Jackson Laing ’27, a senior Teaching Fellow, explored how teaching practices help 9th grade students experience belonging as they transition into high school
Jackson Laing ’27 recently completed an undergraduate research project examining how high school teachers can intentionally help 9th grade students experience belonging as they transition into their new high school environment. Laing is a Teaching Fellow and completed this research as part of his inquiry project for the program.
His work has been published by the Centre for Belonging in Education, a UK-based group that advocates for research, policy, and practice initiatives to support belonging across all learning environments. Sharing his research with an international audience means that Jackson is able to impact teaching practice on a broader scale.
Laing describes the process as a rewarding experience: “As an education major, I want to become the best teacher I can be. Having a chance to dive into hands-on classroom observations, conduct interviews, and experience different teaching styles, has given me tools that I can use in my future classrooms. Beyond that, coming up with a list of specific things that teachers can do in their classroom to help the students adjust, belong, and feel comfortable has been really rewarding, and I hope that my research can help other teachers as well.”
Laing’s findings are published in the Practice arm of the Centre for Belonging in Education which emphasizes his goal to connect his research to classroom experiences and, ultimately, to improve student learning. Importantly, his findings will also impact his experience as a teacher.
“I am taking away a newfound respect for doing the little things in a classroom,” Laing said. “A lot of my findings weren’t giant acts or moves to entirely change a classroom, but simple, day-to-day things to help build a strong culture and community. In the end, I really appreciate these little things, and plan on doing them consistently in my classrooms.”
This research project was mentored by Evan Small, who also serves as a Founding Fellow for the Centre for Belonging in Education.