Community & Self-Management
Community
Building a classroom community means the structure of the classroom promotes respect and learning amongst teachers and students. A strong community takes time and patience. Teachers scaffold and give students learning opportunities in order to build strong relationships with peers and adults in the classroom. When a classroom has a well-built community, learning increases, conflicts between others is less frequent, and the overall environment is welcoming and engaging to all.
Teacher Language
The power of our words in the classroom highly influences the community we build. In a classroom, you will typically hear a teacher use words such as you, me, them, etc. Changing the you and me, to an us or we, promotes a community where teachers and students require equal respect and value in the classroom. A classroom community needs both student and teachers to be successful. In addition to being mindful of the words we speak, we must keep open lines of communication and actively listen to students. Teachers tend to talk majority of the time in the classroom. A well-developed community has both teachers and students talking and learning. “Not only does listening to students model respectful interaction in a community of learners, but it actually helps students learn because speaking is an important means of formulating knowledge” (Denton, 2014). Supporting inclusive language and student input provides a basis for building a successful community.
Student-created Classroom Expectations
Classroom expectations are a must for students to have a reference to look back on to throughout the year. To support building a classroom community, have students create classroom expectations. A student-created list of expectations will resonate with students instead of students being told what is expected of them. When students create this list, they have an understanding of what is expected of them in the classroom. Different expectations can be created for different areas of school such as, transitions, specials, cafeteria, etc
Classroom DecorTeachers love to decorate their classroom from the mass amount of pinterest ideas, however, when teachers do this, we are taking an opportunity for students to be a part of forming the classroom and how it is run. Giving students the ability to personalized their learning environment. A student-decorated classroom promotes acceptance of others ideas and having students work collaboratively to make their classroom their own. A way to decorate the classroom is to put up students' work on the walls, bulletins, door, hallway, etc. This makes students feel excepted and value into the community.
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Self-Management
Managing a class is important, but also scaffolding self-managing skills to student as well. When students are able to acknowledge where they are at in an assignment or how they are feeling about a certain situation in the classroom, it creates a self-running classroom. Teaching self-management strategies is a long-term process that requires patience and practice. Implementing the strategies below give students an opportunity to see learn self-management skills and practice them in the classroom.
Fidgets
Fidgets are small tools that help keep students focused during instruction. A fidget could range from a stress ball, play-doh, links, coloring, or various squish toys. Fidgets let restless hands/feet stay busy while the rest of the body stays relaxed to keep students' minds focused. Fidgets have a tendency to support students with learning disabilities, however, research has shown that fidgets benefit the whole classroom. Students can make the decision if they want or need a fidget, which supports them self-assessing their own emotions and needs.
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Self-Assessment Chains
In a class of 20-30 students, teachers will have a diverse group of learners. Some students may comprehend material at a quicker pace than others, and some may need additional help during instruction activities, Self-assessment cards enable students to reflect on their progress during an activity and also notifies the teacher of the progress as whole. Each card will be hooked to a keychain. There are 4 cards; red, yellow, green and blue. The red card states, "I'm stuck." The teacher is able to quickly give help to students who cannot move forward. The yellow card states, "I'm getting there." The students are able to acknowledge that they are being challenged, but still working. The green card states "I'm good to go" letting the teacher know they are on the right track and understand what they are doing. The blue card stats "I'm done" to allow the teacher to let those students move on to another activity or any additional work that they could do (reading, writing, homework, etc). These cards gives students the opportunity to assess their progress in a more specific manner. You can also make self-assessment cards for students who need support regulating their emotions during certain situations in the classroom.
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Reflective Journal
Reflective journals are personal records written by students for the teacher to view and communicate with them through. Students are prompted by teachers to record learning-related experiences or incidents, either during instruction or soon after. Students are able to discuss their understanding or questioning on what they are learning. Students are able to write about their success or even challenges with confidentially. Reflective journals give students the opportunity to go deeper into their learning and see their progress. Prompts can be given to students at the beginning of the year, but slowly give students the the power to write what the feel is necessary to discuss and reflect on.
Class Jobs
To give students significant responsibility in the class, implementing classroom jobs promotes a well-organized environment. Teachers tend to have classroom jobs such as, lights, pencil sharpener, lunch count, etc. Creating classroom jobs that students have to apply for and have a larger responsibility gives students a larger sense of accountability. Students who apply and get the job have it for a month at a time to allow others the opportunity to have a job that interests them. Giving students more responsibility in running the classroom will let them have the experience with being accountable.
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Student-Led Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences can be a daunting task. Discussing a student to his or her parents is important to addressing the goals of the classroom, strengths and areas of needs for their child. A student-led, parent-teacher conferences allows the student to assess their progress throughout the year and determine that important aspects of his or her learning. Teachers may need to assist students with preparing for a student-led conference, such as, prompting them in thinking about their strengths, weaknesses, goals, and accomplishments thus far. It allows students to reflect on their learning, practice social skills and take a role in their education. "When teachers explain the purpose of the approach and offer guidance on self-assessment and goal settings, students tend to evaluate their performance with honesty and to set appropriate goals for themselves" (Davis & Yang, 2014). Student-led conferences lets the students dig deeper into the purpose of what they are learning and gives them great responsibility.
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STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.A - Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.C - Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. |