Research and Promising Strategies Shannon Davidson Research Evaluation Currently evaluators for GEAR UP Wyoming and GEAR UP Hawaii Technical assistance Professional development Education Northwests ID: 660473
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Social Belonging and Student Success:" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Social Belonging and Student Success: Research and Promising Strategies
Shannon DavidsonSlide2
ResearchEvaluationCurrently evaluators for GEAR UP Wyoming and GEAR UP HawaiiTechnical assistanceProfessional development
Education Northwest’s
ServicesSlide3
Postsecondary and Career Readiness
English Language Learners
Equity
Family and Community Engagement
Literacy, Mathematics, and Science
Rural and Native Education
Youth Programs and Nonprofit Support
Leadership and System Improvement
Education Northwest’s Areas of WorkSlide4
ObjectivesBecome familiar with research showing the importance of social belonging and it’s relationship with social emotional learning (SEL)Get an introduction to strategies
to boost
social belonging
Get access to a few free
resources
available onlineSlide5
Ice Breaker: Similarity SurveyFind the shortened Similar Survey on your tableFill it out for yourselfFind someone else who has at least two of the same responses
Introduce yourselves
You have three minutes. GO!Slide6
What Leads to School Success?Content Knowledge and Academic Skills
School Success
Other StuffSlide7
The “Other Stuff”
Future Orientation
Belonging
Growth Mindset
Interpersonal Skills
Self-Regulation
Emotional Competence
Engagement
Other StuffSlide8
What Do We Call the “Other Stuff?”Social Emotional Learning (SEL)Non-Cognitive Skills
Non-Academic
Skills
Soft
Skills
21st
Century
Skills
Mindsets, Essential Skills, and Habits (MESH)Slide9
Why the Confusion?“It is a very diverse group of factors and the reason it’s been hard to come up with a name is that they don’t necessarily belong together.” Dr. Carol DweckSlide10
Emotional Competence
Social Belonging
Future Orientation
Growth Mindset
Perseverance
Self-
RegulationSlide11
Belonging: What Is It?Feeling like an accepted, valued, and legitimate group memberSlide12
Belonging: Why does it matter? It’s a fundamental need. We’re inherently social creatures that seek relationships with other peopleWe constantly monitor belonging status
We are
sensitive to even very subtle indicators that belonging is
threatened
Neuroscience suggests social pain and physical pain activate some of the same regions of the brainSlide13
Exclusion Is PainfulPsychological consequencesSadness, angerDecreased self-esteemImpaired self-regulationPoorer cognitive functioningPhysical consequencesLoneliness poses the same health risks as smoking, drinking, and
obesitySlide14
Belonging is a Fundamental NeedThe need for social connections is innate and universal It is a need not a wantSlide15
Belonging Matters for EveryoneParticularly key momentsAdolescenceTimes of transition
Do I belong here?Slide16
Belonging Matters for EveryoneParticularly key momentsAdolescenceTimes of transitionParticularly important for people with marginalized identities
Do people like me belong here?Slide17
Belonging and IdentityBelongingPerceived fit within a groupIdentityImportance placed on being a member of a group
Belonging
IdentitySlide18
Belonging and Identity
BelongingSlide19
Belonging and EquityAddressing educational achievement gaps and other inequitable life outcomes
Inequitable outcomes
Structural inequality and discriminationSlide20
Belonging and EquityAddressing educational achievement gaps and other inequitable life outcomes
Inequitable outcomes
Structural inequality and discrimination
Lower sense of belonging
“In the meantime”Slide21
Belonging ReflectionThink about a time you experienced a sense of belonging in a group.How did you know you belonged?Think about a time you didn’t experience belonging in a group.What did you notice?
It is important to be in touch with one’s personal experience with belonging
before we can affect
change in others. Slide22
Do I
Belong Here
?
I’m not sure …
More vigilantSlide23
Do I
Belong Here
?
I’m not sure …
Classmate doesn’t say “hi” in hall
More vigilant
Bad grade on quiz
Teacher canceled meeting
Assume the worstSlide24
Yes!
Less vigilant
Do I Belong Here?Slide25
Yes!
Less vigilant
Classmate doesn’t say “hi” in hall
Benefit of the doubt
Do I
B
elong Here?Slide26
Do I Belong Here?Classmate doesn’t say “hi” in hall
I’m not sure I belong.
Yes, I belong!
No one at this school likes me.
Less effort towards relationships.
Be more direct next time.
It was loud in the hallway.
Interpretation
ResponseSlide27
Belonging in School: So What?
