 Whether you are going back to school in person or beginning the year virtually, we've been advised to go into the year with a virtual mindset. Establishing routines that can pivot between in person learning and an online environment will reduce the stress on teachers, students, and families. The fact is, we can't teach virtually the same way we teach in person. It's just not going to be effective. By shifting our mindsets to virtual now, we can better prepare for the possibility that we will have to shift to virtual instruction at some point. So how do we do this? Whether in person or online, we should:
Build Community One of the best and easiest ways to building community is to incorporate Morning Meeting. I'll admit, when I first learned about morning meeting, I thought it was just for younger grades. I started hearing positive things from the teachers who were incorporating it and my curiosity was piqued. I began to research and found that it can be incorporated at any grade level, K-12. It certainly won't look the same in high school as it would in elementary school, but once I started thinking about it, it really made sense. Think about when you talk to your friends or family on the phone. You greet each other, update them on what is going on in your life, get their feedback, answer their questions, listen to what they share, plan activities to do with one another... each one of these components further builds your relationship and sense of belonging in your community. Bringing that sense of community into the classroom could only lead to positive outcomes. The fact that morning meetings can just as easily occur in person as they can online is just a bonus! Morning Meetings, as developed by the Responsive Classroom (RC) model consist of four components: Greeting: Students greet each other by name. Sharing: Students share what is going on in their lives. Classmates listen to one another, offer feedback, ask questions, and relate to one another. Group Activity: The whole class participates in an activity or game (preferably one that gets everyone moving) that builds social skills and/or academic skills and teamwork. Think ice breakers with an academic twist thrown in once in a while. Morning Message: Students read a short message, focus, or goal that sets the tone for the day. Read What is Morning Meeting? (Responsive Classroom) Don't forget to share and participate yourself! Students want to know who their teachers are. When I taught third grade, I used my own childhood stories to model writing strategies in my writer's notebook. The students learned so much about me and my family through these lessons that when I lost a close family member, they cried with me. They knew that life could be pretty awesome, but it wasn't always perfect. Having a community to go to when you have great news to share is just as important as having one when you have bad news to share or you need advice. Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and even look silly participating in group activities. If you are asking your students to put themselves out there, you should be willing to as well. Putting myself out there has led to some pretty memorable "teaching" moments... pie in the face, dunk tank, dancing in my kitchen in front of 300 students and their families for our end of the year virtual dance party... just to name a few! Stay tuned for Part 2: Develop Routines...
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