Who are you and who am I? Let’s jump into some strategies that will help us develop a strong sense of community and trusting relationships that will help us to shine throughout the year.
By building a strong connection to our students we are able to engage them and meet them on deeper levels. We can design our curricular elements in a way that inspires them to do their best. How can we get to know each other authentically?
I believe that in order to create community with our students they need to know that we care about them. The first step to show we care is to interact with them in genuine ways.
I will start off the year by incorporating various ice breaking activities. This will help not only me get to know them, but they will start to form relationships amongst themselves as well. These ice breaking activities can be used as transitions between lessons in conjunct with a daily morning routine. Some of my favourite ice breakers are: Share a picture, Web of connections, When I grow up, Stranded on an Island, and If you could have a super power what would it be?
I love starting off the year by asking my students to share a picture with the class. It can be a picture of their favourite memories, pets, or family members. They can talk about it and share any details they’d like to. To close that activity, the rest of the class is allowed to ask them questions about it. The web of connections is a great way for the students to see how they are all connected and depend on one another. It is an excellent ice breaker to use at the start of the year. The other suggestions mentioned follow a similar pattern of asking a question and getting them to engage with each other on the material. It can be fun, goofy and creative.
I think it’s important to incorporate technology in the classroom and with the majority of these ice breakers, I can use a multimedia approach to display their information in a fun and interactive way.
I would also like to set up a weekly meeting in the mornings during a warm up period. While the rest of the class would be eating their morning snacks and listening to calming music, I would then be able to have small meetings with my students one on one where they can share and talk about anything they’d like to.
Another strategy that I think is important to start off the year with is by writing a letter to my students. In the letter, I will tell them my favourite colour, foods, music, etc. This can then be expanded into another way to get to know them. The students can write me back, any length they’d like, by asking more questions or telling me about their own likes/dislikes. I think this provides the students with an excellent platform to express their thoughts and feelings to me in a very safe, low pressure setting.
We all learn best when we feel accepted, respected and cared for.
Ms G's Classroom 