Building a Learning Community
Promises
Social Smarts
There are many different kinds of "smarts." We need social smarts in order to make friends, connect with others, and feel like we belong. Our words and actions affect those around us. Showing interest in others and thinking about how others feel doesn't always come easy. When we act in "unexpected" ways, the people around us have "uncomfortable" thoughts. In David Goes to School by David Shannon, David spends the day wreaking havoc in his classroom. His exasperated teacher utters the phrase, "No, David!” over and over again. David is seemingly unaware of the effects of his behavior on his classmates.
There are many different kinds of "smarts." We need social smarts in order to make friends, connect with others, and feel like we belong. Our words and actions affect those around us. Showing interest in others and thinking about how others feel doesn't always come easy. When we act in "unexpected" ways, the people around us have "uncomfortable" thoughts. In David Goes to School by David Shannon, David spends the day wreaking havoc in his classroom. His exasperated teacher utters the phrase, "No, David!” over and over again. David is seemingly unaware of the effects of his behavior on his classmates.
With a picture of David and a classmate projected on to our whiteboard, we add thought bubbles and brainstorm David's classmate's uncomfortable thoughts. We decide David needs clearly defined expectations and reminders to use his social smarts, so that he can be successful and his classmates can feel comfortable around him.
At some point during our discussion, we make a surprising discovery: we all have unexpected behaviors at times (even the adults in our lives!). We decide to brainstorm a list of the many factors that can influence our behavior.
Our Promises
As a community, we agree that every classroom needs a set of clear and reasonable expectations- Promises we can make to one another to ensure that all members of the community feel safe, comfortable, and successful.
We ponder this important question:
As a community, we agree that every classroom needs a set of clear and reasonable expectations- Promises we can make to one another to ensure that all members of the community feel safe, comfortable, and successful.
We ponder this important question:
Now it's time to "close read" our responses. We look for patterns and similarities, and we use our findings to generate a list of student promises.
Here's what we came up with:
Here's what we came up with:
Here's what the teachers came up with:
Let the Adventure Begin!
First Day Jitters
The buses pull up to the curb. Doors slide open, and children with fresh haircuts and brand new sneakers climb off. Weighed down by backpacks stuffed full of school supplies, they find their places in line.
Beneath the friendly smiles, shy grins, and steely gazes, we can sense our new students' excitement and anxiety. Feelings we recognize because we are feeling the same way. A new school year and an overwhelming sea of new faces-what lies in store for the year ahead?
As teachers, we know our new students come to us with apprehension: Will I know anyone in my class? Will I make new friends? Will my teachers be nice? Will I feel comfortable? Our students need to feel a sense of belonging. They need to feel comfortable and safe in order to take the risks necessary for learning. They need to feel valued for their strengths and their uniqueness and feel supported when it comes to their challenges. Taking the time to develop a sense of community within the classroom is the most important thing we can do to start off the school year. The time invested now pays off every single day throughout the year.
The buses pull up to the curb. Doors slide open, and children with fresh haircuts and brand new sneakers climb off. Weighed down by backpacks stuffed full of school supplies, they find their places in line.
Beneath the friendly smiles, shy grins, and steely gazes, we can sense our new students' excitement and anxiety. Feelings we recognize because we are feeling the same way. A new school year and an overwhelming sea of new faces-what lies in store for the year ahead?
As teachers, we know our new students come to us with apprehension: Will I know anyone in my class? Will I make new friends? Will my teachers be nice? Will I feel comfortable? Our students need to feel a sense of belonging. They need to feel comfortable and safe in order to take the risks necessary for learning. They need to feel valued for their strengths and their uniqueness and feel supported when it comes to their challenges. Taking the time to develop a sense of community within the classroom is the most important thing we can do to start off the school year. The time invested now pays off every single day throughout the year.
Getting to Know you
The first thing we do on the first day of school is get to work! Some students create sculptures, others make posters or fill out questionnaires. It is important to offer choice, so all students can find a "Just Right" way to express themselves.
The first thing we do on the first day of school is get to work! Some students create sculptures, others make posters or fill out questionnaires. It is important to offer choice, so all students can find a "Just Right" way to express themselves.
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