Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (2014). The morning meeting book. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundtion for Children.
The classroom community plays a major role in students’ academic achievements. In order to create a cohesive classroom community that enhances student achievement, positive peer relationships are crucial. Peer relationships influence students academically and personally. Educators strive (or should strive) to foster positive peer relationships. Throughout my years in elementary school and my experiences as a pre-service teacher, I have experienced, observed, and learned about many ways that educators may assist in creating positive peer relationships to create a cohesive community. There are various community-building activities that may be implemented within the classroom. An example of one that I have experienced within my courses and plan on implementing in my future classroom is a Morning Meeting. A Morning Meeting sets a tone for respectful and engaged learning in a climate of trust and it builds and enhances connections among students and between students and the teacher (Kriete & Davis, 2014). Another manner in which teacher work to foster positive peer relationships is through accountable talk; accountable talk requires the student to use respectfully worded phrases to discuss academic concepts. For example, rather than Sally blurting out that she thinks Billy is wrong because he did this wrong, Sally would state that she disagrees with Billy’s answer because and explain her reasoning. I have observed this throughout my internship, and it seems to foster positive collaboration, which translates into positive peer relationships. The educator may also practice respectable manner with his/her class to promote positive peer relationships (and positive life skills). In addition to the various manners to adjust verbal communication, the educator may use brain breaks as a community building activity that requires the students to talk to their peers in a more casual setting while still being monitored by the teacher. This is something that I have seen throughout my current internship. During the brain break, the students are ecstatic to talk to any of their peers about any given topic. Once the brain breaks are completed, the students appear to have a more positive vibe. There are various other ways in which educators can foster positive peer relationships and create a cohesive community. The development of positive peer relationships and a cohesive community is crucial to students’ academic and personal development. References:
Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (2014). The morning meeting book. Turner Falls, MA: Northeast Foundtion for Children.
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