Students know all about their lives and what they like and dislike, so ASK them about it all. This can be done by giving them a student interest survey where they can tell you about their interests, passions, frustrations, and challenges. In addition to using this tool at the beginning of the year, try giving it to them a few times throughout the school year and notice how they change (…you can also give this to your colleagues to learn more about them, too!)

You can also ask other questions to build trust with students as you work to create an environment where they feel safe to learn:

• What are your hopes and dreams?
• If you could have a superpower, what would it be? 
• Where do you learn best?
• What helps you focus?
• What should you avoid when you are trying to learn?

In addition to sharing their responses with you, encourage them to share their thoughts with their classmates. And, try using this information to create a culture and environment centered on learning – this could include putting their ideas on posters and hanging them up in the classroom or creating other visual safe spaces for students to learn and grow.

In addition to students’ responses to questions, student data provides valuable insights into students’ strengths and areas in need of improvement. Using such data, which can be gathered from an adaptive assessment, for example, can help you better understand where students are across subject areas and with grade-level standards so you can personalize your instruction more effectively and keep students more engaged.

Taking the time to know students deeply and connect with them frequently will help create the right environment for learning to occur and for students to engage emotionally and cognitively. In turn, this will help students feel safe to really grow and thrive. And, that’s why we are all so passionate about education, right?