Belonging grows when people feel valued, included, and needed. Community develops when students recognize one another's strengths, make space for different perspectives, support one another, and see themselves as contributing members of the learning environment.
Students are more likely to engage, contribute, and persist when they feel valued and included. Intentionally building community helps students see that they are not simply individuals taking the same course, but members of a learning environment in which their perspectives, contributions, and support for one another matter.
Students:
seem uncertain about whether they fit
rarely acknowledge one another's contributions
struggle to include differing perspectives
rely primarily on the instructor rather than supporting one another
talk about the class as individual work rather than shared learning
Whatever approach you use, tell students why. Community doesn't happen simply because people share a classroom. Help students understand that belonging is something we contribute to—not only something we receive—by valuing others, making space for different perspectives, offering support, and contributing to the learning of the group.
Many instructors foster community through inclusive discussions, strengths-based activities, reflection, relationship-building experiences, and opportunities for shared success.
Consider:
How do students know their contributions matter here?
How are different perspectives welcomed and valued?
What opportunities do students have to support or learn from one another?
What helps students experience this class as “ours” rather than simply “mine”?
Quick Activities — 5–15 minute, ready-to-use experiences.
Discussion Protocols — structured ways to help students build a shared learning community.
Ongoing Practices — routines or structures used repeatedly across several classes or weeks.
After trying a strategy, reflect on what you noticed and check in with students. What you learn can help you decide what to do next.
Ask yourself:
Did students recognize that their contributions matter to the group?
Did the strategy create more space for different perspectives?
Did students support or acknowledge one another?
What might I repeat, change, or try next?
Check with students:
I feel like a valued member of this learning community.
And then:
Keep it → Adjust it → Choose again
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