewing gum, using a fidget, and sitting on a ball chair supports focus and Attention.
Literacy PK-3
Videos developed with discussion guides can teach students about SEL skills.
Strategies that can promote sense of belonging
Literacy 7-12
Family engagement happens when educators and schools collaborate with families to collectively support their child's learning in meaningful ways, both at school and at home.
Literacy 7-12
A strengths-based approach is one where educators intentionally identify, communicate, and harness students' assets, across many aspects of the whole child, in order to empower them to flourish.
Literacy 7-12
Building positive and trusting relationships with learners allows them to feel safe; a Sense of Belonging; and that their academic, cognitive, and social and emotional needs are supported.
Math 7-10
As students solve problems in a group, they learn new strategies and practice communicating their mathematical thinking.
Literacy 7-12
Selecting culturally responsive reading materials, including multicultural and diverse texts, is critical for supporting all students.
Math 7-10
Teachers sharing math-to-self, math-to-math, and math-to-world connections model math schema building.
Literacy 7-12
Journaling allows students to reflect on their thinking and feelings, process their learning, and connect new information to what they know, supporting their identity development and Sense of Belonging.
Math 7-10
Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps foster a Sense of Belonging and mitigate Stereotype Threat.
Literacy 7-12
Developing empathy in educators and in learners is an iterative process that requires taking the time to understand and honor others' perspectives.
