In the last twenty years, I have considered that building a strong community in the classroom is an effective strategy for classroom management. When students come into a classroom and start taking pride in learning and collaborating with each other without judging, they are contributing to learn things step by step. At the same time, they are encouraged to use their abilities to manipulate a digital or electronic tool in order to be creative, spontaneous, and original. Additionally, misbehaviors and disruptions are significantly reduced. Therefore, young learners begin to use their previous knowledge to carry out activities that might awake other students' interest and motivation in learning new stuff every day.
To begin, I will recall a brief summary of how important is for educators to build a motivated and active classroom community who struggle to become original in their work as they use digital tools to create a masterpiece. Likewise, these learners will be interested if they show empathy, collaboration, and honesty with their classmates because they think in a different way. We want encourage our students to live in a safe and secure environment without rejections.
Firstly, the beginning of the year is a time for creating a sense of community, and our learning room is the gathering place. Here, all children can feel secure, nurtured and supported by the environment, each other, and us. This new group of individuals bring with them divergent interests, abilities, cultures, and families. Each child arrives at our door with a fertile background of experience that enriches our program. By demonstrating our loving acceptance of all children's backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints, we can create an environment that says, "Everybody is welcome here." At the same time, we are modeling just how we want children to be with one another. Thus, the goal is to celebrate individuals while creating a sense of community.
Secondly, when educators meet students’ basic needs for close, caring relationships and a sense of influence and contribution (Deci & Ryan, 1985), they help their students become committed to the school’s values and goals. Likewise. students strive to fit in and to succeed in such schools, just as they try to emulate parents to whom they feel close. When a school engenders a sense of community, peer group dynamics tend to work in support of its goals and values by increasing the likelihood of positive effects.
There has been major studies in building communities in a classroom. A large-scale comparative evaluation of CDP (Children Development Project) was conducted from 1991 to 1996. It involved 12 CDP program schools and 12 matched comparison schools in six school districts nationally. Additionally, these districts ranged from large and urban to small and rural in character. Therefore, the major results from this evaluation demonstrated the importance of building community in school for students’ overall development, and CDP’s effectiveness at building sense of community when it was well implemented (Schaps et al., 1997; Watson et al., 1997; Battistich et al., 1999).
On the other hand, children's "world view" expands to add a greater understanding of the relationship between oneself and other. Studies also tell us that some of the most important skills children need for school readiness and success are the "people skills" of social interaction, communication, collaboration, and problem solving. Booth (2003) states that building a strong and motivated classroom community is an essential way to succeed in our activities. For instance, teachers build community through trust. However, in order to feel part of their classroom community, children need to feel the same sense of trust in school as they do at home. Their calm acceptance of children's feelings during the transition from home to school goes a long way towards letting children know that it is safe to express their feelings and building their sense of trust in them. Therefore, we should reassure children by making eye contact, listening to what they need to say, and acknowledging their thoughts and feelings.
Lastly, students must start creating an online blog where they can share their learning experiences and personal viewpoints with their families, friends, and relatives. We all learn from each other and we must accept it no matter how old you are. What matters is that you keep learning new things and start putting them into practice by using digital and creative tools that might help you move on with your creativity. Thus, creating an online blog is a good way to share stories, activities, relevant news, and the latest trends in educational technology. Building meaningful, offline relationships is essential to engaging in digital spaces. Students must understand that a friend is not simply a button you click to accept, and a conversation is not always typed into a small box. Technology can do great things for our lives and bring us all closer together. Nevertheless, it should not isolate us from personal relationships.
In conclusion, building a strong community in the classroom is essential for educators to keep changing the learning environment as they incorporate the use of technology with learners. In fact, the essential element to creating a sense of community in our classroom is us, the teachers. It is not the number of toys and materials or the size of your space that really counts, but your loving, compassionate attitude towards the children in your classroom family that creates a joyful community.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Booth C, E. (2003). Best-Ever Circle Time Activities: Back to School. Scholastic Inc.
Schaps, E., Watson, M., & Lewis, C. (1997). A sense of community is key to effectiveness in fostering character education. Journal of Staff Development, 17, 42–47.
