Welcome to ITLC Lilly Traverse City! Enjoy the beauty of Grand Traverse Bay, the colors of autumn, with a supportive community of scholars coming together to advance teaching and learning.
Group work is an integral component of the active learning classroom and establishing a sense of belonging increases student engagement and learning. My research focuses on how group formation based on learning styles (active, reflective, or mixed) and leadership types (follower, co-leader, or leader) influences an individual’s sense of belonging in the group, their willingness to work with group members again, and decreases their course anxiety. Some differences were found when results were analyzed by learning style and leadership type and when comparing across genders. This data solidifies the importance of developing a student’s sense of belonging to facilitate learning. Outcomes: 1. Understand how learning styles and leadership types can be useful when forming small groups for problem-based learning activities. 2. Learn how learning styles, leadership types, and gender influence a student’s sense of belonging and decrease course anxiety. 3. Apply lessons learned from my experiences to fostering small group communities within their own classroom, ultimately enhancing a student’s sense of belonging in the overall class.
