Chapter Two- Part Three- Using Meetings to Build a Sense of Community

This is one of my favorite aspects of this book--using class meetings to enhance teaching and learning! Many teachers begin to phase out "circle time" starting in the first or second grade, but having a "meeting area" in your room is key to building your classroom community. The goal of your class meetings is to show your students that there can be many possible solutions to problems and that the group can make decisions together.
The authors suggest including these different types of meetings:

1. Meetings to start the day- The first meeting of the day will become part of your classroom routine. This is the time to welcome your students each day, review the class schedule, and discuss plans for the day. Your meeting might include greeting your students, reviewing a morning message, reciting a poem or singing a song the class has learned, or introducing the next activity with a short lesson. Several of these activities could be led by the teacher or a student. (I personally feel very strongly about using a morning message and will go into this in more detail when we get to the chapter on Language and Literacy.)
2. Meetings at Transition Times- We all know how hectic transitions during your day can be. A brief meeting to share a poem, play a group game, or review a lesson can bring everyone together to move on to a new activity more smoothly.
3. Meetings for Discussions- The key to this type of meetings is teaching the students to not only discuss matters with you, but also their peers. Discussions might focus on background knowledge to introduce a lesson or reflection on activities done prior to the meeting. Discussions might also focus on your classroom community. Topics might include: planning jobs, establishing rules, discussing problems and solutions, introducing/modeling/practicing a social skills, introducing a new game or new materials, or planning a classroom celebration. it really empowers children to know that you respect their opinion and want to hear their ideas!
4. Emergency Meetings- Look for those "teachable moments" when you might need to stop a lesson and look at the weather or a discovery made by a child.
5. Coming Together at the End of the Day- End each day on a positive note!

Of course, there are some logistics to making your class meetings effective. First, you must set up a "meeting area", decide how you will get to and from the area, and how you will sit. Meetings cannot be too long so that the children stop paying attention. It is important to teach and model speaking and listening skills. It is important to call attention to your use of these skills. Be sure to include everyone in your discussions and teach respect for individual differences.
If you are having class meetings in your own classroom, what are some tips and tricks that you use to keep your meetings running smoothly? Leave a comment by clicking the "comment" button below this post!