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Building community during online learning may sound crazy, but it’s as important as ever to find ways to bring your class together, even through a screen. Below, I have provided 5 ways to help teachers build a classroom community with students. Although these examples are specific to virtual instruction, they most definitely apply to in person learning, too.
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1. Morning Meeting
One way to come together while distance learning is to have daily meetings with your class. These meetings should be low pressure, and for the sole purpose of connecting. Make it fun!
How? Schedule a live meeting or record yourself and post as the first “assignment” of the day!
Morning Meeting ideas:
Go over assignments for the day. You may choose to quickly go over all assignments or pick one and dig deep- especially if it is a new topic! Take advantage of screen sharing features to optimize this experience.
Remind the group which itinerant they have today.
Sing a song, chant, or poem. The sillier the better!
Do a simple and structured greeting. For example: Prepare a jar of popsicle sticks with one child’s name on each stick. Choose 3-4 popsicle sticks and greet those students (say good morning in a silly voice, mouse voice, sing it, etc.) Take those names out of the jar so that next time you do a greeting, a different set of students get picked! Once you get to everyone (this may take multiple days), put all the sticks back! See below for other greeting ideas!
Sample greetings:
Greet students in a silly voice. Students chosen will respond back in a silly voice.
Hand Hug. In person when it's not a pandemic, Hand Hug would work by holding hands in a circle. The first person starts by gently squeezing the hand of the person next to them. Then, that person will squeeze the next person’s hand, and so on, until the “hug” gets back to the person who started it. Virtually, you can modify Hand Hug by telling the student you are greeting that you are sending them a “hand hug” by squeezing your fist. They can accept your hand hug by squeezing their own hand!
Wave. Virtual fist pump. Virtual hug. Peace sign.
Review the “Big Ideas” of the topic you are studying.
Sharing time. If you are live, you can use the popsicle stick jar previously mentioned to let a few students share something with the group. Ideas for sharing: favorites (animal, food, color, sport, season, hobby, etc.), telling how they are feeling, or sharing some news! Always give the student who was picked the option to “pass” if they do not want to share.
2. Be seen + heard.
During these hard times, it’s important for our students to know that, despite the uncertainty, we are still their teacher. We are present. We care.
How? Record yourself teaching a lesson or teach it live. If you notice they are having a difficult time adjusting, call them on the phone to check in. Schedule virtual office hours where students can choose to pop in to see you, ask questions, and check in. Periodically, schedule 1:1 video calls with families. Give yourself a script to stay focused. Send out Google Forms checking in about: technology, social and emotional needs, what's working/not working?
3. Establish norms.
The use of online platforms for teaching are new to most of us. When using video chats to meet and teach, it is important for students to not only know HOW to use the digital platform but also to know WHAT the expectations are. Be sure to take the time early on to establish classroom norms.
How? This should be a collaborative discussion, led by students. Be prepared to ask probing questions to lead students in the right direction:
If someone is speaking, what should the rest of the class be doing?
What should you do when you have a question or a comment?
What is the expectation when logging into a video call?
How should we signal if we have to step away from a video call to use the bathroom?
4. Be human.
No one is perfect, especially not during a pandemic. It is important for our students to know that we too are experiencing similar worries as them. Let them know that you are listening and that they can come to you when they need some extra support.
How? Having a tough day? It’s okay to talk about it with the class. Do something fun over the weekend? Tell them about it! Remember the student who was feeling sad during Morning Meeting yesterday? Check in with them. The student who is dealing with a difficult situation you are aware of? Ask them about it privately or set them up with support staff from the school.
5. Closing Circle.
Closing Circle works similarly to Morning Meeting. Instead of opening up the day, you are coming together to close the day! Use this time to reflect. (What went really well today? What will tomorrow bring? Were we productive today? What can we improve on?) You can also use this time to pose a question to the class. (What are you doing after school? What was the best part of the day? What was hard for you today?) The class can respond by typing their response into the chat, into a comments section, through email, or sending a video of themselves telling you their response.
How? You can go live, post a recorded video, send an email, or write a post on your digital platform!
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Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, never mind this entire school year. Be sure to find colleagues who lift you up. Find colleagues that you can collaborate with, confide in, and vent to. More than ever, we must come together to do what is best for the students in front of us, or on our screen.
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Other ideas about building community on a digital platform? Please share in the comments!
In distance, apart. Together, at heart.
Resources:
“Closing Circles: 50 Activities for Ending the Day in a Positive Way” by Dana Januszka and Kristen Vincent
“The Morning Meeting Book” by Carol Davis and Roxann Kriete