Most teachers care deeply about their students. The challenge is making sure every student experiences that care. The student who readily talks with the teacher may receive frequent signs that they are known and valued. A quieter student may move through the entire day without a meaningful interaction. A reluctant learner may receive plenty of attention, but most of it may involve correction, redirection, or concern about incomplete work.

Design Area VIII of the Marzano Academies CBE Instructional Model asks teachers to create a classroom in which students experience themselves as welcome and valued members of the learning community. That experience develops through repeated interactions that help students answer two questions: “Do I belong here?” and “Do I matter here?”

Belonging cannot be established through a single activity. Still, teachers can begin changing a student’s experience tomorrow. The following six strategies require little preparation and can be incorporated into the normal life of the classroom. Choose one that fits your students and begin there.

 Add One Personal Sentence to the Greeting

Greeting students at the door is a useful practice, but the greeting becomes more meaningful when it communicates that the teacher remembers something about the individual student. Tomorrow, choose several students and add one personal sentence to your usual greeting:

“How did your game go last night?”

“I remembered what you said about graphic novels. Today’s reading might interest you.”

“I’m glad you’re back. We missed your perspective yesterday.”

“You mentioned that fractions were starting to make more sense. We’re going to build on that today.”

The personal sentence does not need to begin a long conversation. Its purpose is to show the student that a previous interaction stayed with you. Avoid expecting an enthusiastic response. Some students will smile and begin talking. Others may simply nod or walk into the room. The response is less important than the message: “I noticed you, and I remembered.”

Make a Relationship Deposit with a Reluctant Learner

Think about a student with whom most of your recent interactions have involved missing work, disruptive behavior, low effort, or redirection. Find two minutes tomorrow to interact with that student when nothing is wrong. The conversation does not need to be profound. You might ask about an activity, music, a game, a job, or something the student has previously mentioned. You could also begin with an observation:

“You seemed interested when we talked about space exploration yesterday. What caught your attention?”

“I noticed that you helped your group get organized. Is that something you usually like doing?”

“You always have interesting designs in your notebook. How did you get interested in drawing?”

Do not use the conversation as an indirect way to address the student’s behavior or unfinished work. If every positive opening eventually becomes a correction, students learn to distrust the opening. This strategy does not remove expectations. It begins to create a different pattern of interaction so that the student experiences interest and respect before the next correction is needed.

Ask One Question That Helps You Know Students Better

Teachers often administer interest surveys at the beginning of the year. The information can quickly become dated, especially as students develop new interests and experiences. Tomorrow, ask one question that every student can answer on an index card, sticky note, or digital form. Keep the question specific enough that students do not have to guess what kind of answer you want.

 Possible questions include:

What is something you know enough about that you could teach it to someone else?

What is one activity that makes time seem to pass quickly for you?

What is something you would like to become better at outside of school?

What is a topic you wish appeared more often in school?

What is one place that is important to you?

 Allow students to decide how much they want to disclose. A student should always be able to give a simple answer without explaining a private experience. The important step comes afterward. Select one or two pieces of information and use them during the next week. Ask a follow-up question, incorporate an interest into an example, or recommend a relevant resource. Gathering information tells students you are curious. Remembering and using it tells them they are known.

Offer a Choice of Personal Connections

Asking students to connect content to their lives can make learning more relevant while also giving students an appropriate opportunity to talk about themselves. However, broad prompts such as “How does this relate to your life?” can be difficult to answer and may unintentionally pressure students to share something personal. Instead, provide several kinds of connections from which students can choose. After introducing new content, ask students to connect it to:

• something they have experienced or observed;
• an interest, activity, book, film, or game;
• something they have learned in another class; or
• a question they now have about the world.

In mathematics, students learning about percentages might identify where they have encountered percentages in shopping, sports, weather forecasts, or online ratings. During a science lesson on ecosystems, students might connect the concept to a park, neighborhood, garden, pet, documentary, or game environment. In English language arts, students studying persuasive techniques might connect them to an advertisement, social media post, conversation, or speech.

Students can first write or draw their connection and then decide whether to share it with a partner. This gives everyone time to think and keeps public disclosure voluntary.

The teacher learns something about students, but students also begin learning about one another. Over time, these small connections help the classroom feel less generic.

Turn a Student Strength into a Meaningful Contribution

Esteem grows when students believe they have something of value to contribute. General praise may feel good for a moment, but a meaningful responsibility provides stronger evidence that the teacher recognizes and trusts the student’s abilities.

Tomorrow, identify a strength you have observed and connect it to a real classroom need:

“You explained that visual pattern clearly. Would you create a diagram your group can use?”

“You notice details other people sometimes miss. Would you serve as the evidence checker?”

“You asked a question that helped us think differently. Would you collect your group’s questions for our discussion?”

“You helped everyone get a chance to speak yesterday. Would you facilitate the first part of today’s conversation?”

Tell the student why you selected them. This helps the student connect the responsibility to a specific strength rather than seeing it as another classroom job. Be careful not to assign students permanently to the same roles. A student who is always asked to organize materials may begin to believe that organization is the only contribution the teacher expects. Meaningful roles should expand how students see themselves and how classmates see them.

Conduct a 60-Second Belonging Check

Teacher intent is important, but belonging must ultimately be examined through student experience. A quick check at the end of class can help determine whether students experienced the classroom as welcoming.

 Ask students to respond anonymously to two prompts:

Today, I felt comfortable participating in this class.

1 = Not at all true
2 = A little true
3 = Mostly true
4 = Very true

What is one small change that could help you feel more comfortable participating?

Review the responses for patterns rather than treating one response as a final judgment about the classroom. Perhaps students feel comfortable talking with a partner but not during whole-class discussion. They may want more thinking time, another way to respond, or greater clarity about how peers should react when someone makes a mistake.

At the beginning of the next class, briefly acknowledge what you learned and identify one adjustment you will make. For example: “Several people said they would participate more if they had time to write before we discussed a question. I’m going to build that into today’s discussion.” Closing the loop matters. When students see that their feedback influences classroom decisions, the check itself becomes evidence that their experience matters.

Start with One Strategy

Belonging usually changes through patterns, not isolated activities. Greeting a student with a personalized statement may be pleasant, but it is the repeated follow-up comments that communicate to the student that they are remembered. A question designed to gather interest may gather useful information, but using that information later communicates that the student is known and shows they have influence in their class.

As with all of our strategies, there is zero need to try all six strategies tomorrow. Select one student, one class, or one part of the day to use a strategy. Then ask, “What did students do or say that suggests they felt more welcome or valued?” In other words, did the strategy you chose have the positive impact you desired? If so, continue using it. If it did not, is there something you can tweak to use it more effectively? Maybe you need to choose another strategy and try that.

That question moves belonging and esteem from a teacher’s good intention to an experience students can recognize.

To continue building your understanding of Design Area VIII and the full Marzano Academies Instructional Model, become a member of the Learning Lab. Members can access Dr. Marzano’s research folios, professional learning resources, and practical tools for implementing competency-based practices. The Learning Hub also includes Badging Experiences that help teachers select a professional growth goal, strengthen their classroom practice, and document their developing expertise. Educators can also participate in Virtual Office Hours or a CBE Coaching Series with Marzano Academies faculty.