>>Falon: Anything else special happen this weekend, friends?
>>In the pool, I did a cannonball.
>>I know how to swim.
>>Teacher: You know how to swim?
>>I do.
>>I know how to blow bubbles under water.
>>Falon: You do?
>>Falon: As human beings, one
of the most essential needs we have is the need to belong.
In school, children need a sense of belonging
to be able to be productive learners.
They need to be connected to their fellow students,
connected to their teachers, to also be affirmed in who they are in a way
that is positive and accepting.
>>I take swimming lessons.
>>I don't take swimming lessons.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: In a belonging classroom,
there's a community being explicitly built.
The teacher knows each child and things about each of those children
that they can mention and draw on.
>>Falon: I pay attention, I listen, I'm really invested in what they tell me.
The students feeling loved, students feeling nurtured, students feeling
like they have a place at school.
They're safe, it activates their brain cells.
>>Dr Cantor: Sense of belonging is one of the most important activators
of a child's engagement in learning.
Everything about activating a child's cognitive skills begins
with activating their social connectedness.
The energy for learning is coming from the social connection the children have.
>>Teacher: But in the end, we're trying to come up with an agreement.
>>Excellent.
>>Kirsten: We're not going to comment, question.
We're only going to encourage.
>>Kirsten: Because they're culturally and linguistically diverse students,
I want to really make sure that we are making them feel connections.
All the writing we do in our class, it's very much about them.
It helps them, promotes them to find their own voice
and to share their stories.
>>Anissa: Sometimes people think every Muslim person is a target
or is a terrorist.
>>Kirsten: Thank you, Anissa.
>>Molly: What did this show us about what we are good at, as a group?
>>Student: Working together because we often argue a lot.
>>Molly: Today, we did an activity that was really designed to get them thinking
about how they're going to support each other.
I think that reiterating the idea that we're in this together,
I think it's hard to find the time but doing some team building exercises
at the beginning of the year
and revisiting them can really help illustrate that point.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: In a belonging classroom, they have a community
that may meet in classroom meetings to problem solve together,
to read stories together, to tell successes and accomplishments
or important events together.
They celebrate like families do things
that each other have done or have experienced.
>>Falon: Let's talk about what we admire about some or our friends.
>>Student: I admire Jazara because she is so compassionate.
>>Falon: We're always talking about being compassionate,
being supportive of one another.
It's to build that deeper connection, for everyone just to feel
like this is their school family, this is somewhere where they're loved,
they're nurtured, they're taken care of, they're valued.
>>Kirsten: Thank you for speaking.
>>Dr Darling-Hammond: The community becomes a place
where you can bring your emotions, your fears, your needs.
You can be honest about what's going on and know that there will be acceptance,
support and love that's available to carry you through.
>>Ernie: We all can work together and we all can try to strategize together
and create a better pathway for others
to be successful, and we can make it fun.
>>Molly: They're working together, they take care of each other,
not just personally but academically.
>>Student: We're always pushing each other.