Cultivate mutual respect among students through peer pairings that help them learn about one another and possibly build friendships. Write several “get to know you questions” for your students that cover everything from life goals and dreams to favorite hobbies. Place students together by pairing classmates you rarely see interacting with one another. Require students to spend one hour outside of the classroom conducting interview sessions where they ask and answer the “get to know you questions” and exchange additional information. Have the students write a two-page essay discussing things they learned about their classmates, common interests or experiences and unique traits. Students should also compare and contrast the initial impression of their peer with what they learned from communicating with them.
Empower students by allowing them to openly communicate their needs to teachers. Schedule two sessions of student-led teacher conferences per year. During the conferences, students can express what they have enjoyed about the class, any difficulties they are having and ways to improve the classroom learning process. The teacher’s willingness to listen to their needs and input will foster an open and less punitive learning environment. The activity will teach students to become more involved in their education, and to voice concerns when they are in trouble instead of drifting into the background.
Cultivate a learning environment reflective of the unique personalities that each student possesses. Have the students create posters depicting their hobbies, interests or heroes. You can also purchase canvases for students to create individual artwork such as paintings or picture collages. Frame the students’ artwork and display it in the classroom or a bulletin board in the hallway. Another activity is to have each student make a MP3/CD playlist containing five of their favorite songs. Each student will be given a designated Friday where their playlist will be played in class. Be sure to monitor all artwork and music selections to ensure they are appropriate. Encourage students to respect their classmates’ tastes and artistic expression.
When parents take an active role in their child’s education, the student feels connected to the school. Increase parental involvement through parent-teacher meetings where grades and behavior are discussed. Also offer monthly workshops that provide parents with communication techniques and academic support skills. Multicultural schools can provide free English as a Second Language courses to help parents communicate effectively with teachers and the outside world. Parent-teacher conference sessions with bilingual interpreters can also be used for non-English speaking families to ensure that parents are able to understand what is going on with the child’s education.