I want my classroom to be a large, cohesive community of students who are constantly working together and becoming greater learners together. To the right, I have posted a survey I plan on giving students on the first day of class. I hope this can spark meaningful discussions while also demonstrating to the students that I am eager to get to know them as more than just students in my class. I end the survey with the question, "What is one thing you would like me to know about you?" This opens a door of communication between my students and myself; it gives students a low stakes moment to explain something about themselves to me. I believe that this survey can demonstrate how I am not afraid to display authentic discussions in my classroom and how I want my students to portray me. It is a good building exercise for all students to get to know each other and become better classroom individuals.
Below, I have included a final research paper I co-wrote with a colleague of mine, Emily DeRubeis. We attended the same schools for both of our senior year placements and were truly interested in the community aspect in classrooms and how technology can aid that achievement. We offer up ideas and past experiences of how we envision classroom community in our future classrooms. We enjoyed researching this topic because it is something we both hold close to our hearts. Coming from a TESOL background, I believe classroom community should be wanted, but made in a classroom. All students need to feel safe no matter their cultural background. |
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