Jonathan Sandberg, professor in the School of Family Life, presented at the Inspiring Teaching Workshop Series on January 24. His message, “Three Components of Covenant Belonging in the First Semester at BYU,” helped faculty better understand how covenant belonging can transform the way they teach and interact with students.
After teaching a pilot version of the new UNIV 101 class in Winter 2023, Sandberg saw first-hand how covenant belonging could change the trajectory of students starting at BYU. He shared examples of how requiring his students to engage with each other and faculty members both in and out of class helped students find ways to contribute to and belong in the BYU community.
When engaging with students, Sandberg found emphasizing a growth mindset when students were faced with tasks outside their current skillset changed their outlook.
“Are you going to allow yourself a developmental perspective? … I say probably six or seven times each class, you don’t know how to do this yet. You will know how to do this by the time you graduate. I just modeled something. … Using the word yet is very powerful for students,” Sandberg said.
The three parts of covenant belonging Sandberg discussed are teaching students to belong to/with each other, belong to/with BYU, and belong to/with Christ. He gave students in his class the assignment to attend campus activities with other members of the class and told them if any student attended alone, everyone in the class would fail the assignment. When one student contacted Sandberg to let him know they wouldn’t be able to attend an event with classmates, Sandberg coached the student on how to ask his classmates for help. Any student can learn to make friends and engage with their peers.
Sandberg shared his personal journey of teaching at another university before coming to BYU and noted both faculty and students need opportunities to see themselves as part of the BYU community. Joining social clubs, gaining on-campus employment, and serving others are ways students can feel connected and find purpose.
The third aspect of covenant belonging Sandberg discussed was belonging to Christ. Christ wants to invite rather than command you; He want things for you, not from you. In explaining why we should help students want to belong to Christ, Sandberg shared a quote from Elder Pearson: “If you have a big enough why, you can do any what.”
Sandberg challenged faculty to examine how Jesus Christ might be found in their classes. He said, “Is Jesus Christ the main attraction at BYU? Is Christ the main attraction in my classes?” Discarding old ways of teaching and actively teaching in a new ways ultimately gave Sandberg permission to enjoy teaching and building relationships with students more. Teaching with a focus on covenant belonging helps students belong to each other, belong to BYU, and “belong to the Savior in covenant ways that lead to lifelong discipleship.”
Gain more insight on covenant belonging by watching Sandberg’s presentation and viewing his slides below.