ABSTRACT

To maximize building an environment that promotes learning, this chapter begins with an exploration of self. Discovering one’s unique background and identities allows the reader to unpack one’s biases and as a result, works to safeguard the classroom from producing unintentional demotivating behaviors. The chapter discusses social belonging theory and addresses how to foster a student’s comfort in group or classroom settings and how to aid a student’s development of feeling valued as a contributor to academia through interpersonal interactions. Freshman entering academia for the first time, first-generation college students, or underrepresented minority groups entering a homogeneous institution face feeling like an imposter as they observe and navigate their academic environment. The chapter concludes with a checklist of considerations and tangible first day suggestions to create a climate that promotes and motivates students to learn.