How are we building connectedness at YOKA?

Why does BULLYING take place? What have you done to help students better understand empathy and compassion in your classroom? What curriculum or processes have you used to build trust with your students and in our YOKA community?

How did we all become such great readers?

What is it great readers like yourself do? How do you read a fiction piece versus an academic article? What kind of environment do you need to read well and deeply? How do you set the stage in your classroom for great reading to occur?

What do you wonder about?

"When students are encouraged to WONDER, they tap into their creativity and begin to trust their ability to generate insights, make connections, and enhance their own learning."
-Betty K. Garner, consultant at Aesthetic of Lifelong  Learning, author of Getting to "Got It!" (ASCD, 2007)                                                                  

What do you wonder about?  What are your curious to learn more about?

How do we build rapport with our students?

WHAT we say is as critical as HOW we say it.  Which of the following six elements of rapport do we think are most critical in regards to establishing a positive impression and rapport with students? And WHY are these elements so critical? 
1. Posture
2. Gesture
3. Tonality/ Voice level
4. Language
5. Breathing
6. Eye Contact

Is there anything missing? Why do you see it as critical as well?

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?

How can we build MORE resilience in our students?

We know that resilience is best built through having small successes.  A student may be gifted but how do they bounce back or learn from failure?  How have we learned to bounce back from our failures? What have we learned?  How can we create an environment in our classroom that begins to build resilience?

For further inquiry in this area please see the following links that were referred to me by Dr.

Wade Leuwerke, Ph.D., GEAR UP Iowa, Research and Training Director.

Carol Dweck’s Website:

http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/

Ted Talk with Carol Dweck: http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en

Take the Mindset Quiz:

http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

Neuroplasticity Video Clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g

 

How can we make YOKA's community for students and staff even stronger?

Does the YOKA DRAGON PACT embody the "Guiding Principals and the Rules and Expectations for Common Areas" that is already part of the YOKA school-wide expectations?  What is next? What do we need to do  to build a stronger YOKA community for students and staff?