Striving for belonging is more than a compassionate approach to teaching- it's an effective strategy to increase learning and engagement. As educators we ask our students to become active and engaged members of the classroom community. We want them to focus their attention on the course material, enthusiastically participate in class discussions, and ask questions that help everyone in the room learn. None of this is possible if the classroom is a dull space where information flows in one direction and students have little interaction with each other or the instructor. Instead we need to focus on creating a welcoming community in which students feel acknowledged, valued, and comfortable. If this is achieved (and doing so is no small task), engagement with the course material will naturally follow from investment in the community. With every passing semester, I try to find new ways to cultivate a classroom culture that welcomes students in, focuses on their potential instead of the knowledge or experience they don't have yet, and encourages them to be engaged participants as we strive for learning together. In Teaching to Transgress, bell hooks emphasizes the importance of hearing students' voices. The classroom should not be a place where a professor spews information to passive listeners. Everyone's views and experiences need to be heard and respected. Many professors do this on the first day of class with an ice breaker, and then stop providing opportunities for students to express themselves, their experiences, and interests. But aiming for this needs to be a part of every day teaching for students to feel valued and engaged.
Every aspect of the way we design and implement our courses has a hand in shaping classroom culture. It's therefore critical that we take a mindful approach to teaching, constantly reflecting on what Kevin Gannon refers to as the "hidden curriculum" - the things we tell our students about ourselves and the classroom culture through the things we say and do, or don't do (see Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto for many examples of how this can play out). Uncovering and rewriting the hidden curriculum takes unwavering compassion and consistent self-reflection.
As educators, our knowledge of the subject matter doesn't put us above our students. The best way I've found so far to challenge this traditional power dynamic is to express vulnerability and show my students that I too am still learning and growing as an academic. I don't shy away from talking about the things I have or still struggle with as a student and academic. Students need to know that learning and growth are never ending processes. Likewise, when professors dismiss student questions as off topic or not relevant to the course (ie what's on the test) I see a missed opportunity. Such a reaction seems to come from defensiveness about their own lack of expertise in that area. If a student asks a question I don't know the answer to, perhaps something tangential to ecology that bleeds into another discipline or just something that is a gap in my own knowledge, we have a chance to learn together. Those types of questions are signs that students are engaged and curious, they're trying to connect the classwork to their own interests and values. Creating space for those discussions lets students know those values are welcome and important and gives me a chance to model how I learn on my own outside the classroom.