Session Outline

Students thrive when they feel they matter and belong, not only socially but academically. These aren’t abstract ideas; they’re powerful predictors of engagement and success. Research shows that belonging strongly shapes students’ experiences, particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds (Strayhorn, 2018). The What Works? programme (Thomas, 2012) demonstrates that belonging is not created by chance; it develops through intentional, relational practices embedded into everyday academic life. Personal tutoring offers a distinctive space for this kind of relationship-centred support (Lochtie et al., 2018). When interactions foster belonging and a sense of mattering, students are better positioned to engage, persist and grow.

The same principles apply to tutors. When we reflect on our own identity, values and sense of belonging, we create conditions to thrive professionally and personally. This self-awareness strengthens our capacity to build authentic relationships and to model reflective practice for our students. By engaging in this work ourselves, we lay the foundations for meaningful conversations that help students explore who they are, where they fit and how they can develop.

This workshop introduces The Reflection Tree, a creative, visual approach to reflective practice designed to help tutors explore their identity, values and aspirations, building confidence in supporting students to do the same. You will create your own Reflection Tree and then share insights in small groups, considering what emerged and how these reflections might shape your tutoring practice.

The metaphor is simple but powerful:

• Roots – positionality and lived experience

• Trunk – values and tutoring philosophy

• Branches / Fruit – practices, hopes and aspirations

Drawing on arts-based approaches to professional identity (Chitanand & Rambharos, 2016) and narrative methods such as the Tree of Life (Ncube, 2006), this activity moves reflection from conceptual to visual and embodied. It also resonates with decolonising pedagogies that foreground positionality, relationality and diverse ways of knowing (Smith, Tuck & Yang, 2019). By the end of the session, participants will leave with a practical, adaptable tool to use in personal tutoring and wider student-support conversations, one that helps tutors feel grounded in their own identity, and ultimately supports students to reflect more deeply on who they are and how they learn.

Learning Outcomes

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