Relationship-Building in Learning Environments

Learning environments aren't just limited to the classroom. Children learn at home, in extra-curricular activities, during an outing with friends or family and anywhere they go within their community!  As caring adults, we can take intentional steps to celebrate the strength and talents of young people and to ensure that any environment a young person is in is filled with supportive relationships and opportunities to learn.  By seeing students as the individuals that they are and supporting their growth and learning, we can help them recognize their own strengths and instill in them a sense or belonging.

This post from Dr. Katie Martin provides strategies that adults can use to create learner-centered and relationship-focused environments. 

In creating inclusive learning environments, it's also important to consider youths' individual identities and the systems of oppression that exist in our world. These have a significant impact on young people, their relationships and their well-being.

By being intentional and doing our research, we can work to combat those systems and build more equitable, supportive and effective learning environments. For additional information, check out these resources from MENTOR.