Please use this space to reflect on the “Belongingness and Social Skills” topic that we have covered in the Institute. What were your takeaways from the talks and discussions? Describe a specific change(s) that you will make in your course to foster students’ social skills and a sense of belongingness. Are there potential challenges that you anticipate? How would you try to address these challenges?
You do not have to write more than a paragraph, or two at most.
16 thoughts on “Reflection on Topic 1: Belonging and Social Skills”
The topic on “Belonginess and Social Skills” was a great reminder for me on the importance of community and likeminded peers in students success in class and generally in life. My main focus while refreshing my Intro to Psych syllabus will be including class activities that stimulate students participation. I will restructure the first week of the semester, when I will overview various topics in psychology that will be covered in class and offer students to come up with questions they would like to be answered. These questions will be reviewed on each topic providing answers and depth. I am planning to add activities that involve students working in groups. Strength based learning, identity activity, mindset frame, implicit association reflection
(My response went too early, and there is no way to edit it). Following on my earlier comment, I am planning to offer the topics as a class activity, where students will discuss their own stance and offer their views on their peers responses. What I am hoping to get is stronger involvement in the course, increased attention and interest in learning through interaction.
First, I am very appreciative of having the opportunity to hear everyones thoughts and approaches to working with students to increase a feeling of belonging and social skills. It caused me to be more sensitive to issues related to individual student identity on different levels, and also unique cultural experiences that each student brings into the classroom. I teach a large lecture and realize that it can be intimidating for many students, even more so as we try to reverse the isolation practices related to Covid. Based on comments from Speakers and the Group I plan to do more with setting up introductions for students online through discussion boards before and during the first week of classes. In addition, I usually introduce the topic of Cognition from the perspective of other areas of psychology (Clinical, Bio, etc). But this coming semester I also want to incorporate discussions with students related to their individual cultural experiences and how it has formed their personal views associated with the assumptions and tenets of Cognitive Psychology.
The workshop reminded me about our significant role in helping students to feel connected to each other, inside and outside of the classroom. The talks and discussions with my colleagues were not only inspiring and invigorating, but also helped me to think of making changes in my courses and pedagogy in very concrete ways. It’s hard for me to list here everything that I’d like to do, but I will give some examples. I found the suggestions for activities provided by Prof. Jessica Summers very helpful, and I would definitely like to use them in some of my classes. I thought that I could ask students to reflect on their help seeking behaviors, or their strengths, on the very first day of class, as a form of an ice breaker activity. This deeper reflection could be a good connecting exercise, allowing students to reveal their vulnerabilities, but also understand that they are not alone in their struggles. Many people raised challenges with group work, and of course there are many – social loafing, students disliking depending on others, grading, etc. But the workshop actually gave me ideas for how to overcome some of the obstacles. For example, I really liked the idea of having group leaders, or assigning other specific roles to students in each group. I was also reminded that scheduled check-up with groups, or individual students, could be a very simple way to track students’ progress, and to let them know that they matter and that you care about them. So some changes could be very simple, but very powerful. We all get overwhelmed, and it’s hard to keep up with everything, but perhaps planning some of these implementations in advance, and building them into the course schedule, could help with students’ as well as our own accountability.
In terms of increasing a feeling of belonging and social skills, I do a lot of bonding activities that are not necessarily reflected in my syllabus. For instance, I start my class off with one person introducing themselves and their favorite color then the next person has to introduce the people who came first and their favorite colors until we get through the entire class. It’s a fun exercise and helps students get to know each other in a short period of time. I even offer extra credit to student who can remember the names and favorite color of the class the next time the class meets. This fosters community since everyone tries to help each other. It is one of my favorite exercises which I should include in my syllabus.
After listening to participants in this STEM workshop and a Resilient Teaching workshop, many ways to establish a sense of belonging and encourage social interactions with peers in a classroom can work.
For example, I understand the importance of sending a welcome and thank you message a week before the semester starts. The welcome message can emphasize that everyone has a unique contribution to make in the classroom with backgrounds, interests, and work experiences which can all play a role in the richness and the diverse perspectives they can offer during the semester. I would then thank them for enrolling in the course and conclude by saying, looking forward to seeing them and receiving any messages if there are any questions.
Students will be encouraged to share their interests and passions from the start to the end of the semester. I would suggest students form semester friend(s) so that they can share notes and support each other in the class. It is also essential to communicate with students via email and post announcements on BB and CUNYfirst to show them that you want them to know the importance of their participation in adding to the classroom experience. It is vital to give feedback promptly, but I would also encourage students to ask their peers to offer commentary. Finally, remind everyone of the resources provided by the greater college community, such as the Learning Resource Center, The Math Labs, The Counseling Center, etc. All these resources assist and support their well-being, belonging and enhancing social skills.
