Creating Classroom Community: How?

1. Creating Classroom Community: How? "Of all the things that count, nothing is as important as the people in the process. Teaching machines, microcomputers, programmed materials, distance learning, communication highways, and other technological advances may play an important role in education, but they cannot substitute for human relationships. Teaching is a way of being with people. This 'being-with' process has a great impact on students' ideas about themselves and their abilities." Purkey and Novak, Inviting School Success Part 2

2. Flow • Foundations • Creating Conditions/Tools • Facilitator Knowledge • Application

3. Creating ConditionsFacilitator Knowledge • Introduction • Warm up Activities • Reflection • Guiding Questions • Facilitator Knowledge • Sequencing and Flow

4. Creating ConditionsFacilitator Knowledge • Conditions for Creating a sense of Community • Intentionality • Safe and Trusting Environment • Closing • Reflection • Next Class

5. Protocols for CCC • Assume good intentions • Ouch/Oops (Spinach in the teeth rule) • Right to Pass • Confidentiality

6. The Best Workshop EverFacilitators • Active and engaging forms of presentation and multiple ways of accessing information • Be able to move around and do things • Leave early if it makes sense • More experiential and varied activities • Purposeful work outside of class • Help to coordinate food • Ideas and materials useful for the classroom/setting

7. The Best Workshop EverEveryone • Sharing the air • Put ups – encouragement, acknowledgement • Look for the good and positive • Keep it light • Bring food • Positive energy • Make your learning needs known • Watching our humor – especially sarcastic humor • You can only volunteer yourself

8. Review

9. A Framework for Community Building

12. The Container Concept

13. We Have Choices…We have Influence… How can you influence your containers?

14. VISION • RESOURCEFUL • RESPECT • RESPONSIBLE     • SELF RESPECT     • SELF SUFFICIENT • SENSE OF HUMOR • SUCCESSFUL • WELL-INFORMED • AT PEACE • CARING • COMPASSIONATE • CONFIDENT     • CONTRIBUTER • CREATIVE • CRITICAL THINKER • EMPATHETIC     • EMPLOYED • FORGIVING • GET ALONG W/ OTHERS • GOOD COMMUNICATOR • GOOD PARENTS • GOOD SELF ESTEEM • HAPPY • HEALTHY • HONEST     • INDEPENDENT • INTEGRITY • LITERATE     • LOYAL • MOTIVATED • PATIENT • PERSEVERENCE • POSITIVE ATTITUDE • PROBLEM SOLVERS • PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS • RELIABLE • RESILIENT

15. Supports Learning Fosters a Safe Learning Environment Is Experiential

16. Reflection Guiding QuestionsWhat do you need in order to delve     into this question?Resources?

17. In teaching physical education where my goal is to have students moving as much of the class time as possible, how much time can I spend on the discussion portion, which is so valuable in creating a caring classroom? ~ Phil What are the problem solving strategies students can use that will help them grow academically, socially, and physically during community building activities? ~ Gerry How do I (as a teacher) get my students to practice good participation? ~ Pam How do you build community with a very mobile, damaged, and dysfunctional class? ~ Wendy

18. Can I have help creating purpose boards for creating a sharing classroom? Can I have help integrating these activities into my units? ~ Joman How do we effectively influence and apply these principles to adult work situations? ~ Mary N. What activities will support, enhance, kindness in our building? ~ Honer How do I create (or start to create) community in a class of students who have many social, emotion, cognitive, and behavioral challenges? ~ Tom

19. How can I apply this process and these activities to a class and population that is very mobile / nebulous / consistently angry, etc…..? ~ Pat How do I take the ideas and activities I’ve learned here and better tie in academic content for an overall integration? ~ ??? I want to build a stronger classroom community… When to transition, especially when they are struggling? ~ Malisa I’m curious about the role of the facilitator – From leader to consultant. The satisfaction of seeing kids develop leadership and feeling empowered about their learning is the ultimate satisfaction as a teacher. How do you get a group to that point? ~ Catherine

