Sense of belonging
How can we help students feel a sense of belonging here at Western?
Breaking the ice:
- Use regular ice-breakers – not only in Week 1. Check for great examples here.
- Ask students to physically move around the room and introduce themselves to others while recording the name of each person they meet and one interesting thing about them.
- Try to learn the names of students and encourage them to learn each other’s names. Student name tags or table plates are a good idea! Check out more ideas here.
- Learn about your students’ personal and professional interests and encourage them to learn the same about each other.
Being approachable:
- Make yourself approachable to students.
- Add a small bio, photo or small video about your self on the vUWS page (consult first with your unit coordinator).
- Let students know when and how to contact you if they have questions while encouraging them to find answers to some standard questions themselves (e.g. assessment due dates).
- Allocate time for students to talk about their academic progress with you after class or during a pre-set time.
- Know where to refer students if they experience non-academic issues. For a list of Western’s services, see here.
Developing a rapport with students:
- Developing a rapport means creating trust, understanding and good communication between you and your students.
- Use a positive tone of voice and open body language.
- Ask open-ended questions to encourage students’ input.
- Chat with students about general topics at the beginning of class or during the break, such as:
- How are they settling into university?
- What do they like or dislike about the experience?
- How is it different from school/work?
- What else is happening in their lives (hobbies/jobs)?
Encouraging peer-learning:
- Peer-learning is students working together in formal or informal groups.
- Include Think-Pair-Share or small group discussions in each class to encourage collaboration and team work. For more ideas, check here.
- Prompt students to form informal study groups – either face-to-face or online.
- Help students build team work skills and strategies. See for helpful resources here.
- Find out here if your unit has a PASS session, and encourage students to join if it does.
- Explain the difference between genuine collaboration and collusion, which is a serious academic misconduct. You can refer students to the Academic Integrity FAQ and the Academic Integrity Checklist.
Modelling respectful conversations and attitudes:
-
As teachers, we are important role models for students, whether intentionally or otherwise.
-
Model a respectful attitude towards different approaches and perspectives, including and validating those of students.
-
Require students to respect you and their fellow classmates/peers.
-
Introduce students to the Student Code of Conduct.
-
Agree with students on the guidelines for interaction and discussion in your classroom – click here for examples of discussion guidelines for humanities and SCEM disciplines.
-
Address any violations of classroom rules respectfully but firmly – ask unit coordinators for advice and support if needed.
Seeking students' feedback:
- The more people contribute to a community, the more they feel like they belong.
- It’s important for the student voice to be heard and to value student input.
- Ask for students’ feedback throughout the semester, not only at the end of it. For example, you can use the format of a one minute paper.
- Decide on what kind of feedback you want. It can cover students’ experience of class, reflect on their progress and/or areas for improvement.
- Reflect on the feedback you get and discuss what can be addressed with the unit coordinator.