The workshop opens with a See-Think-Wonder provocation comparing two classroom vignettes. Participants develop a working definition of belonging, refine it using a Frayer Model, and connect it to Self-Determination Theory and Stereotype Threat Theory. A guiding question follows: what does a student who feels secure enough to be wrong do differently in your classroom?
Through model walkthroughs and case studies, participants use Claim-Support-Question to identify presence and absence markers of a belonging culture. They co-construct a shared list, supplemented by CASEL’s relationship indicators.
In small groups, participants explore belonging-building strategies across language, environment, relationships, and resources. Groups share ideas and discuss what a visitor would see and hear if each strategy were working. Strategies from frameworks including Hammond’s Ready for Rigor and Moll’s Funds of Knowledge enrich the discussion, reframed and adapted to Qatar’s cultural context.
About the workshop leader
Mohammad is an IB PYP educator, IBEN Workshop Leader, and CIS Evaluator committed to inquiry, student agency, and professional growth. His practice centres on concept-based, inquiry-driven learning that develops critical thinking, international-mindedness, and students’ ownership of their learning.
Through his work with educators worldwide, Mohammad supports programme implementation, designs meaningful professional learning, and contributes to reflective teaching communities. He holds an M.Ed. in Educational Management from Ulster University, with a focus on educational leadership and systems that help students and educators thrive. His approach to professional learning encourages curiosity, collaboration, and reflection to strengthen classroom practice.
