Ways We Want Our Class: Collegial Study Guide (Building Schoolwide Community Series)

By: Developmental Studies Center Staff

This approach to class meetings is distinctive for its focus on building a caring community of learners. Studies by DSC and others have shown that the most effective classrooms and schools are those with a high level of community -- where children feel they have some influence or control over their behavior and where others care about and are responsive to their needs. In high community schools it has been shown that students are more likely to: -- like school-- trust and respect their teachers-- enjoy challenging learning activities-- be concerned about and help othersOne effective way to build such a classroom community is to have regular class meetings in which children have an authentic voice, are listened to with interest and respect, and are trusted to make and revisit decisions about how they want their classroom to be. The Ways We Want Our Class To Be approach requires a willingness on the part of teachers to reflect on existing practices and to give students a chance to voice their own ideas, make plans together, try them out, and learn from their mistakes and challenges.For use in conjunction with the book and videotapes as part of the package. Contains suggestions for organizers, outlines for six two-hour sessions to be scheduled several weeks apart, and reproducible resources on Principles in Practice, Facilitation Hints, Class Meeting Checklist, and meeting agendas.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576211401
• ISBN13: 9781576211403
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Developmental Studies Center
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.3" x 7.3"