Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Building a climate of success in the classroom
According to some of the latest neurological research, the brain is most interested in love, belonging, community and connection. This is the "new" foundational starting point for learning. How does this influence how we facilitate how our students interact with one another and how do we model that for them in and out of the classroom?
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I think we try to build belonging, community, connection in our Advisory classes. For this to be effective though, I do think we need smaller class sizes... don't think that's logistically possible.
ReplyDeleteLast year I did a big sister thing with 8th grade girls and 6th grade girls and that went really well. This year I have a class of 8th grade boys and 6th grade boys and I'm going to try the same with boys. See how that goes.... So far I've had to pull the 8th graders and warn them about physically hurting the 6th graders. I'm hoping to learn how to cultivate a classroom environment this year where the 8th grade boys feel like role models for the younger boys. Hoping the younger boys don't act up so much because they don't want to look silly in front of the older ones. We'll see. Every boy/girl grade mix has a different dynamic.
Advisory is key to showing how to belong, love, and connect with others in a healthy way. Teaching based on the health standards will meet this need our kids have. Needs on learning how to have empathy and positive social skills. The modeling is by having a one to one conversation along the year to give them that personal time.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year that I feel that advisory is actually doing just that!
DeleteI think that while building structure, and building routines, part of the routine should include building an environment where students feel free to ask questions, feel free to communicate and share not just ideas, but experiences. I think that this does build an environment of learning.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that stands out of all of the musical groups I was in school, the feeling that I belonged to something greater than me and the "loved" by my peers created a sense of community and family. We were very different but were connected by a common goal/passion. Often we were over a hundred members yet still felt united..
ReplyDeleteI try to instill this feeling in all of my classes, particular the performing classes since we will spend a good chunk of time together, often for 3 years.
Last year was the first full-blown generation of music students we culminated. Those individuals left feeling like we were one family. Many tears were shed at our end of the year banquet. Proof that we were a connected, loving, community, of peopled united by a common good.
I have a selected number of students who go around the classroom helping students with classwork. These students usually finish their class assignments early and are given extra credit for helping other students. This helps create a more positive environment in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteTo form those connections between students and the classroom climate, I emphasize the classroom code of conduct and how it makes the lessons relevant. I focus on teaching positive actions and instilling intrinsic motivation. By reinforcing positive behavior and trying to stay positive I model for students how to interact with each other.
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ReplyDeleteTo grow community, I engage in team building activities once or twice a week. I utilize some of the kagan structures (round robin, team interview, etc) facilitate this. If time is an issue, these can take maximum 5-10 minutes. I have noticed myself that when I include these activities, they are more open to the science activities of the day.
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This is a really poignant notion and makes total sense. We all want to feel like we belong somewhere and are appreciated in our various communities. For this reason, in the library, there is a movement to start calling them and treating them more like "a learning commons" where there is a lot of freedom to explore and relationship building.
ReplyDeleteAll of these building blocks are fundamental in lowering effective filters and opening up more possibilities to learn. I have found that role playing and having the students write scripts and acting them out has been most beneficial in showing the students what respectful actions and relationships look like. Further, I have found providing praise for the students who are respectfully interacting with other, is a great way for them to learn to a sense of love, belonging and connection.
ReplyDeleteWorking on something toward a common goal, whether it be in a small group setting or as an entire class, really helps in generating a sense of community. The greater the degree of student responsibility and creative expression generated within the activity, the greater the ownership and buy-in towards a cohesive sense of community.
ReplyDeleteGranted, the more enjoyable the "buy-in" activities, the greater the sense of community. After all, who wants to be part of a community that lacks enjoyment?
I feel like getting to know our students is really important to build a climate of success. We all have about 200 students in our classes, and while that is a lot, we can still get to know their names and know how they are doing in our classes. Once they realize that we know their names and how they are doing, they feel like they are being cared for.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that emphasizing team building and partner work is really important to build classroom success. Some students come in just focusing on their selves, but when I emphasize the importance of peer support in their work and the team work they do, students start realizing that it is not just them they have to care about but those around them as well. Last year, I had students asking if they could go around helping those who needed help if they were done.
In my science classroom I make an effort to illustrate how students actions directly relate to the grades they receive in class. Grades are not something given to them, rather something they earn through the choices they make everyday in school. By instilling that sense of ownership in their education, they also begin to see the parallels in their own lives. By connecting their actions to outcomes they gain a stronger sense of belonging in this world.
ReplyDeleteI am actually teaching the students how their brain works, including the mindset. I have several videos and text I'm working from. I have a system in place in how we behave in the classroom, expectations, and students already know what to do as soon they come in the class. I model everything I want them to do and I feel that this year is going to be a great year. Students are eager to learn, are very diligent about their work, I work the floor to make sure everybody understands what they have to do. Students are also responsible for helping each other within their groups. I am molding my 6th graders and the most important thing I am making them understand is how their brain works and why they do what they do, how their diet can influence their brain in learning and so on. It's a great video I have and students are very interested and curious about how they learn and how they can grow their intelligence. My classroom is generated around tolerance and acceptance of each other with great respect and love for each other. We are professionals with a goal of academic success.
ReplyDeleteI was just talking to Ms. Judilla about my goals this year of being more consistent with the kagan gambits.
ReplyDeleteI use kagan strategies in my classroom but I will admit that sometimes those friendly gambits are left out, and my goal for this year will be to make those gambits present.
Ms Judilla brought up a good point- that It might be nice for students If the do see these social interactions school wide. I agree with her, I think that will make a positive impact
As educators of youth it is very important that we are able to provide them with a safe space for them to foster their developmental growth. If students feel comfortable, accepted and appreciated then they will be much more likely to engage and respond. Their affective filters will be lowered and they will be able to not only grow emotionally by also academically. This can be a difficult thing to do with large class sizes but it is still very important that we take the time to be able to engage with our students in authentic ways. Not only is it important for the teacher and students to have good relationships but it is also important that the students have respectful and meaningful relationships with each other. This will allow students to build their social skills and develop a safe and comfortable space to build a community and learn!
ReplyDeleteStudents can learn how to be a community and how to connect with others even in our academic classes by teaching them how to work as a group. Team roles seem to help my students understand that each person has a role and that each and everyone belong to their respective group.
ReplyDeleteBuilding a climate of success in the classroom can start with building
ReplyDelete*Norms, values, and expectations that support social, emotional, and physical safety.
*People are engaged and respected.
*Students, families, and educators work together to develop and live a shared school vision.
*Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits gained from learning.
*Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.
I think once boundaries and or rules are established within a classroom, and the students feel safe, belonging, community and connection can take place and be a foundation for mutual respect, appreciation and collaborative learning both in and outside of the classroom. I always think it is great when students come back to my classroom for help or just to say hi, even though they are no longer in my class officially. Being there for the students, and helping them even when they are are no longer in my class is one way I think to model for the students the concepts of belonging, community and connection.
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