Abstract
The author’s surprising experiences in a first-year university classroom offer a microcosm of universities’ “rock-and-a-hard-place” conundrum regarding DEI practices. Should institutions “lean-in” to pro-DEI activities (a principled but financially risky position) or “cave-in” to anti-DEI pressures (institutionally pragmatic but a problematic position for less empowered students). This paper suggests a third choice: a focus on teacher-led classroom belonging for all students. Two framing questions for this classroom belonging model were: i) “could belonging as a classroom model prove to be an effective approach in an anti-DEI era?” and ii) “what classroom behaviors might teachers adopt to implement belonging for all students?”. Given the author’s personal engagement with science learning, that context is prominent (but not exclusive) in this literature review. Whole-class, whole-semester approaches to classroom belonging, involving teacher behaviors (such as welcoming all students, expressing a growth mindset towards all) have been shown to enhance student belonging in numerous ways (such as freedom to be their authentic selves, building warm peer-to-peer interactions). Students (such as refugees or rural, majority or minority) may respond positively to teacher-led, peer-connective classroom initiatives (such as inclusive case studies, student storytelling). Teacher competencies in these areas may require ongoing professional development. A philosophy of abundance suggests that there is enough belongingness for all students, in sharp contrast with a philosophy of scarcity which can result in zero-sum classroom contexts. While a focus on belonging may satisfy either anti- or pro-DEI forces, this subversive classroom model may provide a golden opportunity to enhance belonging for all students.
Recommended Citation
Grabau, Larry
(2026)
"Belonging across Differences: A Subversive Classroom Model for an Anti-DEI Era?,"
Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 22, Article 3.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol22/iss1/3
