Every generation writes its own history |
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-John L. Bowman
Every generation writes its own history |
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In class we were challenged to take a seat and make a friend. A term made popular by the SoulPancake Street Team youtube video where strangers take a seat in a ball pit on the street and share about themselves. We had to choose partners we did not know that well. My group consisted of me and two other ladies whom I had never shared personal information with. Once we began to share personal desires, such as items on our bucket list or a life changing experience, the awkwardness began to disappear and we drew closer to one another. After the third question, it was like a switch had flipped. I had suddenly felt a closer connection with these two wonderful women.
Activities, such as this one, aid in developing a sense of community amongst your students. The ultimate goal of this activity is to build relationships that will pave the road to student success. In my future classroom, I will challenge my students to go out of their way to create and maintain relationships with their peers. Students who communicate, value each other's needs, and have close bonds with one another will have the skills necessary to grow together. Students will be asked to share what they think makes someone a good friend, to describe a time when they felt joy, and to find one thing in common with their partner. They will also create a secret handshake and then take a picture at the class photobooth. This will become a routine in my classroom. New questions as well as different partner assignments will encourage their understanding of sharing about themselves deeply with one another. A sense of community within the classroom is a great classroom management technique that will help prepare students to be productive members of society. Creating meaningful relationships requires a refined set of skills which can be learned by doing similar activities. The skills that students accumulate will assist in producing a rich learning experience within the classroom. Once students have created connections with one another, the foundation for a safe environment will cause them to thrive. View SoulPancake's video here. For more ideas on how to create a community within your classroom check out these resources provided by Scholastic.
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QuoteLearn more about the author John L. Bowman at: http://www.johnlbowman.com/ Archives |