Constructing Classroom Community

How can you establish a classroom culture that invites students to feel confident, valued, and safe?

When students feel like they’re part of a community, they’re much more likely to play a role in contributing to its success. The following resources, including activities, games, assignments, and more, can help you start building community in your classroom from day one.

1. Model behavior.

Check out these week-one community building activities from Edutopia. They also include suggestions on how you can model what is expected in the classroom.

2. Pick the right ice breaker. 

What makes an effective ice breaker? The key is understanding why most tend to fail, and instead choosing ones that reduce risk and promote communication.

3. Show that community is always in season.

Ice breakers and week-one activities can be a great way to start building community, but ideas that nurture your classroom culture all year long are just as important for a thriving classroom.

4. Talk it out.

It’s no coincidence that “communication” and “community” share the same root; the former lies at the heart of the latter. Consider sharing Celeste Headlee’s TED Talk on conversational competence with your students and helping them practice this important lifelong skill.

5. Team up to tackle content.

Too often, community building disappears after week one and is replaced by content. What if there were ways to build community while teaching content at the same time?

6. Build school spirit.

Creating a strong classroom culture is important, but it can be difficult if it’s out of sync with the larger community building goals of the school. How can your classroom contribute to community building on a school wide-level?