{"id":1139,"date":"2025-03-10T15:10:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T19:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=1139"},"modified":"2025-03-24T10:42:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T14:42:29","slug":"crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-v-teaching-beyond-the-syllabus-how-to-foster-community-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/03\/10\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-v-teaching-beyond-the-syllabus-how-to-foster-community-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafting Space for Student Belonging Part V: Teaching Beyond the Syllabus: How to Foster Community in the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1139\" class=\"elementor elementor-1139\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bcdb52d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"bcdb52d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-019fd59 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"019fd59\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>By Dana Dawson<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e63456 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0e63456\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8150fd1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8150fd1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/01\/Edvice-headers-1.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1060\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/01\/Edvice-headers-1.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/01\/Edvice-headers-1-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19f82ee e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"19f82ee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de478f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de478f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This series of blog posts has so far considered how we can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/01\/13\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-a-cat-series-part-i-designing-courses-to-promote-belonging\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">apply Universal Design for Learning principles to course design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/01\/27\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-ii-using-canvas-to-promote-belonging-in-undergraduate-courses\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">create inviting Canvas courses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/02\/10\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-iii-building-a-better-syllabus\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">syllabi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/02\/24\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-iv-clear-communication\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">communicate with clarity and warmth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in order to create a sense of belonging in our classes. This post will center on those occasions when we are actually in a room (whether brick-and-mortar or virtual) with our students. Just being in the same space with others doesn\u2019t always mean we feel a connection (think of the last time you went to a gathering where it seemed like everyone knew someone except for you). Here are some strategies that will help students feel confident, competent, and connected in your classroom.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>Getting to Know You<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there are times when it\u2019s kind of nice to fade into the background and be anonymous (stocking up at the pharmacy, maybe?), the classroom is not one of those spaces. It\u2019s true that we have students who are shy and introverted, but even students who may not jump at every opportunity to ask a question or share a thought need to feel that it matters whether they\u2019re sitting in your classroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JHvXQfh181Y\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">icebreakers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to learn a bit about your students and to help them get to know one another &#8211; and not just at the start of the semester.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the start of group activities, have students introduce or reintroduce themselves and share something quick (\u201cWhat\u2019s something you\u2019re excited about this week?\u201d for instance).<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sandy Kyrish, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations in the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication, has students do 30-40 second \u201celevator pitch\u201d talks each class on topics such as \u201cWhat is your biggest pet peeve?\u201d, \u201cWhat would be your dream concert to attend?\u201d or \u201cWhat is an assumption people make about you and what is an assumption you make about other people?\u201d These both acclimate students to sharing their ideas (she teaches Communications, after all) and help students learn more about one another. Students even report they have made friends in her classes as a result of this activity!<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h3><b>Encourage Student Questions and Comments<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Show students you value their presence and ideas by actively seeking out their thoughts and questions.<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Avoid disparaging questions and comments (for example, responding to a question with a comment such as, \u201cIf you\u2019re in this class, you should already know that\u201d). Asking a question in class takes courage and it\u2019s better for us to be aware of where there are points of confusion or disagreement so we can address them during or after class. Some questions cannot be answered in class because they require a student to address missing prerequisite knowledge or will take you too far off the main topic. In these cases, let the student know you will address the question separately after class and be sure to share the response and any follow-up resources to the entire class.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2023\/04\/24\/using-p-i-to-manage-a-i-pt-6-tech-tools-to-make-invisible-learning-visible-through-formative-assessments\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">digital tools that make student thinking visible <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(but can also be set to keep student contributions anonymous) such as Padlet, GroupMe, a Canvas discussion board, Zoom chat, or a Google or Microsoft Word doc to collect students\u2019 thoughts and questions during lectures. Later, make space to review their contributions and respond to questions and comments.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reference contributions to out-of-class activities such as discussion board posts that solicit student\u2019s ideas during class time. This can also be a way of recognizing and encouraging participation by students less inclined to speak up in class.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wait 10 seconds after asking for questions or ideas. It takes time to collect one\u2019s thoughts and formulate a question or comment and too often, we move on before providing that time to our students.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h3><b>Encourage Student Interaction<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You may be familiar with this meme:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a75640c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a75640c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8d95e5e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8d95e5e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"202\" height=\"249\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Meme.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-1141\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d7c522 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0d7c522\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e72a46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1e72a46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Our students often struggle with group projects, whether brief single-class activities or longer team-based learning projects. But the struggle is worth it!