Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. John Wesley

Building Community in the Classroom Class Meetings Building Community in the Classroom

Class meetings usually serve one or more of the following purposes: to plan and make decisions, to “check in,” and to solve problems or raise awareness.

Both academic and social issues are appropriate topics for consideration. Depending on their purpose, class meetings can be a regularly scheduled part of the school day or week or can occur as needed.

Their versatility makes them a valuable classroom management tool-one that helps students actively contribute to their academic and social learning.

Why Have Class Meetings Kids are involved in constructive decisions making. It is a forum for students to voice and directly effect how they want their class to be. It creates a climate of trust and respect between kids and kids and teachers It helps build self esteem by having kids involved in decisions that affect their world.

Kids develop a sense of responsibility for their actions It enhances speaking, listening, leadership skills. It is a forum for students to support each other as each person takes charge of their own learning.

What is an Effective Class Meeting? The teacher “shares the control” with students by letting them help set the agenda. The focus is always on school, not home. Students do most of the talking and the teacher acts as facilitator. The teacher teaches students to really listen to and respect each others’ ideas.

Students work together to improve the learning environment, friendships and cooperative group work through class plans. Individual students with problems or conflicts seek help and ongoing support from their classmates.

Eight Building Blocks for Effective Class Meetings Form a circle. Practice compliments and appreciations. Create an agenda. Practice forming a circle. Chairs usually better than on floor except for perhaps young children. Chairs create a sense of boundaries. Think about your placement in the circle. Maybe change where you sit every time. Sit at the kids level, if they are on floor sit on floor. Teach kids to be specific when giving compliments Show overhead on encouragement and what it means. Teach kids to accept compliments Each child can choose to give, get or pass. Can use the term acknowledgements with older kids. Agenda – box on desk. Using names may come later to create sense of responsibility

Develop communication skills. Learn about separate realities. Practice brainstorming and role playing.

Recognize the reasons people do what they do.

Questions when setting a topic for a meeting. Is the topic open-ended, inviting participation from all children? Is there really room for different ideas and viewpoints?

Do you really want student input? Have you made a decision already? Will the children be able to act on their ideas or suggestions? Are you willing to support decisions made by the children even though you feel they might fail?

Sample Topics Relationships What can I do when a person is bugging me? What can I do when I’m feeling left out? What can I do when someone hurts my feelings? How can I help my friends do the right thing? What can I do when my friend won’t share me with my other friends?

Working in small groups What would help us bring the best out of everyone when we work in small groups? What could we do to help from the teacher without getting too embarrassed? What could we do when our group ins’t working very well together?

Attitude toward school What really works for me at school? What can I do when school is not much fun? What can I do when I’m becoming turned off to school?

Places and activities that are not routine How can we make a field trip, guest speaker, or assembly work for everyone?

Lunch and Free Time How can we make lunch free-time enjoyable for everyone How can we help our friends do the right thing during lunch and free time?

Diversity/teasing How can we help everyone feel welcome and respected? What can we do when we see or are targets of teasing and harassment?

Creating a Comfortable Atmosphere Getting to know you activities. Add-on Graffiti Boards Artifacts Class Data Base Find Your Match Forced Choice I am Thinking of Someone Partner Interviews Photograph Display Webbing Getting to Know You Activities Add on Graffiti Boards – buletin boards or large pieces of paper – sentences or phrases such as “I linke school wehen” or Favorite Books” – everyone (teacher t00) writes answers Artifacts – item connected with someone or something important or memorable in a person’s life. Keep in paper bag or box while telling about it and then show. Class Data Base – Students and teacher make a class chart or graph showing information about individuals hobbies, birthdays, favorite food or book, etc. (not height or weight) Find your match – form groups or go around and find people. Forced choice, Answer and discuss – would you rather read a biography or write an autobiography,, would you rather visit antarctica or hawaii, would you rather draw a picture, act out an story or sing a song, learn about insects or earthquakes, play softball, piano or chess. I am Thinking of Someone – guess the classmate or teacher being described by a series of hints Partner Interviews-write or draw about what they learned Photograph Display – teacher takes polaroid or other snapshots of students, posts them. Students could add to theirs, pick a picutre and write about it, write a caption, interview and write stuff up there. Webbing – student holds a ball of yarn and tells the class his name and a fact about him. Then rolls the ball of yarn across the circle, repeating this Ground rules – Anyone can pass or “elephant” (humor) Talking stick

Establishing Ground Rules Listening and Getting a Turn to Speak Avoiding Accusatory or Shaming Discussions Even Ground Rules Take Time Listening and getting a turn Important to help students see that class meetings are about them coming to understandings as a group, and that this reqiures them not to hog the floor and to speak and listen to teach other. Need to help students learn to speak to each other Older kids can learn to have conversations without raising hands, without interuppting, etc. with practice and time Raising hands, teacher can still call on them, but direct with speech or nods to talk to others. NOone has hands up while someone is talking Teddy bear, talking stick, wand. Avoiding put downs Ground rule Discuss problems without naming names Eventually need to learn to speak respectfully but deal with problems and take responsibility Norm is on solving problems

Duration Depends on age and experience of students Depends on topic(s) and purpose of the meeting Primary concern is not too long or too short Let students evaluate at end of meeting Don’t want students to feel abridged or frustrated because they didn’t get to express their concerns If an important topic comes up you want to be able to address it.

