Having read all your posts, I'm wondering what many of you would do on your first few days of school. Some of you aren't on board with many of the B&B philosophies, and many of you are. But talking about them in theory is just that...theory. Building community is probably THE most important lesson a teacher teaches. How would you do it?
On p. 3, writing apprehension is attributed to two factors, one of which is 'the lack of a positive classroom climate.' On p. 7, the psychological environment a teacher creates is primary among the 'cultivation of an attitude of openness to new thoughts, feelings, and insights about their own teaching.' So for both the student and the teacher, atmosphere and climate are a top priority. Murray motivates us to be facilitors, not teachers. So the answer is for all of you to create a safe environment in which learning can occur...
How will you accomplish that?
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I haven't given a whole lot of thought on what I would do that first day. Mostly I try to envision the everyday and how that will happen (but I see that that doesn't include all aspects of teaching).
Would it be ok to just start the curriculum (maybe after a short introduction by myself) for about a week -- like a college course, and then after a few days have them do some sort of exercize where the class gets to know one another? What are the drawbacks to something like that? I guess my reasoning is that students will, after a few days, have more of a reason to care about who is in their class.
Also, if you're in a small rural school and there's only about 50 kids in each grade and they all have been in school with one another since kindergarden, is it still appropriate to have an activity where students get to know one another?
As corny as some icebreaker games can be, I think they're absolutely necessary. Like Jared said in his response to Ch.1, laughter is key to comfort in the classroom. Icebreaker games usually get students laughing and sharing fun stories. One question that can spark laughter is, "What is one thing you think no one knows about you or an experience you think no one else has ever had?" Also, high school students who have been in classes together for 9-12 years learn something new about each other. One semester, my teacher asked us, "If you could only have ONE song on your iPod, what would it be and why?" I think a lot of students can relate to this question, and a lot can be learned from someone's taste in music.
I also think there are little things that can contribute to a fun classroom environment. My high school German teacher always had us standing up or moving around the room. As much as we would moan and groan about it, we usually appreciated the results. She had a "Koosh" ball that she'd always manage to incorporate into lessons, too. Whenever someone had a question/answer, she would throw the Koosh ball at them. They would then throw it back to her or to another student. We would get a kick out of each other's throws, especially the teacher's. While these ideas may seem simple or obvious, I think we do not need to be incredibly creative or over the top. We do need to be creative elsewhere, such as lesson plans and classroom decor (which I'm the most excited about!!). :)
Regardless of how big a school's enrollment is, I think that it's always important to do "get-to-know-each other" activities. The reason I think these activities are necessary is because it's vital to give students a chance to express themselves.
In my opinion, ice breakers aren't strictly for breaking the awkwardness or getting to know the other students, they are for setting a tone and getting a feel for the class as a whole. From an ice breaker activity, a teacher can discovery how difficult or easy it may be to create a community like atmosphere in the classroom.
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