\u00a0 There is a lot of research to show that peer learning benefits knowledge acquisition, increases application and retention, and promotes student persistence in our classes and degree programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use peer and collaborative learning in your classroom. Check out our blog post <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2023\/10\/23\/another-look-at-active-learning-part-3-peer-collaborative-learning-in-the-classroom\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAnother Look at Active Learning, Part 3: Peer &amp; Collaborative Learning In The Classroom\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for strategies and tips.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Teach group work as a skill. The LinkedIn Learning library, available via the Applications menu in TUPortal, features many videos on skills necessary for effective group and team work (for example, I\u2019ve used parts of courses on active listening in my classes to help students focus on listening as an essential skill for working well with others).<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwaterloo.ca\/centre-for-teaching-excellence\/catalogs\/tip-sheets\/using-student-peer-review-any-class#:~:text=Provide%20guiding%20questions%20or%20tasks%20to%20students&amp;text=To%20help%20students%20jump%20in,seen%20can%20be%20highly%20productive.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Peer review<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a great way to get students connecting and supporting one anothers\u2019 learning and can break down misconceptions students have about other students\u2019 knowledge and skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use structured discussion techniques to add variety to in-class discussions and to ensure broad participation. Chapter 7 of Stephen Brookfield\u2019s <em>The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom<\/em> (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/templeuniv-ebooks\/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&amp;docID=1895929\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">available as an e-book<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> through Temple Libraries) outlines a number of options.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ensure that in-class pair or group work has a clear deliverable. If you\u2019re teaching an online synchronous class, it&#8217;s especially beneficial to use a collaborative tool such as Padlet or a Word or Google doc to allow you to follow along with students\u2019 progress as they complete a task.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><h3><b>Order, please! Order!<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Predictability plays an important role in ensuring our students don\u2019t feel alienated in the space of our classrooms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ask students to collaboratively create guidelines for in-class participation. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pJaV6-hBX3A\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hopes, Fears, Agreements protocol<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> works well for this and can also help students see that concerns they have about participating in-class are shared by others. Post agreements to a shared space and refer to them throughout the semester as the foundation of interactions in the classroom.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clarify how you prefer for students to address you. Be aware that some students may be acclimated to addressing educators in a particular way based on their past experiences. For example, in my undergraduate studies, it was most common to address instructors by their first name but when I started teaching at Temple, I quickly learned that it felt disrespectful for many of my students.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provide clear instructions for in-class activities by posting steps on a slide or hand-out, describing the activity before students begin moving into groups and clearly explaining the goal and expected output.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Organize class sessions around a predictable structure. This is an example of how you might structure a 50 minute class:<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c303abf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c303abf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6ab4c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c6ab4c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"306\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-05-at-10.54.40\u202fAM-1024x475.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1142\" alt=\"Activity Time Allotted Welcome and quick icebreaker Share your spring break plans with a neighbor. Class session goals and overview Remind students to share questions and thoughts on Padlet 5 min Some combination of lecture, individual activities and group activities 35 min Debrief and review of question Padlet 10 min\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-05-at-10.54.40\u202fAM-1024x475.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-05-at-10.54.40\u202fAM-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-05-at-10.54.40\u202fAM-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/files\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-05-at-10.54.40\u202fAM.png 1094w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dceb0df e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"dceb0df\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23d39a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"23d39a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While you may change what happens during most of the class session from class to class, students will welcome the predictability of a consistent opening welcome and overview of the class session and a debrief at the end where they will be able to ask questions about the day\u2019s content.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>Closing Thoughts<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By encouraging familiarity and connection, offering opportunities for participation and interaction and ensuring a predictable learning environment, we can build a space of trust and community where our students can focus on learning and not be distracted by feelings of isolation and anxiety.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Remember that we at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CAT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are here for you if you need assistance in how to implement practices that improve belonging. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7cb4303 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7cb4303\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c0b99f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c0b99f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><i>Dana Dawson, Ph.D., serves as Associate Director of Teaching and Learning at Temple&#8217;s Center for the Advancement of Teaching.<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Dana Dawson This series of blog posts has so far considered how we can apply Universal Design for Learning principles to course design, create inviting Canvas courses and syllabi and communicate with clarity and warmth in order to create a sense of belonging in our classes. This post will center on those occasions when &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/03\/10\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-v-teaching-beyond-the-syllabus-how-to-foster-community-in-the-classroom\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Crafting Space for Student Belonging Part V: Teaching Beyond the Syllabus: How to Foster Community in the Classroom<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crafting-space-for-student-belonging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1139"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1150,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139\/revisions\/1150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}