Rebecca Bellingham and Veronica Scott's The Artful Approach to Exploring Identity and Fostering Belonging is now available! Watch the authors introduce their book and discuss how to keep students, teachers, and community members engaged and create a place for belonging.
An Artful Approach to Belonging 101
What is an artful approach?
An artful approach to belonging is one that is inspired by the magic of the arts and informed by culturally responsive practices. An artful approach deepens our capacity for noticing, pausing, and reflecting, and invites us to share the story of who we are, listen generously, and be in community with each other.
What do we mean by belonging?
We like to think of belonging as students feeling truly seen, valued, and free to be their unique selves. Belonging work in the classroom goes beyond kindness and surface-level inclusivity by embracing differences and lifting up the voices of people who have historically marginalized.
To learn more about belonging and the positive impact it has on academic excellence for all students and in school communities, we encourage you to look into the research of Claude Steele and Geoffrey Cohen. We have also both been inspired by the work of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley: Research Center for a Fair and Inclusive Society, which reminds us that a key part of belonging is “having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures that shape one’s life . . .” (Othering and Belonging Institute 2023).
Getting Started with an Artful Approach
Questions to ask yourself as you begin planning artful experiences that help foster belonging with students or colleagues:
- How might I use the opening and closing moments to set a tone, create a feeling, and invite connection or reflection?
- How am I incorporating the arts into the experience? Is there a story at the heart of this experience?
- How might I invite participants to open up and share about their identities by starting with low stakes options and moving toward deeper, more complex topics?
- How is this experience informed by culturally responsive practices?
How We Think About Windows and Mirrors
Windows: Stories that are windows into worlds outside of our own. This could include characters and people whose identities are different from our own, settings in places and
times that are new to us, and experiences that feel unfamiliar.
Mirrors: Stories that reflect our own lived experiences back at us. This could include characters and people who share our identities and lived experiences and settings in places and times that feel familiar.
Related Reading
The following is an excerpt from The Artful Approach to Explore Identity and Fostering Belonging, by Rebecca Bellingham and Veronica Scott. Join the authors on January 30 for a free book launch party and mini Black History Month PD. Register here.