A classroom community model encourages students to function as they would within a larger community, such as their home town. This includes group work, individual and group responsibilities and a socially inclusive atmosphere. Each student has responsibilities, such as passing out worksheets or turning off lights when the teacher is using the overhead display. This gives each student a necessary function as a member of the classroom community.
Teachers can find it difficult to teach certain ethics in a classroom environment, such as treating other students with respect and working together. A classroom community, focusing on group efforts between students, provides the ideal atmosphere for these lessons. Teachers can encourage students to work together, intervene when necessary and direct students to cooperate and learn the skills to work alongside other students.
The classroom community model addresses individual problems with a supportive group approach. Teachers encourage students to help each other, working together to overcome emotional and social problems. The supportive atmosphere in a classroom community reaches out to students who may not be accustomed to working with other students and helps relieve them of some of their social anxieties. For instance, a student who is nervous about speaking up in class has the opportunity to speak in a safe environment, receiving encouragement and support from his peers.
The social nature of a classroom community fosters opportunities for students to form new friendships with classmates. These friendships can extend beyond the classroom, creating bonds between kids that can exist throughout the rest of their academic careers. For students who have difficulty making friends, this environment encourages them to make those connections and teaches them the social skills to meet new friends outside of the classroom community.