Starting afresh

Today I learn which classroom will be mine.  And I hope my official move-in will begin.

Will it be this room?

 

All my books and files, furniture and posters are packed and eagerly waiting in my garage to see which ones will be lucky enough to make the cut to go to my new school.  In two weeks, I’ll be teaching two new courses, so the cut will be severe, but I’m excited to begin working with somewhat new content and with a different population of students.

 

Or will it be this classroom?

 

As I have been sifting through my electronic files thinking about what to leave behind for the teacher who replaces me at this late summer date, I’ve noticed how much time I devote to community building at the beginning of the year.  Critics might suggest that I am ignoring my content for the first week or two, that I am not providing enough rigor at the outset.

But I disagree.

One thing I have learned over that past 16 years is that if teenagers are going to learn, if they are going to allow a teacher to push them, they have to have a certain level of comfort and familiarity at the outset.  Because things are going to get mighty uncomfortable later on.  And if I can’t connect with them and push them a bit now in an atmosphere of fun, it certainly won’t happen when they are far outside their comfort zones.

Below are a few of the activities I like to use during the first weeks of school.  They all help build community and help me understand the strengths and challenges of each student:

·         Kinesthetic Likert scale of intelligences- students line up according to their self-proclaimed intelligence in various activities, e.g. calming a crying infant, changing a tire, writing an essay, etc.  We follow with a discussion about multiple intelligences and school expectations and success.

·         Multiple Intelligence survey http://www.businessballs.com/howardgardnermultipleintelligences.htm#multiple intelligences tests

·         Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment  http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp  This activity is especially useful as we begin to craft arguments and audience.

·         Writer’s Notebook with safes (hand-drawn pictures of a safe with images of what each student values inside.  Great for writing ideas when drawing a blank later.)

·         Connections to music- which song or lyrics define parts of you?  Why?

·         Pictionary about hobbies, challenges, summer successes, and activities.

·         Socratic Seminar about topics in the news.

Each of these activities builds community and also serves as a piece of informal formative assessment.  They all answer questions for me about students’ self-confidence, skills, ability to generate ideas and argument, as well as their speaking skills.

In the first couple of weeks, I also weave in my processes and classroom systems… more about them later.

How do you build community among your students during the first days and weeks of school?  What knowledge do  you gain and use later?

 

 

What I want for my students

This 4^th of July week, perhaps appropriately, has been a reminder of the power of the community.

From the rallying of the family to tear down our old deck to the contributions of teacher Fellows who have just completed an intensive three-week summer seminar, I’ve been reminded that in community we grow together, even in unexpected ways.

The backyard renovation project seems to have started an eternity ago, but this holiday weekend we made a measurable dent in the demolition of the huge deck that surrounded our 30’ pool.  It was a success because each of us brought a little different strength to the overall task.  

For example, my husband fired up his old Allis Chalmers tractor, finally able to use its hydraulic brutishness to knock over the 4 x 4 uprights. Middle son Ted used his need for cash to spur him to extraordinary feats with the crowbar, attacking 12 foot long deck boards, even in the intense heat of the day.  Youngest son John toted and stacked board after nail-infested board on the trailer bound for the city recycling center.  An uncle welded the hitch that broke and stalled progress for only a couple of hours.  Even the neighbors kindly tolerated our un-Fourth-ish racket as boards cracked, hammers pounded, and Allis chugged throughout their holiday celebrations.  The backyard has changed, improved. And so have those who together are making it happen.

On Thursday, teachers from across Indiana shared their insights and accomplishments at the Summer Institute Celebration of Indiana Writing Project.  Each teacher, all from different levels of experience and educational philosophies spoke about their significant takeaways from their three weeks together.  And, perhaps more importantly, how their journey together had changed them.  It was an impactful testimony to the power of community.

In both cases, by the end of their time together, each person had learned a little more about how to do his own task more effectively, how to assist with the challenges of others, and  how useful patience and tolerance can be.  Together, as a community, everyone grew and achieved. 

That’s what I want for my students.

As July begins and my weeks of summer freedom are numbered, now comes the challenge of creating a community for a new group of students. But as this new year begins, I want to move beyond using interest inventories and team building activites.  Maybe into service learning or project-based learning… something that has authentic purpose and positive outcomes for all.

How do you see community at work in your life?  In your classroom?  How do you foster a sense of community?  In what ways have you seen it impact motivation or achievement in your students?