Increased:
Self-efficacy
Motivation
Attendance
Persistence
Achievement
School Belonging
Positive Academic Outcomes
Positive Health Outcomes
Decreased:
Substance use
Early sexual initiation
Violence
Suicidal ideation
Disordered eatingSlide28
Strategies to Promote BelongingSlide29
Strategies to Promote BelongingAdults are responsible for creating environments that promote belonging. This must be an intentional part of every youth program. Slide30
Strategies to Promote BelongingImportant interplay of the student and the schoolTwo routes to intervene:How can we change the environment to promote relationships and foster more belonging?How can we help students perceive more belonging
?Slide31
Strategies to Promote BelongingImportant interplay of the student and the schoolTwo routes to intervene:How can we change the environment to promote relationships and foster more belonging?
How can we
help students perceive more belonging
?Slide32
Strategies for changing the environment to foster relationships and belongingEmphasize similarities between yourself and your studentsPractice inclusivity, participation and mutual respectCreate formal and informal ways for adults and students to learn about each other’s interests, aspirations, and the good things going on in their livesShare your personal struggles while maintaining appropriate boundariesTry a Jigsaw Activity: Initially designed to reduce racial conflict, but has also been shown to increase belonging more globallySlide33
Jigsaw ClassroomMethod of organizing classroom activities in a way that fosters relationshipsCommunal learning strategyStudents divided into diverse teamsEach member has different expertise that other team members do notGroups depend on each other and must interact to complete a taskSlide34
Jigsaw Classroom: How Does
I
t
W
ork?
Students become experts on
one piece of lessonSlide35
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Caterpillar
Chrysalis
ButterflySlide36
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Students share their expertise with their teammates to put all the information togetherSlide37
Jigsaw ClassroomInitially designed to reduce racial conflict, but has also been shown to increase positive education outcomes:Social relatedness and belongingTest performanceLiking for schoolAbsenteeism
Check out jigsaw.org for more details and tips!Slide38
Strategies to Promote BelongingImportant interplay of the student and the schoolTwo routes to intervene:How can we change the environment
to promote relationships and foster
more belonging?
How can we
help students perceive more belonging
?Slide39
Help students perceive more belongingEmphasize that they belongNormalizing Belonging UncertaintySimilarity Survey Possible SelvesSlide40
Help young people frame setbacks and worries about belonging as common and transitory instead of proof that they don’t belong
I’ve been there, too.
It gets better.
Normalizing Belonging UncertaintySlide41
Normalizing Belonging UncertaintyReflective reading and writing exercisePart 1: Students read example letter(s) from more advanced students that convey the message: It’s typical to worry about belonging but over time these concerns fade
Part 2: Saying-is-believing: Writing exercise to give students the opportunity to internalize the messageSlide42
Letter from a 16-year-old to a 13-year-old, So, if you’re like me when I started at ______ [school or program], you have a lot of worries. It was so hard to find my way around and to get to know everyone at first! Worst of all, I was really worried that I didn’t fit in. I thought I was just different from everyone else. Everybody all seemed so sure they were right for this place. But after a while, I figured out that most of my friends didn’t think they fit in at first, either. It’s so funny, right? We all felt we were different and didn’t fit in. I guess we’re more alike than we thought, at least in some ways.
Good luck,
_______________
Normalizing
Belonging
UncertaintySlide43
Normalizing Belonging UncertaintyReflective reading and writing exercisePart 1: Students read example letter(s) from more advanced students that convey that it’s
typical to worry
about belonging but over time
these concerns fade
Part 2: Saying-is-believing: Writing exercise to give students the opportunity to internalize the messageSlide44
Helps adults feel better connected to the students they work withTeachers and students completed the surveyTeachers received survey analysis showing five ways they were similar with each of their studentsSimilarity Survey: “Get to Know You”Slide45
Similarity Survey: “Get to Know You”Slide46
Student relationships improvedTeachers perceived more similarity to their studentsTeachers perceived better relationships with studentsStudent got better gradesThe impacts were strongest for marginalized students
Similarity Survey: “Get to Know You”Slide47
Possible Selves ExerciseGroup discussions and/or writing exercises in which youth reflect on their possible future selves to develop their vision of their own futureYouth imagine themselves as successful adultsThey spend time connecting future possible selves to current school and community involvement
They plan a path to attain their visionSlide48
Let’s Jigsaw!Decide which strategy you’d like to learn more about today:Normalizing belonging uncertainty (“I’ve been there, too. It gets better.”Similarity survey (Icebreaker survey)Possible SelvesJoin an “expert” group about this strategy and read about itGo back to your original table and explain what you learned to your table matesSlide49
Discussion questionsHow do these strategies intersect with work you are already doing?How might you adapt these strategies to be effective in your setting?Slide50
More To Think AboutDo your own investigating and action research about this, if you canShare what you’re learning with othersResearchers like us can help you evaluate how well your ideas work with even more youthSlide51
Free ResourcesSocial emotional learningEducation Northwest’s SEL PrimerPaul Tough’s book Helping Children SucceedSocial belongingJigsaw.org Transforming Education toolkitOregon Department of Education
social
belonging and formative assessment
materials:
http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=5570
Slide52
Thank You!
Questions? Contact us!
Shannon.Davidson@educationnorthwest.org