{"id":1180,"date":"2025-04-07T10:16:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T14:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=1180"},"modified":"2025-04-21T08:36:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:36:29","slug":"crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-viii-so-make-the-friendship-bracelets-fostering-student-belonging-in-large-lectures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/04\/07\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-viii-so-make-the-friendship-bracelets-fostering-student-belonging-in-large-lectures\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafting Space for Student Belonging Part VIII: \u201cSo, make the friendship bracelets\u201d: Fostering student belonging in large lectures\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1180\" class=\"elementor elementor-1180\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a2dd88 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8a2dd88\" 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-061266d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"061266d\" 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>Elizabeth Cerkez, Associate Professor of Instruction, Chemistry, College of Science and Technology<\/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-a51bc65 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a51bc65\" 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-c8c65ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c8c65ed\" 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-ae67de8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ae67de8\" 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-331357c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"331357c\" 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 data-contrast=\"auto\">Scrolling through social media, I saw a post from a colleague at the University of Delaware. He was making chemistry plus <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Taylor Swift lyric friendship bracelets for his students in organic chemistry.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">My mind raced: I love this idea. I could do this.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I already had some beads, so I started crafting.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Using my encyclopedic knowledge of Taylor Swift lyrics and chemistry, I came up with fun crossovers:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cCalibration Problems\u201d for \u201cChampagne Problems,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cElectron Touch\u201d for \u201cElectric Touch,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li style=\"list-style-type: none\"><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cMiss Americium and the Half-Life Prince\u201d for \u201cMiss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bringing these to my next lecture, there was immediate excitement, \u201cWe can get a bracelet for answering a question?\u201d And then the further excitement from the Swifties<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0in the room, \u201cThat lyric! That chem concept!\u201d When I posed the first question to the room of 200+ students, more than half of the hands went up. I could see students\u2019 eyes widen with delight. Let\u2019s just say that\u2019s not a common experience as a faculty member teaching General Chemistry.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I left that lecture and immediately ordered more beads.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Creating belonging in a large classroom takes some effort. Unlike a small class, everyone cannot talk to everyone. Finding a way to help students feel belonging is as unique as each faculty member; we need to find what works for us. One of my colleagues plays music at the start of each class; another invites students to anonymously answer off-topic questions such as \u201cDo you put Jelly or Peanut Butter on a sandwich first?\u201d; and another has students introduce themselves by sharing the image on their phone\u2019s lock screen.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The phrase \u201cto each their own\u201d is apt here, and it takes trial and error to find something that clicks. What worked in one classroom may not work in another. The main goal is to help students see that their professor is a fellow human with interests outside of the topic at hand, and so are all their classmates. The goal is to create a community grounded in everything that makes us unique.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But \u201cbelonging\u201d in a large lecture is not just about feeling comfortable in the room with the professor and one\u2019s classmates. It is about the feeling that, \u201cmaybe I\u2019m not cut out for this\u201d \u2013 the more figurative belonging. Friendship bracelets can make classrooms more jovial and more communal<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0they do not solve the problem of belonging-related uncertainty.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The largest lectures are content-dense courses taken early in a college career. They are abrupt transitions from the small, personal classrooms of high school. Importantly, they can make students feel isolated because they think they are the only ones struggling and that perhaps they are not cut out for this major or&#8211;in the worst-case scenario&#8211;for college. This is particularly true for those from underrepresented groups in your field. Helping students realize that everyone struggles, and that this struggle is a component of the learning process, is a key item for faculty to demonstrate in the classroom. This<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0can be done even in the largest of lectures. One of the most effective ways to do this is by sharing our own stories.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Just like how the friendship bracelets humanize me, describing how I struggled with chemistry helps to show students an example of how a setback was overcome by an expert in the field. When to introduce this information is key &#8211; I usually do this after the first exam. This gives enough time for our large class to build community and for them to trust that I can offer them expertise as an instructor (something women and people of color are particularly cognizant of). Before releasing exam scores and feedback, I verbally acknowledge that many of them may find they did not earn the score they had aimed for but there is still time left in the semester. And then I ask them to guess what score I earned on the AP Chem exam in high school. Without a doubt, students guess 4s and 5s, a reasonable guess for someone who now holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and is their professor. However, when I reveal that I earned a 1 (the lowest possible score) students show those same faces of amazement they did when the friendship bracelets were announced. <\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">I then invite students to answer an in-class poll question, submitting an activity outside of academics that they excel at, such as drawing, sports, music, etc. Then I ask them to describe how they were at the activity the first time they attempted it. Invariably, students respond \u201chorrible\u201d \u201cdisaster\u201d \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u2620<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\ufe0f\u201d. Finally, they are asked to submit how they improved, and the majority of students say \u201cpractice.\u201d This simple exercise, which takes 3-5 minutes during class, goes extremely far in helping students see that struggle is normal, even expected, and they do belong. Success with an activity or an academic subject is not defined by how well they did on the first try.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The key to fostering belonging in large classrooms is that the two pieces go hand in hand \u2013 the friendship bracelets and the story of failure. Building community among classroom participants by excitement over a bracelet helps to set the stage to share the things that make us truly human &#8211; the struggles and the challenges. Building community gives our students confidence that they can overcome challenges because they do fundamentally belong in our classroom, in the major, and in college. Like Taylor says, <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI&#8217;m making a comeback to where I\u202fbelong.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For an introduction to research-based evaluations of belonging uncertainty, I recommend the following book chapter:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Murdock-Perriera, L. A., Boucher, K. L., Carter, E. R., &amp; Murphy, M. C. (2019).\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id%3D4QKQDwAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPA291%26lpg%3DPA291%26dq%3DPlaces%2Bof%2Bbelonging:%2BPerson-%2Band%2Bplace-focused%2Binterventions%2Bto%2Bsupport%2Bbelonging%2Bin%2Bcollege.%2BHigher%2BEducation:%2BHandbook%2Bof%2BTheory%2Band%2BResearch.%26source%3Dbl%26ots%3DOdBslZ2dAo%26sig%3DACfU3U2v7h6xh76hQgAk7323z0baXljfGQ%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26ved%3D2ahUKEwiw_uzvz-3nAhXkPn0KHbA2BG8Q6AEwAXoECAsQAQ%23v%3Donepage%26q%26f%3Dfalse&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1742497721679846&amp;usg=AOvVaw2MOlRb5w4O_unMm5J5B1sz\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Places of Belonging: Person- and Place-Focused Interventions to Support Belonging in College<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research.<\/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\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elizabeth Cerkez, Associate Professor of Instruction, Chemistry, College of Science and Technology Scrolling through social media, I saw a post from a colleague at the University of Delaware. He was making chemistry plus Taylor Swift lyric friendship bracelets for his students in organic chemistry.\u00a0\u00a0 My mind raced: I love this idea. I could do this.\u00a0\u00a0 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2025\/04\/07\/crafting-space-for-student-belonging-part-viii-so-make-the-friendship-bracelets-fostering-student-belonging-in-large-lectures\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Crafting Space for Student Belonging Part VIII: \u201cSo, make the friendship bracelets\u201d: Fostering student belonging in large lectures\u00a0<\/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-1180","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\/1180","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=1180"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1192,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1180\/revisions\/1192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}