text describing the tag building-classroom-community-in-class :-)

Posts

Arrange chairs in a circle to ensure all students can see the speaker.

/in , /by

Action:

  • Once students have arranged the chairs in a circle ask students to look at the speaker during class discussion and ask speakers to look at students throughout the class rather than just at you.
  • If students are frequently only looking at you when they speak, remind them during a break in the discussion to direct their attention to everyone in the class. You can tell students that if they are looking only at you, you will look up at the ceiling or around the room to try to get them to look at their peers.

Reason:

  • You and other students might perceive students as disengaged if they are looking down or not looking at the speaker.
  • It is easier for students to have the opportunity to contribute if they can see each other.
  • Sometimes students see the instructor as the only audience for their comments. However, if the goal is to have a whole-class discussion then students attention needs to be directed at the whole class.

Break the class into smaller groups to allow students to have more opportunities to contribute.

/in , /by

Action:

  • Rather than having a whole class discussion, break the class into groups small enough to allow each member a chance to contribute.
    • Create the groups in way that best serve the various goals of the group-work or overall course objectives. One can base the grouping on:
      • homogeneous ability (students with a similar amount of preparation or prior performance are put together)
      • heterogeneous ability (every group has at least one proficient
      • student, at least one struggling student, etc.)
      • student self-selection
      • “with those sitting near you”
      • randomly (using dice, cards, or last digit of student ID etc.).
    • Consider assigning different tasks to the different groups.
    • Consider assigning members within a group different roles and having those roles alternate within the group (e.g. one student could be a recorder of information, another responsible for sharing out the information, yet another to make sure the conversation stays focused, etc.).
    • Post the instructions for the group activity clearly.
    • Make the task group-worthy, by making the task:
      • open-ended and require complex problem solving.
      • have multiple entry points and multiple opportunities to show intellectual competence.
      • deal with discipline-based, intellectually important content.
      • require positive interdependence as well as individual accountability.
    • Don’t let students be idle. Prepare a sufficient number of quality tasks for the group to do.
    • If a group finishes its task early, approach the group to ask them to explain their ideas or results, which might lead them to discover they need to discuss further within their group.
    • Make clear the criteria for evaluating the group’s work.
    • Read a related tip on overcoming common problems that arise in group work.

Reason:

  • Students retain the information longer, get immediate feedback on their ideas, which clarifies and sharpens their thinking, have the opportunity to build on the ideas of their peers, learn to work on a team as well as independently from the instructor, learn how to disagree and resolve differences, delegate, and take responsibility for the learning of others, develop more self-confidence. Moreover, getting to know other students better creates opportunities for collaboration that extend outside of class.
  • Lou et al. (1996) found “low-ability students performed best in heterogeneous groups, medium-ability students performed best in homogeneous groups, and high-ability students performed equally well in either type of group.” This group also found (2000) that small-group instruction benefitted all students, regardless of their ability level.

Use think-pair-share to increase the frequency of interaction.

/in , /by

Action:

  • Before asking students to make a contribution to a whole class discussion, ask them to think about the question and then discuss it briefly with a neighbor.
  • Consider moving throughout the classroom to listen to students’ discussion and answer any clarifying questions. This can help identify a pair that you’ll call on or have come to the board to write their thoughts and thus start the whole group discussion.
  • After the discussion you can call on a specific student or pair.
  • You can find more implementation details from wikipedia

Reason:

  • Giving students time to silently think about their answer can give them the time to be prepared to contribute.
  • Even if only a few students contribute to a whole class discussion, everyone in the class will have had the opportunity to articulate their thoughts to a peer.
  • Responding as a pair can take the pressure of responsibility off a single person and make it a shared enterprise.

Encourage students to use other students’ names to facilitate more of a sense of community.

/in , /by

Action:

  • You can make name placards (aka tents) for the students or have them make their own. If students make the placards their names may be difficult to read. If you make them yourself, it can be time consuming and you’ll will need to find out first the name students want to be called. Companies (such as Avery) that sell tent cards will allow you to print names from a spreadsheet each on a separate piece of paper. Avery Example
  • You can have students keep their own name placard between classes or you can pass them out and collect them each class. If students keep their name placards, they might forget to bring them. If you keep students’ name placards, you can use passing them out each class as a way to practice students’ names and take attendance.
  • Multiple times during the course, ask students to say their names so that others in the class can learn to pronounce them. Explain that it is important to try to pronounce people’s names correctly, but that sometimes mistakes will happen. Encourage students to say something if anyone mispronounces their name or if they think a peer’s name is being mispronounced.

Reason:

  • Having students use other students’ names can make the classroom feel more familiar and make for a more coherent conversation because students can be explicit about the connection between their contribution and the contributions of others.

During group or partner work, have students ensure everyone around them has a partner to reduce the burden on students who don’t know anyone.

/in , /by

Action:

  • Ask students to look around them to see if there is anyone who doesn’t have a partner.
  • This will often require students who are sitting alone to move seats.
  • Walk around the classroom and point out “it looks like someone near you doesn’t have a partner could you two ask them if they want to join your group?”

Reason:

  • This avoids awkwardness for a student who doesn’t know anyone to ask to be included in a group.
  • More members of the classroom become partners in creating a welcoming classroom atmosphere.

Encourage students to sit in a new seat each class to encourage students to get to know more of their peers.

/in , /by

Action:

  • Explain to students that you want them to interact with all of the students in the class. Ask them to try to sit in a different seat in each class. Remind students to do this in the first few classes, but you need not check whether or not students are always sitting in a new seat.
  • Remind students to introduce themselves to their new neighbor.

Reason:

  • Students are likely willing and interested in meeting people in their class, but it can be awkward for students to approach other students in the class that they don’t know. Without encouragement students might only sit with students that they know or perceive themselves to be similar to.