Belonging: Brainstorm
This resource provides a teaching guide for a Years 7 to 12 teaching and learning activity developed to help prevent bullying. The activity highlights how important a sense of belonging is to supporting students’ social and emotional wellbeing.
- Students will consider and analyse what belonging means to them.
- Students will evaluate the impact that valuing diversity and difference can have on influencing a sense of belonging and identify related actions to contribute to bullying prevention.
- A3 or butcher's paper with activity questions pre-written on them
- Marker pens
- Timer
Australian Curriculum (Version 8.4)
Years 7 and 8 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptions
"Interacting with others":
- Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact
on their own and others’ health and wellbeing (ACPPS074) - Investigate the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing
diversity and promoting inclusivity (ACPPS079)
Years 9 and 10 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptions
"Interacting with others":
- Investigate how empathy and ethical decision making contribute to
respectful relationships (ACPPS093) - Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health
and wellbeing of diverse communities (ACPPS098)
Australian Curriculum (Version 9)
Years 7 and 8 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptions
"Interacting with others":
- Examine the roles of respect, empathy, power and coercion in
developing respectful relationships (AC9HP8P04) - Investigate strategies that influence how communities value
diversity and propose actions they can take to promote inclusion in their communities (AC9HP8P05)
Years 9 and 10 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptions
"Interacting with others":
- Evaluate the influence of respect, empathy, power and coercion
on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships
(AC9HP10P04) - Propose strategies and actions individuals and groups can
implement to challenge biases, stereotypes, prejudices and
discrimination, and promote inclusion in their communities
(AC9HP10P05)
Building a sense of school belonging can support bullying prevention
Learning activity
Read the statement below
In Australia, almost 1 in 3 students report they have been bullied (Green et al, 2024). The majority of bullying presents as negative interactions around a range of issues. These issues may include physical appearance, personal differences, race, sexuality, the different ways our brains work, family backgrounds and friendship breakdowns.
Wanting to fit in and be accepted at school is the desire of most students. Feeling like we don’t belong can seriously impact our attendance, our achievements and our emotional wellbeing.
By promoting acceptance and embracing diversity we can create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and supported – ultimately reducing incidents of bullying and creating a sense of belonging for all students.
Invite students to discuss the following questions (and can choose to provide examples to support the discussion)
- Where are some places you feel like you belong?
- How do we know we belong somewhere?
- When you belong, how does that make you feel?
- Why is it important to belong?
- Do we know we belong straight away, or does it take time? Can you think of some examples?
- Who decides who belongs?
- What could you say or do to help others feel they belong?
Remind students
Everyone is different and that’s a good thing. Everyone belongs in our school and in our classes. When we belong, it keeps us connected. When we are connected, we have a powerful protection against bullying.
Read the statement below
In Australia, almost 1 in 3 students report they have been bullied (Green et al, 2024). The majority of bullying presents as negative interactions around a range of issues. These issues may include physical appearance, personal differences, race, sexuality, the different ways our brains work, family backgrounds and friendship breakdowns.
Wanting to fit in and be accepted at school is the desire of most students. Feeling like we don’t belong can seriously impact our attendance, our achievements and our emotional wellbeing.
By promoting acceptance and embracing diversity we can create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and supported – ultimately reducing incidents of bullying and creating a sense of belonging for all students.
Invites students to discuss the following questions (and can choose to provide examples to support the discussion)
- Where are some places you feel like you belong?
- How do we know we belong somewhere?
- When you belong, how does that make you feel?
- Why is it important to belong?
- Do we know we belong straight away, or does it take time? Can you think of some examples?
- Who decides who belongs?
- What could you say or do to help others feel they belong?
Remind students
Everyone is different and that’s a good thing. Everyone belongs in our school and in our classes. When we belong, it keeps
us connected. When we are connected, we have a powerful protection against bullying.
Belonging brainstorm
Before the session, create posters by writing one question (below) per sheet of A3/butcher’s paper and place around the classroom. If the student group is large, posters can be duplicated.
Discussion questions
- Think about a time when you felt a sense of belonging in a group. How did you know you belonged?
- Think about a time when you struggled to feel you belonged in a group. Why do you believe you felt this way?
- Think about a time you witnessed someone struggle to feel they belonged in a group. What happened to make them feel included?
Instructions
- Divide students into 3 (or 6) groups. Number the groups 1/1a, 2/2a and 3/3a.
- Direct students’ attention to the posters around the room. Read the question on each sheet out loud.
- Ask each group to move to the poster matching their group number.
- Have students use markers to write on the poster all the answers they can think of (as individuals and as a group).
- After 5 minutes, have the groups rotate to the next poster – consider and discuss the question, review the responses and add any other thoughts or ideas.
- After 3 minutes, rotate the groups once again to review, discuss and add comments.
- After another 3 minutes, rotate for a final time (so each group returns to their original poster).
- Students read the poster’s contents out loud to the whole class.
- Reflecting on the responses (particularly to Qs 1 and 3), ask each student to make a personal commitment to an action they can do to promote a sense of belonging at school. They could write this in their student diary.
- If students are unable to participate, provide them with a task to support the group activity, such as timing the rotations and/or counting votes.
- Rather than asking for students to share personal stories, the teacher could make up scenarios to prompt discussion about belonging
Green, D. M., Taddeo, C., Tippet, N., Spears, B. A., Di Censo, G., Donnarumma, L., Jebril, W. & Bishop, C. L. (2024).A review of Australian Literature (2014-2023) on student bullying. Prepared for the Australian Schools Anti-Bullying Collective. Queensland Department of Education. bullyingnoway.gov.au