In both the readings and the discussions, the piece that resonated with me the most was engaged learning. How can we make a learner feel engaged in the classroom, with each other, and in the outside world? I would like to replace my current project in my mathematics class with one that asks students to identify and propose a solution to a problem in society. They will work in groups but with roles that will allow them to showcase their strengths in other areas (such as writing). I anticipate challenges both with the group work and with students identifying a problem that they can reasonably solve using the skills they already have. I plan to provide a lot of scaffolding within the project especially since most of it will be done outside of class. This will include group roles, separate assignments throughout the semester, a detailed calendar, and an oral and written explanation as well as group and individual components. Students will get to choose their problem to provide some autonomy, but I will have some that I can provide as examples if necessary. I realize this will be a big experiment and may take a few semesters to become truly successful. My hope is that it improves student self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and confidence.
Obviously, this is a major concern when teaching online. I use an icebreaker discussion board where students have to provide something unique about them in my PSY 100 course, but it is probably not enough. It is very hard to establish positive interactions through Discussion Board posts/replies.
One possible solution is to encourage students to establish study groups where they can meet each other offline. I have had some success doing this with my statistics course, and I have even met in person with these study groups to help them. I think the PSY club is also a good place to refer students since they have fun field trips, interesting talks, and free lunch. Where are the free lunches for faculty? We work so hard. No sushi buffet?
As for developing social skills/belongingness in class, group work can be helpful. I prefer a low stakes group activity where students can maybe have a discussion without a grade being attached. However, this is hard to do in a statistics class where I am pressed for time most classes. I think the one change I have been considering is making PSY 220 4 hours/4 credits. This would make things a bit more manageable and allow for more interaction. It is a much better solution than cutting out important course material.
I am also thinking about having students read up on the history of math/stats a bit. There are several impactful African American and Latino statisticians that could serve as inspirations for many of our students. I am looking for anything to help students get over their resistance to learning stats. Many students are shocked that there is math in a psychology course.
One’s sense of belonging is such an integral component of success. All of the negative implicit messages that lingers with that feeling impedes learning, it impedes friendships, and it impedes happiness – it is a circuitous bad cycle. We all know this, and Drs. Summers and Gray reinforced it, yet the attention of the beginning of many of the classes every semester is the content, the assessment, the work submitted (or not) and the calculated final grade. Where did we, as an institution, lose that sense of responsibility to care for our students?
I really liked the second day, when we had the space to hear from so many others.
I will greet my students “invasive greeting”.
I enjoyed the presentations and conversations centered around “Belongingness and Social Skills.” I got to reflect on what I do in the classroom, what I take for granted and rarely address up front. I am now wondering why I have taken that approach. I am aware that students often feel like that they do not belong and are often apprehensive about sharing their thoughts in class. I am also aware that they need to develop or strengthen their social skills. The presentations have pushed me to realize that I need to have a more deliberate approach in how I engage them and nurture their growth. I intend to have class exercises and group activities in the early part of the semester. How student feel about and participate in the class will change how they engage with the material and how well they learn material. I am now realizing that adopting this approach would be better for the students. What good does it do to present content and know that they are not engaged? There is a better way.
When thinking about crafting classroom environments in connection with student success and thriving, the concepts of communalism and belongingness are immediately highlighted. Here we are reminded of the power and influence that we have as professors and leaders in learning. The talks and materials provided surrounding these topics have caused me to further question how I can better foster student autonomy, contribute to student motivation and self-efficacy, and encourage community within my classrooms.
Though I am still building out my plan, I have identified that I want to create more opportunities for meaningful student connection. I believe this can be done by strategically scheduling/assigning activities at the start of the semester that will help students build confidence and social skills. As well, I will be working towards creating a PBL that more seamlessly combines the focus of content and community building.
It was wonderful learning how everyone else deals with getting students on board at personal and academic levels.
Till now, I have been focused more on what Jessica Summers described about changing mindsets, but have become more aware that while discussing what we have in common, it is important to bring in the importance of differences, too.
While I have had introductory sessions, during which I also to remember everyone’s names and background details to help connect better later, I liked the idea of putting it up on the discussion board for future reference – and to help the students bond better.
While I bring up the roles of researchers and thinkers from other cultures and backgrounds more than what students are used to, I haven’t stressed the adversities they may have faced as much (except perhaps in the case of Neil deGrasse Tyson). Focusing on their work alone may not do them sufficient justice.
The idea of having assigned leaders for group work may spread the workload more evenly across its members. That is a nice idea to work on.
The idea of pairing students up is particularly good; it ensures a dynamic that isn’t as intimidating as a group, but also ensures there is more support for each.
Topic 01 . REFLECTION
One of my mottos for day-to-day life, and more specifically as an educator is, “Together we grow as we go”. I found that the readings, talks, and discussions that followed, provided me with some new ingredients to add to my recipe of it takes a village. Some of them appear to blend very well and have the likelihood of adding tremendous flavor to the student-professor experience. My reflection is a collection of comments and questions that will resonate beyond our time together this summer. Thank you kindly for this opportunity.
