Monday, November 3, 2008
How can we create a community in our classrooms?
I think in order to create a community, it is so important for each student to know each student's background and where they came from. In Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher writes about how each student will write something and have him/her read it aloud to the other students. Many of the things the students write are personal and going on in their lives currently. Being able to share something to the class helps the other students to get to know one another. Not only does the student read the writing aloud, but the other students can give the student their ideas and opinions about the writing. One example comes to mind, where a student writes about how as the oldest, she has taken on many responsibilities while her father is working three jobs and her mother is busy with house related problems. She had to take care of her three brothers every day after school. After she was done reading her writing, her students volunteered to help her with her responsibilities. By having the students share with one another their lives, this helps in creating a community not only in the classroom, but also outside the classroom as well.
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3 comments:
Your def right on this. I think you and I have the same perspective on this. The only way to learn about someone is when they share it with others. This helps create a great community within the classroom when peers help each other work through things. I def loved that part as a male tried to give some advice to the young girls daily chores. Writing is the best coping mechanism.
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I agree with you. When students are able to share their writing, it helps them get to know each other better. When students come to know each other on a different level, they are able to unite as a classroom. I think it is so important for students to connect. I believe this helps them learn as individuals and as a whole.
I think there are so many lessons that we can pull from having students respond to each others writing. They develop critical think and personal opinions. We need to show students that critical does not have to be bad. When we begin this process early children respond well to conferencing with anyone child or adult.
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