Battistich, V., Watson, M., Solomon, D., Lewis, C., & Schaps, E. (1999). Beyond the three R’s: A broader agenda for school reform. Elementary School Journal, 99, 415–431.
To begin, I will recall a brief summary of how important is for educators to build a motivated and active classroom community who struggle to become original in their work as they use digital tools to create a masterpiece. Likewise, these learners will be interested if they show empathy, collaboration, and honesty with their classmates because they think in a different way. We want encourage our students to live in a safe and secure environment without rejections.
Firstly, the beginning of the year is a time for creating a sense of community, and our learning room is the gathering place. Here, all children can feel secure, nurtured and supported by the environment, each other, and us. This new group of individuals bring with them divergent interests, abilities, cultures, and families. Each child arrives at our door with a fertile background of experience that enriches our program. By demonstrating our loving acceptance of all children's backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints, we can create an environment that says, "Everybody is welcome here." At the same time, we are modeling just how we want children to be with one another. Thus, the goal is to celebrate individuals while creating a sense of community.
Secondly, when educators meet students’ basic needs for close, caring relationships and a sense of influence and contribution (Deci & Ryan, 1985), they help their students become committed to the school’s values and goals. Likewise. students strive to fit in and to succeed in such schools, just as they try to emulate parents to whom they feel close. When a school engenders a sense of community, peer group dynamics tend to work in support of its goals and values by increasing the likelihood of positive effects.
There has been major studies in building communities in a classroom. A large-scale comparative evaluation of CDP (Children Development Project) was conducted from 1991 to 1996. It involved 12 CDP program schools and 12 matched comparison schools in six school districts nationally. Additionally, these districts ranged from large and urban to small and rural in character. Therefore, the major results from this evaluation demonstrated the importance of building community in school for students’ overall development, and CDP’s effectiveness at building sense of community when it was well implemented (Schaps et al., 1997; Watson et al., 1997; Battistich et al., 1999).
On the other hand, children's "world view" expands to add a greater understanding of the relationship between oneself and other. Studies also tell us that some of the most important skills children need for school readiness and success are the "people skills" of social interaction, communication, collaboration, and problem solving. Booth (2003) states that building a strong and motivated classroom community is an essential way to succeed in our activities. For instance, teachers build community through trust. However, in order to feel part of their classroom community, children need to feel the same sense of trust in school as they do at home. Their calm acceptance of children's feelings during the transition from home to school goes a long way towards letting children know that it is safe to express their feelings and building their sense of trust in them. Therefore, we should reassure children by making eye contact, listening to what they need to say, and acknowledging their thoughts and feelings.
Lastly, students must start creating an online blog where they can share their learning experiences and personal viewpoints with their families, friends, and relatives. We all learn from each other and we must accept it no matter how old you are. What matters is that you keep learning new things and start putting them into practice by using digital and creative tools that might help you move on with your creativity. Thus, creating an online blog is a good way to share stories, activities, relevant news, and the latest trends in educational technology. Building meaningful, offline relationships is essential to engaging in digital spaces. Students must understand that a friend is not simply a button you click to accept, and a conversation is not always typed into a small box. Technology can do great things for our lives and bring us all closer together. Nevertheless, it should not isolate us from personal relationships.
In conclusion, building a strong community in the classroom is essential for educators to keep changing the learning environment as they incorporate the use of technology with learners. In fact, the essential element to creating a sense of community in our classroom is us, the teachers. It is not the number of toys and materials or the size of your space that really counts, but your loving, compassionate attitude towards the children in your classroom family that creates a joyful community.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Booth C, E. (2003). Best-Ever Circle Time Activities: Back to School. Scholastic Inc.
Schaps, E., Watson, M., & Lewis, C. (1997). A sense of community is key to effectiveness in fostering character education. Journal of Staff Development, 17, 42–47.
Battistich, V., Watson, M., Solomon, D., Lewis, C., & Schaps, E. (1999). Beyond the three R’s: A broader agenda for school reform. Elementary School Journal, 99, 415–431.
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