🌟 Reflecting on 2023: The Power of Belonging 🌟
2023 has been a year of challenges for so many. I am personally grateful for a bit of extra time spent over the past two weeks with family and the opportunity to reflect on our paths forward.
Inspired by my #PennCLO classmate, Dr. Beth Kaplan, Ed.D., who writes about the importance of belonging in the workplace, I've been thinking about how this concept is crucial not just at work, but also in our families, among friends, and especially in schools.
As educators, fostering a sense of belonging in our students is vital. But how do we achieve this within our school systems, buildings, and classrooms? Here are five research-based ideas:
📚 Inclusive Curriculum: Studies show that a curriculum that reflects diverse cultures and perspectives increases student engagement and fosters a sense of belonging (Smith & Floden, 2021). Lately, I have been experimenting with AI tools to recreate content to align better to students' interests and environments.
🤝 Positive Teacher-Student Relationships: Would you believe that schools with self-reported higher expectations outperformed those without on PISA 2022. Research by García-Moya et al. (2019) highlights the importance of supportive teacher-student relationships in enhancing students' feeling of connectedness to the school.
👥 Peer Collaboration: Encouraging collaborative work helps students feel more connected to their peers, promoting a sense of community, as suggested by Johnson & Johnson (2018).
✨ School-Wide Positive Behavior Programs: Implementing these programs can create a positive school climate and enhance students' sense of belonging (Bradshaw, 2020).
🧘 Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning: Integrating mindfulness and SEL into the curriculum has been found to improve students' self-esteem and sense of belonging (Jennings & Greenberg, 2019).
These ideas are just the starting point. What would you add to this list? Let's share our thoughts and experiences to make our educational spaces more inclusive and welcoming for every student.
Asha Alexander Laurence Myers Toni Ting Francia Marco Charina Concepcion Abdelfatah Ghozlan Lena B. Hunzullah Khaliqnoor Joy Buckner Helen Loxston-Baker Anthony Loxston-Baker Catherine O'Farrell Asha Sanjay
#Education #Belonging #Inclusivity #SchoolCulture #ReflectingOn2023
Wishing you all a joyful start to 2024. Let there be peace on Earth.
If you're interested in learning more about the true story behind Independence Day, we prepared this 20-question quiz about the federal holiday (with answers and scores): https://mastersoftrivia.com/en/all-quizzes/holidays/united-states/national-holidays/independence-day/