Learning CommunityA learning community is built upon a foundation of trust, respect and encouragement. In the classroom, students will encourage each other as I challenge them to exceed all expectations, while collaborating productively. The students in my classroom will not only share similar academic goals, but we will have a common attitude. Young learners and I will always act with kindness, optimism, respect, and a growth mindset to ensure success for every learner in the room. In our classroom, diverse contributions will be embraced. Students will work in cooperative learning groups that require individual accountability, as well as peer collaboration, while fostering positive interdependence. "By encouraging supportive relationships among students through cooperative learning activities, student satisfaction with the group increases and behavioural referrals drop by as much as 71%," (Watkins, 2004). Building a connected, supportive community with my students will ease behavioral issues and engage learners. The Morning Meeting allows the class to begin each day as a community of caring and respectful learners (Kriete, 2014)Each morning in my future classroom will begin with a Morning Meeting. The beginning of the day sets the tone for the classroom and reflects expectations for the way we will treat each other. The Morning Meeting allows the class to begin each day as a community of caring and respectful learners (Kriete, 2014). The Morning Meeting merges academic, social and emotional learning through dialogue that promotes academic growth. Productive learning environments include dialogue between the student and teacher, as well as students with peers (Prawatt, 1993). Morning Meetings begins with a greeting that acknowledges every student and fosters recognition of how important each child and their contributions are to the classroom. In the sharing phase of the meeting, students practice attention, listening and self-expression skills while their need to feel significant is met with a sense of belonging. For the group activity, learners are engaged in fun cooperative interaction that enhances connections amongst students. Feeling connected improves student attendance, motivation and engagement in learning (Kriete, 2014). The final portion of a Morning Meeting, the Morning Message, communicates important information about the day to students and integrates literacy skills. A Morning Meeting can effectively integrate academic content area learning with social emotional learning to develop skills that are necessary for success in life, like making responsible decisions and handling challenging situations constructively (Kriete, 2014).
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Good morning, 4th grade! Have a SWEET day!In the morning, my CT casually greets students as she notices them in the classroom. In order to make my students feel appreciated, welcome and important in the classroom, I stood by the door and greeted each learner individually. Starting at 7:30am, I welcomed all my 4th graders into the room with a big smile and cheerful "Good Morning," as I gave them the bags pictured below. Making students feel welcome is a necessary start to fostering a supportive classroom environment. Getting to know the learners interests, goals and future aspirations is essential to engaging students, as well as considering their preferences and building on their background knowledge.
interest groups will build community and further learner's social skills. Below, I have included some activities that will allow me to get to know my future learners better and build community in the classroom.
It's been over 10 years since I've been in 4th grade.For my Senior year at the College of Education I will return to a 4th grade classroom with my internship placement. Prior to the beginning of a new year, I had the opportunity to meet my amazing Collaborating Teacher (CT), participate in the school's pre-planning and data presentation, and pop in to surprise my students. Pre-Planning.A week before students arrive for a new school year the building has already been packed with administrators, teachers, school staff and aides. This year, I attended pre-planning as an intern. This week I witnessed team building and school spirit raising as the teachers worked together with administrators to begin the 2016-2017 academic year. I attended a Technology Integration Meeting led by a teacher at the school that introduced tools like Padlet, Nearpod, Axis360, and Skype to any attending educator. A new idea that I would love to integrate this year would be integrating one of the virtual field trips hosted over Skype. My CT is a welcoming, fun, knowledgeable and kind woman who will be referred to as Mrs. D*. (*= Pseudonym). I was able to preview her lesson plans, contribute to setting up the classroom and share ideas for the coming year. My favorite task was organizing the in-class library. First, I categorized Mrs. D's vast collection of books, dependent upon their genre. Mrs. D explained the chaotic state of the library as a result of students not putting books back correctly. To alleviate the issue, I included a "Lost Book" box for unsure students. As a came across interesting books, I created a recommendation section where I displayed books that I believe would interest a variety of 4th grade readers.
Faculty Meeting.According to a survey given, 100% of staff members are proud to work at the elementary school! At the meeting, the teachers participated in a superhero themed presentation that shared their "powers" and unique dream for the year. However, only 75% of instructional staff feel there is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. The importance of community building amongst teachers and the staff is highlighted by the informative, inspiring and fun atmosphere of the faculty meeting. 91% of parents say they are proud their students attend the school! We watched the county's Back to School News Conference. The county school district I am interning in is the 8th largest in the nation. The graduation rate is currently 77.9%, but by 2020 the district's goal is a 90% graduation rate. Annual Data Presentation.During the Faculty Meeting, an annual data presentation was given. 91% of students graduate when they are "kindergarten ready" and at a level 6 by the end of the year. Only 66% of students graduate if they are not kindergarten ready. This inspiring quote helped me realize the importance of the primary grades, as well as Elementary school as a whole, in regard to accomplishing the district's goal. The most shocking statistic I heard was that America is building prison beds based on the number of 3rd grade retentions. 7.4% of 3rd graders in our district were retained, our school retained 11.6% of 3rd graders in Summer 2016. Let that soak in and boil into a demand for radical system change. For the past school year, the elementary school was rated as a B school, (but, just barely, according to the presenters). The presentation included an explanation of learning gains, FSA scores and the School Improvement Plan. The Principal shared the school's vision, "to ensure students reach their fullest potential." She also reminded teachers that a child is much more than a number and to educate the whole child while inspiring them to learn. Meeting my students.
they were interested in. Students told me they wanted to learn about fossils, extinct animals, dolphins, crystal, aliens, space crafts, megalodon, spiders, and how to make a movie. The perfect thing is... I want to learn about all those things too! I gave the students a bag including tissues, a fun pencil, space-themed eraser and shaped sharpener. I was surprised by their grateful responses and big smiles! I'm really looking forward to working with these students. So what:By introducing myself to the students and beginning to show my enthusiasm for their interests in learning, I have begun establishing trust and my position in the classroom. I hope that students will recognize that I am there to support their academic goals and to facilitate learning about their unique interests. The students recognize that they are important to me. I believe it should be an educator's priority to get to know their students in the beginning of the year. Now what:Moving forward, I will be able to engage students by appealing to their interests. In my own classroom, I plan on extending the time I spend getting to know student's learning preferences. Also, I hope to allow them time to creatively introduce themselves to each other and recognize connections between their interests.
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