Three to Thrive: Small Changes. Big Impact.
Three easy-to-implement teaching practices to improve the student experience.
Welcoming Environment: “Sharing Experiences to Build Connection”
Building a welcoming environment is an ongoing practice of pausing, connecting, and recognizing the people behind the coursework. Taking short, intentional moments to share experiences reminds students that they are part of a community, not just a classroom.
Here are a few simple ways to weave connection into your class:
- Weekend Warm-Up: Begin class with a quick, low-stakes check-in like, “What’s one fun or relaxing thing you did this weekend?” or “What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?” These moments create warmth and help students see each other as peers rather than strangers.
- Campus Connection: Highlight campus events or opportunities such as tutoring sessions, game days, student organization fairs, volunteer opportunities, or wellness activities. This reinforces that learning extends beyond the classroom and shows you care about their broader student experience.
- Shared Curiosity Moments: Invite students to share something interesting they’ve learned recently, either inside or outside your course. It could be a podcast, a research finding, a community event, or even a social media post related to your discipline, learning, or life.
Growth Mindset: “Mistakes Welcome Here”
A growth mindset isn’t just about encouraging effort. It’s about helping students see that mistakes are an essential part of learning. Starting class with a brief reflection or discussion on “what I learned from last week’s missteps” models that mindset and reminds students that progress often comes through trial and error.
Try these activities to send the message that mistakes are normal, expected, and valuable:
- One-Minute Reflection: Ask students to jot down one thing that didn’t go as planned last week, such as an assignment, concept, or study strategy, and what they learned from it.
- Pair-Share Conversation: Have students briefly discuss their reflections with a partner to normalize struggle and build community around shared experiences.
- Reviewing Common Mistakes: Start class by highlighting common errors from a recent exam or assignment, framing them as collective learning opportunities rather than shortcomings.
“Several students missed this question, and that’s completely normal—it tells us this concept needs more attention. Let’s take a closer look together.”
These quick activities can signal that learning is a process that everyone is improving.
Wise Feedback: “Turning Errors into Insight”
Give feedback that treats mistakes as milestones toward mastery, not evidence of failure. Wise feedback acknowledges that learning is challenging, affirms students’ ability to improve, and provides clear next steps.
Practical ideas:
- “Feed-forward” Phrasing: focus less on what went wrong, more on how to move forward.
- Balanced Feedback: Incorporate one encouraging comment for every corrective one (“I can tell you’re thinking deeply about this. Let’s refine how you applied it here.”).
- Tone of Voice: Use video or audio comments to humanize the message. The tone of voice reinforces encouragement.
Feedback that acknowledges difficulty and provides a path forward fosters trust, reduces defensiveness, and motivates students to keep trying.