Balancing Acts (a significant subset of our discussion) These acts fall into many interlocking categories of our pedagogical practices and styles.
How do we allow for student autonomy and the completion of the syllabus to coexist? This delicate act is something that all of us experience and motivates us to try new things regularly. However, there is a nontrivial subset of professors who are not participating in such fruitful institutes as this and may not find it important to provide these experiences of belonging and social skills. We have to also provide strategies in our delivery that prepare for such experiences.
Expectations (a second subset our discussions)
What are they? Where do they come from? How are they communicated? Do they make sense? Are they reasonable?
What should I do? How do I do it? How much effort and time will it take to accomplish my goal for the class, individual students and the course overall?
Every class has its own personality and character, as with each and every person. Therefore, any approach to achieving belonging and social skills (best experiences for student learning and development) requires an understanding and respect for a multidimensional approach. These approaches are multifaceted in nature and include a large amount of improvisation and innovation. This is why I believe and think that a course in acting and/or stage performance should be a requirement or option for schools of education and teacher preparation.
Decisions are made in an instant and many times we “see” what we have decided, after the fact. At times we can make a series of conscious decisions in real-time and feel like it was well informed.
Together we grow as we go . ~dp
multiversity project
From Jennifer Pinkney Pastor:
It was a delight to be inspired by the suggestions of both Jessica Summers and DeLeon Grey as well as many of the participants at this first seminar. I have been convinced to incorporate more group projects or activities into my classes, particularly my cultural psychology class. This will be a work in progress as we meet over the next two weeks, and it means that I may need to drop some academic requirements in order to make room for new activities. This is prompting a major rethinking/reset on my part which I’m hoping will increase the belonging and social skills of my students to further their engagement and success. I was particularly drawn to the concepts of “communalism” and the activity of “freedom dreaming” because I feel that it will be important for students to not only imaging a world without oppression, but to position themselves in that world in powerfully agentic ways.
How do we make students feel comfortable in a math class? Okay, fine, for some students that is akin to sitting naked on the subway. But we have to do our best! I try to make my classroom, whether it’s online or in person, a place where students feel comfortable to learn and make mistakes (which are the same thing, right?). On the first day of class, I have students meet their neighbors, who I then refer to as their BFFs, and find one thing they have in common with each other and one thing they do NOT have in common with each other. They are then welcome to introduce their new BFF(s) to the class or not but everyone mostly enjoys the lightness of the project.
But this isn’t about what I do right – it’s about what I plan to improve/change/edit! The biggest take away for me was trying to reach one student, instead of trying to reach all the students. That really stuck with me and takes the pressure off my mentality of trying to please everyone (or lessen it!). I also need to include more growth mindset in my classes. I do talk about it, as someone who failed math in middle school (shh, don’t tell my boss!), but it needs to be enforced and re-enforced as it is so important for students. Lastly, getting better about group activities. I thought Dr. Summers’ research that choosing groups is better than assigning groups was interesting. It makes sense, though when I do group assessments, I like for different students to work with each other. Maybe I have to change the criteria to they can choose but groups cannot be identical from one assessment to another? What would Dr. Summers say about that?
There were a lot of terrific take aways but these were the ones that jump out to me.
Thank you for the invitation to the RF CUNY STEM Summer Institute. I am honored to be part of this institute. I teach biology courses (for science and non science majors) at CUNY (BMCC and HOSTOS-Lincoln HS in the Bronx). I do not have a background in psychology, so it has been very helpful to hear and learn from psychology professors, who are in the best position to address the low representation of URM in STEM. I quite research and decided to teach, primarily at city schools. One reason was that I wanted to help URM become more interested in STEM, especially in the biomedical field. But, I have found it very challenging.
Reflecting on Topic 1 Belonging and Social Skills and the wonderful presentations by Dr. Jessica Summers and Dr. DeLeon Gray:
1] I am going to make much more effort in knowing each student at the beginning of the semester, learning about their academic goals, interests, etc. I will dedicate a good portion of the 1st lecture for this. I am going to also set up, based on recommendations in my discussion group, meeting with individual students (all of them whether they are doing well or not) during the semester, discuss their progress and what they did to work on more, offer encouragement, and individual office hour for students who are struggling (There are tutoring offered at BMCC, but I found the students not taking using it).
2] Instead of ‘micro managing’ all the time, such as picking lab groups, I am going to allow the students to choose their lab groups. Allow them to pick a leader, and allow him or her to decide which student in the group will do which part of the experiment. I will rotate the leader in the group (usually 4 or 5 students) so that each one gets the opportunity to be a leader. I have groups for lab sections only, but I am going to form groups for lecture sections, as well. Again, the students will pick the groups, and have a leader. They can study together, and also can do presentations in front of the class on a topic related to the course as extra credit.