Community in the Classroom

Personal connections lead to success. As educators, it is our responsibility to make space in our classrooms for all students to feel welcomed and encouraged to be a part of our community. Danielle De La Mare, a former educator, and the creator of the “Self-Compassionate Professor Podcast,” said in a recent interview that “we all deserve to take up space in the world” and that this space allows “for our own gifts to change other people, to impact the work in positive ways (Newbury, 2013).”  So, what can we do to start and encourage community building and keep it going even after the semester ends?

First Day 

Community building starts day one by laying a strong foundation. Ideally the entire first week of the course should be devoted to community building. Before any work on the course concepts starts, the focus should be on developing communication and trust in the classroom space. We may not all have the luxury in our class schedules to take an entire week for this, but we must integrate more community building in our existing activities and schedules, especially on the first day. 

Partner Introductions: I begin our first class with introductions where I will introduce myself and then have students partner up and ask each other a series of questions that I have placed on the overhead. These questions range from their majors to the current shows they are watching. Really, you can use any type of question; the point is to get them talking and discover things they may have in common.

Observation Activity: This activity comes from James Peter Newbury, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, who shares an image on the overhead during class and then asks students, “What do you notice? What do you wonder (Newbery, 2023)?” This activity helps focus students, spark curiosity, and increase engagement. I add the element of having them discuss their individual observations with a partner. This creates vibrant communication in the room as students are excited to discover similar observations with their partner or thoughtfully considered those their partner noted that they may have overlooked. Since I teach financial accounting, the visual that I project is a financial statement of a well-known company, but with the name is omitted. After their individual reflections and partner conversations we then share our observations as a class, and I invite them to guess what company it is. Students have fun guessing and are usually surprised by the company – in the past I have used FTX (the now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange), WeWork (the now bankrupt co-working space company), and Apple (one of the most highly valued companies in history). With this activity, team building results without sacrificing course topics since I’m able to introduce students to one of our first concepts of the semester, financial statements. So, for those of us that cannot add one more thing to our already packed class schedules, look for ways to bring teamwork to your existing lecture topics. 

Group Trivia: I end our first-class session with some trivia questions for students to answer in small groups of 4-to-5 students. These questions draw from information on the syllabus (which they are provided with the week before we meet) as well as general trivia like what’s Netflix’s most watched series, what is the most desired corporate stock, etc. It is a nice balance of learning and pop-culture. Students with different strengths enjoy making contributions to the team, and the atmosphere just before they leave is truly triumphant as they cheer for their teams getting the correct answers or as they collectively share their surprise at any incorrect answers. The class ends on a high note with many surprised at the fun had in their first (accounting!) class and at the connections they’ve already made with their new classmates. 

Throughout the Semester

Continue creating community and connections by using a variety of engagement methods throughout the semester. Students will respond to different types of interactions and activities, such as:

Guest speakers: Outside speakers can really resonate with students and motivate them on their own journeys. All the guests we host have such moving personal stories of overcoming challenges to realize their goals that it can leave the entire classroom engaged and motivated to pursue their own goals. Guest speakers can be particularly effective with minority or under-represented students. In fact, I recently attended the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) Conference and a repeated point in lectures was how important it is for minority populations to see people like them in leadership roles. This indicates they are welcome and that there is support and opportunities for them in these professions. 

Individual Work: Individual assignments and assessments are an expected part of any college class as we must ensure that students independently have an understanding of the course concepts. But I do try to make those assignments as engaging as possible. For example, each semester I assign students an individual “creative project” worth a good amount of their overall grade. I intentionally leave the deliverable flexible to allow students to individually demonstrate their understanding of the course material. Students may make a graphic novel, design a magazine print ad, produce a podcast episode – really anything they can think of! This allows students great control over their project (worth 10% of their course grade), and it allows them to incorporate their interests into a subject that can often be viewed as a ‘dry’. I’ve had reserved students, suddenly light up at the announcement of this project. In fact, my favorite submission came from just such a student, who was majoring in computer engineering, and used his computer skills to create a platform video game for accounting that he called “Super Accounting Bros”.

