3.10 Exploring Sense of Belonging in the Classroom(Required to earn certificate)

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  Posted by CUNY Mindset Initiative on March 11, 2024 at 10:56 am

  Creating an Intentional Welcome to the Semester

  Part 1: Record the Audio (Required to Earn Certificate)

  • We are asking that you record a 2-to-3-minute introductory audio note for your students. The purpose is for you to explore your own voice and consider its cadence as well as what it may communicate to others. (You will not be asked to share your audio.)
  • This is an opportunity for your students to get to know you before they’ve even met you. It would most likely be included in a welcome message or posted on a course website at the start of the semester. In creating your audio recording, we encourage you to take a moment to consider the following:
    • What would help your students feel like they belong even before they meet you or the rest of the class?
    • What would you want them to know about you and the course before ever meeting you or reading a syllabus?

  Part 2: Reflection on Your Experience (Required to Earn Certificate)

  • Describe the process you went through to create your audio welcome.
    • What did you find difficult and why?
    • What did you find easy to do and why?
  • Take some time away from your audio note. Then, return and listen to it.
    • What do you notice about your voice and its inflection? Did you know that before?
    • Would you want to share this with your students? Why or why not?
  • Please share your experience recording and listening to the audio introduction to the Discussion Forum thread here by replying to this post.

  Part 3: Responding to Peers (Not Required to Earn Certificate)

  • After submitting your reflection take a moment to respond to one of your peers.

  Kindness Reminder: 

  • Let’s remember this module is about a sense of belonging, how can you be kind and welcoming to yourself AND your peers in this experience?

• Carrie Gheith (she/her)

  Member

  March 26, 2024 at 12:42 pm

  As support staff, I have an introductory video students are required to watch as part of our “orientation”. In this video, I acknowledge how challenging the students immigrant experience is in NYC as a college student. I encourage them to seek me out for any type of support throughout the semester and reinforce “there are no stupid questions!!”.
  My biggest challenge in creating my video is ensuring that I am not talking too fast since we work primarily with ESL students. I notice my non-verbal communication is welcoming and informal. I try to make jokes that reflect my humanity and present myself as non-judegment and approachable.
  Narendra Saini (He)

  Member

  March 30, 2024 at 11:42 am

  1-2 minute introductory video help students ease their stress they get to know better. I don’t see any difficulty to record audio for my students. I love to introduce my self so they are not stressed on their first day. I had to record twice to make sure I am clear enough for students to understand .
  Lyubov Sergeyeva (She)

  Member

  April 5, 2024 at 3:51 pm

  Introductory video helps students with the sense of belonging. They see professor as a normal “human” with the problems and experiences similar to their life experiences. I had to overcome stress speaking in front of the camera, so I understand if my students are not willing to participate in the group discussions sometimes. I allow students to avoid group activities and use my office hours to discuss individually… I find that my sense of humor helps my students tremendously to learn better.
  Deborah Greenblatt, Ph.D. (she/her)

  Participant

  April 7, 2024 at 12:28 pm

  Carrie,

  It is so wonderful to hear that you are thinking about your English language learners and that you are using a tone that is welcoming and informal. I recommend using subtitles in your video. You can do that through a Zoom recording for free or on other platforms. Some platforms will even translate to different languages for you.
  Deborah Greenblatt, Ph.D. (she/her)

  Participant

  April 7, 2024 at 12:31 pm

  Since I was in this course a few years ago, I have been looking for ways to bump things up a notch and to share some digital platforms my students can use for their own projects.
  I am going to use https://app.bookcreator.com/ to introduce myself in the future and have students do the same. Granted, I teach future elementary school teachers, but it is also great to have intro students in core subjects create a children’s book as an assessment.
  Seth Lehman

  Member

  April 9, 2024 at 1:52 pm

  Hi Deborah, that’s a great idea for introductions. And the thought about having students create a children’s book as a means of assessment sounds like a fun project.

  When classes were remote throughout the pandemic, I used https://flip.com (formerly called Flipgrid) to introduce myself and had my students record a 1-2 minute introduction video of themselves responding to some basic get-to-know-you prompts.
  Catherine Monchik

  Member

  April 10, 2024 at 6:49 pm

  I like this idea! I am teaching a hybrid course in the fall, and this would be valuable until we meet for our first class. I found it easy to create, and I always let the students know I was once a student like them. I always try to be empathetic with student concerns. I will implement this introductory video on my course site.
  Faiza Peetz

  Participant

  April 11, 2024 at 11:54 am

  Your approach to creating an introductory video that acknowledges the unique challenges faced by immigrant students in NYC is both thoughtful and necessary. Your awareness of the potential language barrier and your efforts to ensure clear communication are commendable. Incorporating humor and presenting yourself as approachable and non-judgmental are excellent strategies for building rapport with students from diverse backgrounds.
  Faiza Peetz

  Participant

  April 11, 2024 at 11:55 am

  Your practice of asking students to record a concise introductory video to ease student stress is a great example of using digital tools to foster a welcoming classroom environment. Your diligence in ensuring clarity and understandability in his recordings sets a valuable precedent for creating educational materials that cater to the needs of all students, particularly those for whom English is a second language.
  Faiza Peetz

  Participant

  April 11, 2024 at 11:57 am

  Your insights on the power of introductory videos to foster a sense of belonging and humanize the instructor are particularly poignant. Your flexibility in allowing students to opt-out of group activities in favor of individual discussions shows a commendable sensitivity to the diverse comfort levels and learning preferences of your students. Incorporating humor as a teaching tool can be highly effective, provided it is used thoughtfully and inclusively.
  Faiza Peetz

  Participant

  April 11, 2024 at 11:59 am

  Your plan to implement an introductory video in your hybrid course reflects an understanding of the importance of establishing a personal connection with students, even before the first face-to-face meeting. Your emphasis on empathy and relatability, by sharing your own experiences as a former student, is a powerful way to build trust and encourage open communication.
  Tim Leonard (he/him/his)

  Participant

  April 13, 2024 at 4:52 pm

  I’ve recently been using Loom. There is now a built-in AI feature that creates a summary of your video and provides a transcript. However, I don’t think it has the same capability of allowing students to easily respond in kind as Flip does.
  Faiza Peetz

  Participant

  May 3, 2024 at 3:44 pm

  The discussions on creating an intentional welcome for students at the beginning of the semester highlight thoughtful and innovative approaches to fostering a sense of belonging and easing student anxiety. Each of these practices not only makes students feel welcomed and valued but also significantly contributes to creating a classroom environment where students are comfortable expressing themselves and engaging fully. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and strategies.
  Victoria (She/Her)

  Member

  May 15, 2024 at 11:54 am

  This was extremely challenging for me as I am “shy” and self-conscious in hearing my own voice. I tried to record it and kept redoing it. I took time to pause and take deep breaths as I often talk very fast. I let students know that I am a real person, and that our class will allow for a safe environment where we are encouraged to ask, learn and use the platinum rule of communication
  Markela Khosrowshahi (she/he/hers)

  Member

  May 28, 2024 at 10:15 am

  The most difficult part was to decide how much and what to say in such a short audio to convey the best message to the students to create the first connection with them 

  What did you find easy to do and why?

  The easiest part for me was to record the message since I have a background in mass media communication. 

   What do you notice about your voice and its inflection? Did you know that before?  

  Since I have a background in mass media communication I trained to work with my inflections, so that was not a problem.  

  I would share this audio with students, since I believe that it can be nice to hear a few words before the first class to create a connection or even curiosity to meet in the classroom.