Building a strong, positive classroom community not only fosters academic engagement and achievement, it provides a safe and secure learning environment for students. Building a community together, in the classroom, also nurtures social and emotional development within students. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, building a classroom community with students is deeply connected to student learning, through the development of social-emotional skills (Krane). A classroom community is built around relationships within the classroom, establishing a respect, trust, and care for one another. When students feel empowered, understood, and relevant within the classroom, their abilities to learn and grow together are significantly increased (Krane). When strong classroom communities are created students have the ability to thrive in all aspects of development, academically and personally.
When creating a classroom community, it is important to remember that each child brings a unique background and set of interests into the classroom. Every child has a story. It is important to take these stories and create a cohesive novel out of them. When students have a sense of identity within the classroom community, they are able to adjust to school and learning within the classroom better (Church). When building a classroom community, it is important to allow every student to see themselves in the school of the group. By allowing students to feel accepted and welcomed into the classroom, they are better able to fuse into the community that is built within the classroom. This not only enhances the classroom; it fosters self-awareness and self-confidence within students.
Classroom communities are critical within schools. Building and maintain an encouraging and accepting classroom community is essential. Overall, ensuring that there is a positive community within the classroom fosters development, academic achievement, and engagement.
Tips for Building a Classroom Community:
1. Morning Meetings: Daily meetings help to set the tone for the day of learning. By having a routine that students follow, student engagement is increased. Morning meetings also help to establish expectations of the day.
2. Classroom Rules: Allowing students to help establish the rules of the classroom gives them a sense of purpose and responsibility in making sure that these rules are not broken.
3. Weekly Goals: Having weekly classroom goals gives all students something to work together toward. This could include keeping quiet in the hallway or perfecting lunchroom behavior. By having goals, students are held accountable for each other.
4. Random Acts of Kindness: By rewarding students randomly for the kindness they show others, it creates a positive notion around the importance of being kind and helpful.
5. Brain Break: Implementing Brain Breaks into the day establishes a sense of understanding and trust between the students and teacher. By providing a time to allow students to unwind and destress, teachers are showing that they care about the well-being of their students and that they understand the need for a break. Brain Breaks are often consistent of a short, one song dance party or a quick 5-minute yoga stretch.
References
Church, E. B. (n.d.). Building Community in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/building-community-classroom/
Krane, K. (2016, August 12). Back to School: Why Creating Classroom Community is So Important . Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/why-creating-classroom-community-so-important