Regular Group Work: I emphasis a lot of group work throughout the semester, both graded and ungraded. I just love the energy group work brings into the classroom; I witness vibrant discussions coupled with cooperative understanding. And seeing the compassion each student shows by helping others means that I leave each class session joyful and energized. Not only does group work improve my mood, but studies show that students engaged in group work display increased individual achievement compared to students working alone.(Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 2014) I have seen this to be true; not only does group work improve individual student understanding and performance in the class, but it helps to create and reinforce those important interpersonal connections. I find students rely on these connections not only in class but outside of it. Students set up regular study groups with their peers or even Discord groups (Discord is an online tool that allows for communication around different topics or communities). All of these connections lead them to be more successful in our class and help them learn how to support one another during difficult times in classes, in college, and life.

End of the Semester

Laying the groundwork for a strong community in the classroom provides for some exciting opportunities as the semester ends. Here are a few outcomes:

Group Final?!?: Recently I took group work to the ultimate level by instituting a group final. Students take numerous individual and group assessments throughout the semester, and once I have a firm handle on their individual performance (based on our interactions, their individual homework assignments, individual quizzes, creative project, and midterms) I may decide on a group final exam for the course. I find students have so much anxiety surrounding a cumulative final, and I work hard to reduce this. Leaning in on the great group work and connections formed during the semester provides an opportunity for a group final exam, and greatly diffuses any anxiety. I intentionally do not announce this plan until the day of the final (and only after I feel the students can meet the criteria for this assessment). 

Make exams fun: I also helped make the assessment less intimating by inserting student stories and references gleaned throughout the semester into the exam. One of the benefits of so much group work is that you and the students really get to know one another, so you should have a good number of references to pull from. When students read their names in a test question they smile, and some even exclaimed, “I made it!” In fact, two students who were mentioned in a recent exam question about their successful Pokémon business promptly high-fived at reading their names, and then they energetically dove into determining the correct answer together. After the exam, students commented how they were so nervous initially, but how they didn’t want our class to end, and even took pictures of their names in the final exam to share with friends and family later.

Stay connected: Your connection doesn’t have to end with your students at the conclusion of the semester. I keep an email distribution list and reach out to students whenever an opportunity comes across my desk that they may be interested in, be it scholarships, internships, or other events. I also connect with them on LinkedIn so they can use me as a professional connection, and I may be able to use them as a speaker for future classes. (Note that I do not connect on social media during the semester, but only after the semester ends). Remind them that their community extends beyond the classroom by encouraging them to join any professional organizations related to your discipline. Most professional organizations have a student membership option which is low-cost or free for current students. This lets students know that there are larger communities out there, growing the experiences they gained in our class.

The Community Continues

The connections students have made do not end with the conclusion of the semester. Beach day trips, chats over coffee, and even a visit to Top-Golf are only some of the activities my former students have organized after our class has ended. Students continue to keep in touch with one another, leaning on each other for tips on which classes/instructors to take next, which schools to transfer to, etc. All these connections will continue to benefit them in the future, and those connections start with you and the space you grant them in your class. I hope Danielle De La Mare would approve of the methods I use to create space and community in my classroom. After all, I’m a firm believer that the personal connections they make in our class space will enable them to succeed in their future classes and through life’s trials, especially the difficult ones. I am fortunate to help make safe spaces for my students to form these bonds and learn how to be a part of a supportive and healthy community.

Teresa Thompson has enjoyed 17 years in higher education and is a tenured accounting professor at West Valley College in Saratoga, California. She first discovered her enthusiasm for teaching as a tutor at her community college, where she assisted peers with subjects like statistics, Spanish, and, of course, accounting. Thompson always knew she wanted to return to the community college level to teach full-time.

Thompson loves being in the classroom and is known for her innovative and engaging teaching methods. From a Pokémon-themed syllabus to a ‘Squid Games’ escape room, she loves integrating pop culture into her assignments to make learning fun and memorable. She has received the Excellence in Teaching, Service to the Community, and Program Excellence awards from her college as well as being awarded the White House’s Gold Presidential Award for Community Service. 

Beyond teaching, Teresa serves as the director of West Valley College’s Entrepreneurship Center. In this role, she collaborates with brilliant and passionate students, helping them turn their dreams into reality.In her spare time, Teresa loves traveling with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys snuggling up with her two-toned, one-eyed cat, Rex, to read mystery novels.

References

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (2014). Cooperative learning: Improving university instruction by basing practice on validated theory. Journal on Excellence in University Teaching, 25(4), 1-26.

Newbury, Peter. “Science Edventures: You don’t have to wait for the clock to strike to start teaching.” PeterNewbury.org. August 23, 2013. https://peternewbury.org/2013/08/23/you-dont-have-to-wait-for-the-clock-to-strike-to-start-teaching/. Accessed July 16, 2024.