Respect: the most important element of a classroom community
- Discuss and emphasise respect in all classroom activities and situations.
- Respect not only the teacher, but also the classroom, other students, and school staff.
- Communicate freely about respect with the students.
- Reward students who are noticed being respectful with tokens of accomplishment.
Classroom organization
- Seat students in groups to promote team work, common goals, and cooperation.
Student ownership
- Involve students in the classroom by decorating the class, devising rules, or helping to establish routine to give them ownership in the running of the classroom as important and contributing members of the community.
Comfortable
- Become more approachable by sharing personal stories.
- Give students the opportunity to share personal stories to get to know others who they may have never worked before. This can help make the classroom more comfortable.
Responsibilities
- Assign classroom jobs to give students responsibility for the operation of the classroom.
Team building
- Establish trust within the classroom by playing leadership games early and throughout the year.
Communication
- Open a line of communication with parents using letters, at Meet the Teacher night and with agendas to incorporate parents as part of the community.
Extending the community
- Broaden the classroom community by integrating school resources, other school staff members, and school and community events.
- Show students that they are valuable members of an extended community.
Extending the Community: a sixth grade student is invited to the class to explain the “Bossy R” in to third grade students.
Classroom organization: round tables promote cooperation and a learning community.
Personal Stories link my water pump, used for hiking, to those used in Africa, making the unit of inquiry more personal and relevant.