20. What strategies/activities exist that allow teachers to integrate community building activities with academic lessons and standards? ~ Caroline How can I refocus my energy and move beyond the narrow vision of community building in my school? ~ Karen As a substitute teacher I have seconds to create a caring classroom. Students need to feel safe and know boundaries for a successful day of learning. Each day my goals as a substitute are: • Keep students safe, • help students to be happy, • and learn. I want to create a “tool kit” to use when creating a caring classroom. I like to use the class routine as well as add something fresh, new, and interesting. I need activities/materials that are easy to use with little prep. Most of all, I need ideas that make an impact! Activities that let students know that as a visitor I can be trusted to make the time at school worthwhile ~ Anne

21. SEQUENCING AND FLOW

22. Two Perspectives on Sequencing • Ice Melters • Deinhibitizers • Trust Activities • Problem Solving Initiatives • Challenges • Getting Acquainted • Learning to Trust and Support Each Other • Communication Skills • Setting Goals • Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution • Extensions

25. "Many of those personal qualities that we hold dear—resilience and courage in the face of stress, a sense of craft in our work, a commitment to justice and caring in our social relationships, a dedication to advancing the public good in communal life—are exceedingly difficult to assess.  And so, unfortunately, we are apt to measure what we can, and eventually come to value what is measured over what is unmeasured.  The shift is subtle and occurs gradually.” From: Alexander, L. & James, H.T. (1987) The Nation’s Report Card: Improving the assessment of student Achievement. Washington, DC: National Academy of Education.

26. Creating Conditions

27. Conditions for Community to Develop • Intentionality • Safe and Trusting Environment • Balancing “Me” and “We” • Positivity • Ownership • Others?

28. Conditions for Community to Develop • IntentionalityInvitational EducationTime • Safe and Trusting EnvironmentSafe EnvironmentRelational Trust

29. Intentionality Invitational Education – a Container Framework Making time for relationships

30. Conditions for Community to Develop INTENTIONALITYInvitational EducationTime

32. Invitational Education www.invitationaleducation.net

33. INVITATIONAL EDUCATION

34. www.invitationaleducation.net

36. Staff’s Words • Be direct and authentic. • Use ideas and words that engage children • Show faith in children’s abilities and intentions • Use concrete images and words children use and understand • Try using metaphors • Keep it brief • Know when to be silent The Power of Our Words Teacher Language That Helps Children Learn

37. Relationship Building • Time • Teeth • Touch • Eye Contact • Listening

38. Safe & Trusting Environment Safe Environment Relational Trust

39. Conditions for Community to Develop SAFE AND TRUSTING ENVIRONMENTSafe Environment (Container) Relational Trust

41. Physical/Emotional Safety • Physical and verbal violence has to be addressed. • Ground rules and social commitments help in establishing boundaries. • Instances of harassment, hitting, etc. though, must also be dealt with quickly.

42. PBIS Continuum and PII Approach INVENTION INTERVENTION PREVENTION

43. Relational Trust

45. Conclusions from Research by Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider • Schools reporting strong relational trust levels in 1994 were three times more likely to eventually improve in reading and math than those with very weak trust reports. • By 1997, schools with strong relational trust reports had a one in two chance of being in the improving group vs. a one in seven chance for schools with very weak relational trust reports. From PowerPoint at Expeditionary Learning Schools Conference, 2010

46. Perhaps Most significantly... • Schools with weak relational trust levels in 1994 and 1997 hadvirtually no chance of showing improvement in either reading or mathematics. From PowerPoint at Expeditionary Learning Schools Conference, 2010

47. Presence of relational trust was morepredictive ofimprovement than.. • School size • Teacher educational/professional background • Percentage of new teachers • Average years of teaching experience • Racial & ethnic composition of student body • Poverty levels • Stability of student body • Prior school achievement From PowerPoint at Expeditionary Learning Schools Conference, 2010

48. Conditions for Community to Develop • Intentionality Invitational Education Time • Safe and Trusting EnvironmentSafe Environment Relational Trust • Balancing “Me” and “We” • Positivity • Ownership

49. Between Teacher and Child I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized. HaimGinott, 1922-1973 Clinical psychologist, Child therapist, Parent educator, and author

50. Homework: Alone or with a buddy/truddy – prepare a short activity to present with the group. Artifact? Guiding Question next steps: Pay attention to what you are already doing and where you want to go. What do you need in order to make progress toward your goal?