Discussion and Facilitation Strategies What the teacher models Questioning and response strategies Wait Time Follow-up Questions Encouraging participation – partnerships to discuss beforehand Questioning and Response Emphasize that you are not looking for a right answer and there may not even be one Wait time – three to five seconds at least Tell students you are giving students time to think about response Wait time after also lets them know you are considering their response Follow up questions personal connection – “Think about your best friend” Think about how you might feel” compare and contrast “ what is the difference between someone who is a friend and someone who isn’t cause and effect: “what do you do when..” Benefits and burdens-Are there some hard things, as well as good things about…”

How To Manage and Encourage Participation Brainstorming Small-Group Discussions Partner Chats Partner Idea Lists Collected Ideas Individual Reflection and Writing Partner idea list – you want them to brainstorm and record encourage them to listen carefully to each other – no interrupting have them discuss lists, telling each other what they do or do not like about each idea and star he ideas that are most important to both partners Collected ideas – one group give one idea, all groups with same idea raise hands. Invite another group to offer a different idea.

Consensus building Definitions Narrowing Choices Benefits and Burdens Unlivable Only Livable Only One “Why” Three Straws Apply Criteria Definitions Everyone can live with the decision, even if it is no one’s first choice We keep giving ideas until nobody disagrees. If anybody disagrees, we give more ideas. Benefits and Burdens students explain what they consider the advantages and disadvantages of each idea. record ideas can they eliminate or combine any of the options unlivable only – students name the choices they can’t live with, and explain why (or write down) cross out the unlivable ideas as students voice the; or if students write them, read aloud and cross out livable only – students name all the choices they can live with raise their hands if they can live with it. They can vote as many times as they want for each option, count the number of raised hands and mark that number beside the idea one why – students each choose one idea nd explain why they chose it eliminate any options that have no support three straws – students cast three straws to distribute in any way he or she chooses apply criteria – help students identify objective criteria that affect the issue use a simple matrix to assess the impact of these considerations, options down one side and criteria across the top

Troubleshooting Nobody talking Side conversations Shocking or “funny” or “stupid” statements Someone too disruptive Everybody talking Is it because they are so interested – Ask them to tell their idea to a partner Is it because they are not interested - Rephrase the question, add interest, or drop Is it because they have not heard the topic – Get their attention, check your timing, review the ground rules 2. Do they understand – Rephrase the quesiton, give mor info Are they interested – add interest or drop Do they need to think more, to formulate their ideas – work with partners, or write ideas down 3. Is the discussion hitting too close to home – give students time to write individually about the topic or table Is the discussion of no concern to them – Acknowledge the fact and shorten the meeting Do they have a problem with self control – help them develop self control, work out a plan ahead of time Is it really in order to get attention or to cover up embarrassment – deal with this directly. Keep you rsense of humor. Sometimes you may have a private talk with person if repeated Is it from an inability to express themselves clearly – rephrase, do you mean, or sk them to rephrase and give them time. 5. How can I stop the behavior and not build resentment? How can I help the person take responsibility for his behavior. Ask person to leave the group until she or he is able to return without being disruptive

We learn from our mistakes only if we are not afraid to make mistakes We learn from our mistakes only if we are not afraid to make mistakes! Rudolph Dreikurs

Planning and Decision Making Meetings Ways we want our class to be Class name Back-to-school night/open house Substitutes Choosing to learn

Check In Meetings Is this the way we want to be? What did we learn? How did it go with the substitute?

No problem is too difficult once it is recognized as a common task! Rudolph Driekurs

Problem Solving Meetings

Problem Solving Meetings My friends won’t let me play Cliques Problem Solving

Things to Think About

When is a problem suitable for a class meeting? Is this an issue that can be discussed in a climate of trust, ensuring the safety of each child? Can the group’s collective energy be directed toward finding solutions to problems, not consequences for actions?

Does this issue affect all of the children or most of them. If the issue involves specific students, do all parties involved agree to have the problem taken to the class?

Is this the best time to address the problem? Problem Solving model – show overhead

Developing a Class Plan or helping a Student with a Problem Identify the question. Brainstorm many possible solutinos/strategies. Discuss a few solutions/strategies.

Choose a solution or a few strategies and write a plan(1-2 meetings). Use the plan during the next few weeks. Check on and change the plan, if necessary, at the next few meetings.

Ways to Begin Meetings Explain meetings Talk about student’s hopes for the meeting Record student ideas Have a partner chat Engage students’ personal experiences Introduce vocabulary or concepts

Remind students of earlier meeting results or topics Read a related story

Ways to End Meetings Post a list and ask students to keep thinking about it Synthesize what the ideas mean Preview the next meeting Reflect on the meeting – process, results, learnings Ask for volunteers to create a document about what you did

Establish a timeline for completing activities Celebrate what you have accomplished Add final observations