Class displays are an easy way to build community at the beginning of the school year. First, post a picture of each student and her name on a bulletin board. Either contact your students’ families for a picture before school starts or take a picture of each student on the first day. Next, allow your students to decide how they want their room decorated, then let them work in groups as they decorate it. Both activities help students know they are valued members of the class, gives them ownership of the room, and helps them get to know each other.
Providing opportunities for students to learn collaboratively, in small groups and in pairs, also builds community. To begin, review the guidelines for working together, such as taking turns, listening to classmates, and sharing materials and ideas. You can also have your students role play working together, then discuss how to improve their collaboration. Another way to introduce collaboration is through games. Have your students work together on a drawing or to build a high tower. From there, your students can transition to collaborative learning projects such as partnering to write and illustrate a story, solve math problems, or by teaming on science and history projects.
Giving children classroom responsibilities is another tool for community building. In addition to personal responsibilities such as putting away materials, give individual students responsibilities that impact the entire class. For example, students may be assigned a daily job such as checking the temperature or a class job such as being a hall checker, reading the day’s announcements or feeding the class pet. Of course, all students must have the opportunity to perform these duties.
Class rules help build community because they provide an agreed-upon framework for student conduct. Though you can provide guidance, make sure your students play a key role in developing the rules. This process helps students feel ownership in the class and lets them know their opinions are valued. Also, because the students created the rules, they are more likely to uphold them and help their classmates do so. You can also have your students sign their names to or put their pictures by the rules, which reinforces their commitment to them.
Teachers can use class meetings to build community. The meetings can be held at the beginning or end of the day, to address an emergency, to transition between activities, or to discuss an area of study or community life. First, teach your students how to participate in a meeting. Place your students in a circle or square, so everyone can be seen. Then ensure your students use good speaking and listening skills, such as raising their hand before talking, listening to others and speaking to everyone, not just the teacher. Make sure to model the skills you want your students to use.
To have a strong classroom community, all students should feel accepted by their peers. To help students learn how to befriend others, talk about or read a book about making and keeping friends to the class, which could lead to group work on the topic. Next, model friendship-making strategies, then have students role play them. Also, pair students with peers they would not have chosen on their own. Finally, regularly highlight the strengths of each student.