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I taught students with emotional disabilities for a number of years. The setting I taught in was a therapeutic day school, meaning we had no non-disabled peers and inclusion experiences to draw from. Many of my students would be placed in our school and we would think, “Why are they here?” I know you feel me. I truly believe that if the classroom community is prioritized, it’s so much easier for us as teachers to humanize students, and for peers to connect with one another. While classroom community alone won’t eradicate the need for therapeutic day schools, I do believe it’s a proactive piece that we often miss. Here are 9 strategies that I relied on heavily to help front load my students and build a strong classroom community.
Implement daily morning meetings
Morning meeting is more than just calendar time. When classrooms hold a solid, planned, meaningful morning meeting, it can set up the entire day for success. Students have the ability to connect, share, and experience something together. I believe that the collective, shared experience is an enormous community builder. It’s so powerful!
Vote on a class song
I LOVE class songs, I feel like they create an “anthem” for students across age groups. I had a class that made up a dance to our class song and then actually performed at the end of the year assembly! It was everything.
“Music is the art of thinking with sounds.” – Jules Combarieu
Try peer tutoring
Peer tutoring was also REALLY fun in some of my classes. I have done this in multiple ways – having students in my classroom tutor each other, and having my class tutor younger students. In my classroom, I had students goal set areas they wanted to work on academically. They then were paired up, and created flash cards for the skills they wanted to work on. A peer quizzed them on sight words, multiplication facts, etc. It was really fun and helped students build empathy and root for each other.
Create silly memories together
Inside jokes are a sure fire relationship builder! We all know this. Creating silly handshakes, sharing jokes, and playing silly team building games together can help students feel bonded to one another. These types of scheduled moments can also help students understand and comprehend boundaries. Many students often get carried away in silly moments and it often ends in a not so happy moment. Having the ability to practice in a safe place with boundaries can help students transfer this to other situations.
Prioritize social emotional learning
When we focus on SEL, it helps students focus on it themselves. Putting emphasis on skills like emotional literacy, coping skills, executive functioning skills, and effective communication will naturally build community amongst learners! It also shows students how much these skills mean to you. When you teach a skill, it automatically puts emphasis on it for students. This is also something you can send home in class newsletters for student’s grown ups. This also can help reinforce these essential skills across many areas of your students lives.
“When students feel safe and supported, they are truly ready and able to learn.” – Mark Wilding and Laura Weaver
Lead whole class read alouds
What better shared experience is there but an awesome read aloud? There are so many helpful, SEL-focused conversations and debriefs that can come out of a great read aloud! These could be picture books or chapter books. Or hey, maybe both?! Some of my favorite chapter book read alouds with an SEL focus are Holes, Drita My Homegirl, and Out of My Mind.
Teach and implement mindfulness
Helping students learn how to ground themselves in the present is a skill that will not only build classroom community, but develop meaningful personal coping skills in individual students. Having daily mindful practices that are taught for students, like guided meditations and breathing strategies, can help students learn what works best for them. This can also help them build their toolbox. Having mindfulness resources at their fingertips can allow them to save, protect, and manage their relationships with teachers and peers. It’s normal to get irritated and frustrated with a group of peers you’re always with! Having these resources can give kids the power to take a breath and move along.
“The mind is just like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” – Idowu Koyenikan
Develop class rules, and follow through
I love following the Responsive Classroom philosophy surrounding classroom rules and expectations. We often create a class list of rules/expectations on the first day of school, sign it, post it, and never refer to it again. When we consistently refer to the classroom rules (ex: “I really noticed everyone listening to the speaker today,” – said while pointing at that rule on the chart), it helps students feel safe and structured in the classroom. This also helps our students who are very rule governed. Having rules that are consistently referred to will help ground these students and give them a sense of security.
Prioritize reflection and closing circle
I love closing circle. It is an often overlooked classroom staple, and I personally find it really essential! This helps students set goals, reflect on the day, and end on a high note. One way to really capture students and end the day positively is to always implement a closing circle. No matter what happened throughout the day, the day can end on a high note with a positive closing circle. It can also give students an opportunity to note anything that fractured the class community. As a group, a plan can be made to repair this and make it a priority for the following day.
“The children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all of the beauty that they possess inside.” – Whitney Houston
Are you looking for a visual support to help teachers and staff members keep these engagement strategies at the forefront? Check out this related infographic for sale in my shop.
What would you add?
