A strong sense of community nurtures teacher and student motivation.
Student-interest centers and group instructional areas are common in a student-centered classroom. This design intends to increase interest and engagement while providing connections to learning and opportunities for mastering skills. This classroom design does not guarantee, however, an increase in student and teacher motivation. Building a strong sense of community within the classroom is an effective way to enhance this common elementary classroom design. The result is increased teacher and student motivation for teaching and learning.
Connectedness
Creating a sense of community begins with integration of management and instruction.
A learning community consists of members who support and encourage each other's growth. Members are connected through work assignments, interests and responsibilities. But also connected in this community are the processes of management and instruction. Both are critical and interrelated processes that are able to support the nurturing of a strong learning community. Behaviors are taught and practiced. Daily routines are followed consistently. Students are active participants in classroom management.
Respectfulness
Respectfulness serves as the foundation for a strong learning community.
Respectfulness is observable among a group of learners within a strong classroom community. Members share a common sense of belonging to the group, creating a safe and trusting place where learning and positive interactions unfold. Respectfulness is observed in students' acceptance of peers and acceptance of responsibility in maintaining the environment. Students interact with appropriate words and actions, and show respect for the community through adhering to daily routines and persevering in meeting specific learning goals.
Building a Strong Learning Community
Belonging to a strong learning community prepares children for positive interactions within larger commmunties.
Specific teacher actions to assist in building a strong classroom community are immediately applicable with little planning. Display students' work as celebrations of student and teacher success. Post lesson objectives along with work products for recognition of teacher success in meeting lesson goals. Incorporate a 20-minute block of "share time" in which students present work demonstrating commitment to quality. Another action is to note observations of behaviors that model respect among the students. Share your observations in whole group at an appropriate time. Incorporate an activity into a lesson that will lead to the production of student-created reference charts for display in the classroom.
Teacher Self-efficacy
Creating a strong learning community improves student behaviors. This improvement leads to increased attention and effort to producing quality work. Along with the improved behaviors and the increased quality in student work, a teacher's perception of her abilities is affected. Each observation of student success serves as additional confirmation that she has the ability to produce positive outcomes in student learning. The more improvements that are observed, the greater the increase in a teacher's sense of self-efficacy.
Student Self-efficacy
Students' self-efficacy increases with each observable achievement.
Also influenced within a strong learning community is a student's sense of self-efficacy. As members support each others' growth and achievement, the number of achievements multiply. With each achievement that students experience, there is an impact on students' self-perception relating to learning. Increased motivation toward learning and a student's increased sense of self-efficacy are the results.
Tags: learning community, strong learning, sense community, sense self-efficacy, strong learning community, classroom community, classroom design
