We Belong by Laurie Barron and Patti Kinney offers a community-forward approach to classroom management that promotes a culture in which schools become “places where [students] can discover who they are and who they want to become” through the year, writes Michael McLaughlin.
As educators seek to return to a safer and more predictable learning environment, Barron and Kinney’s We Belong can be a valuable easy-to-use classroom management resource for teachers wanting to connect with their students so they thrive both academically and emotionally.
At the beginning of a new school year, establishing a strong class culture is a top priority, whether we are face-to-face or virtual. We can’t assume this culture exists, even if students have been classmates before. Lynne Dorfman shares some community building ideas.
It’s not enough to set classroom norms and post them on the wall, says author and instructional coach Geoff Krall. We have to teach them and live by them. Here are some of his strategies for teaching and reflecting on norms in ways that really support student learning.
Jennie Magiera urges teachers to launch edventures, pursuing innovations that boost student engagement, build class culture, differentiate, promote digital citizenship and more. Laura Von Staden also likes Magiera’s plentiful ideas about professional learning.
Adding 5 minutes to 4 content classes this past year meant losing morning homeroom for Kevin Hodgson’s 6th graders. No time to “check in” with each other, do community-building activities, and forge an identity as a group of learners. He’s missed it terribly.
