Chapter Two- Part One- The Value of a Classroom Community

When you were little, did you live in one of those neighborhoods where any parent on the block was allowed to set you straight if you were not acting right? You don't see that anymore, huh? Now, we just have lots of kids who don't even go outside to play and lack the social experiences to develop the skills needed for cooperative living. Many kids are hungry, tired, or under great amounts of stress. So the authors suggest building a classroom community to "address children's basic needs, promote their resilience to hardship conditions, teach the values of respect and responsibility, and foster their social, emotional, and academic competence".

So, let's start with addressing your student's basic needs. You may remember a little about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs from Psychology class. You can get a good refresher, as it applies to teaching, here: http://academic.cengage.com/resource_uploads/downloads/0495570540_162121.pdf

Basically, it implies that children (and adults) will not be motivated to learn new concepts until their more basic needs are met.

For our students who do not have their basic needs met at home, you must promote resiliency. Provide opportunities throughout the day to develop and practice the behaviors associated with resilience: insight, independence, relationships, initiative, creativity and humor, and morality.


Morality is necessary in the classroom community. But this is not something you learn from a canned curriculum or certificate for "good citizenship". The values of respect and responsibility must be modeled and experienced first-hand. The authors quote Goleman (1997), " Children who are aware of emotions in themselves and others, who work cooperatively with their peers, use adults and classmates as resources, and who have friends are more likely to succeed academically and lead fulfilling lives. They also give a great list of social skills that are directly tied to academic success. These abilities should be modeled extensively and directly taught to young children:

• express feelings
• recognize feelings in others
• share ideas with others
• listen when others are speaking
• take turns and share
• compromise
• accept different points of view
• negotiate in order to build consensus
• take appropriate risks without fear of failure; and
• respect another person's belongings and physical space

To close this section, the authors explain how building a classroom community is one of the most effective ways to integrate children with disabilities- in responsibilities, jobs, projects with partners, special events, and in the use of equipment and materials. This is hard for teachers who may feel inadequate in meeting the needs of students with disabilities. The key is to model respectful interactions and appreciation for all students' contributions.

I know there are hundreds of books and resources for promoting social and emotional growth in students. What are you using in your classroom? Dr. Becky Bailey's Conscious Discipline Program is a favorite of mine! Take a look at her introducing it here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5804206976739568338#

Leave a comment and tell us a program or a favorite activity that you use!