Students' needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security.
KSA 7
In order to learn and be successful in the classroom students need to feel comfortable. They must feel physically, socially, culturally and emotionally secure in the classroom setting. To make my students feel comfortable in class in high school, on the first day I conducted activities that allowed me to know the students and for the students to get to know each other. I handed out a "get to know you sheet" that had silly questions and serious questions such as: what the student likes, how they learn, what their favorite food is and if they have an allergies. On this sheet at the very end I have a question that asks, "is there anything I should know about you". This question proved to be very useful because students opened up and told me things that I may have never asked about. On the first day of school I also review my expectations for the class. I let students know what I am expecting regarding their behaviour and their academics; I do this by discussing my three simple rules: Respect yourself, Respect others and Respect property. I have zero tolerance regarding bullying and I discuss this topic when I talk about respecting others. Throughout the semester I made a point to ask students about their weekend/ sports game or whatever I knew they liked. I think that it is very important to build a relationship with students to maintain a positive classroom environment.
In grade 3, I spend a great deal of time providing the opportunity for students to build relationships with each other and me. Above my desk I have a poster sheet about myself that students can look at. It is full of pictures and symbols that represent my life and what I love. I often bring in clips from my life and experiences in my lessons. For instance, when teaching about Volcanoes in science, I brought in a picture of me standing on a volcano in Hawaii and I talked about that experience.
To encourage relationships in my classroom, we discuss and review my 3 classroom rules: respect each other, yourself and your surroundings. Every thing we do in class, these rules guide my expectations and students behaviours and actions. I also build a feeling of security and belonging in the class by filling buckets. I first read the book: "Have you filled a bucket today" by Carol McCould. Every week students write positive comments to other students and then put that piece of paper in their "buckets". As a class we review how to be a good bucket filler in the classroom, school and community.
In grade 3, I spend a great deal of time providing the opportunity for students to build relationships with each other and me. Above my desk I have a poster sheet about myself that students can look at. It is full of pictures and symbols that represent my life and what I love. I often bring in clips from my life and experiences in my lessons. For instance, when teaching about Volcanoes in science, I brought in a picture of me standing on a volcano in Hawaii and I talked about that experience.
To encourage relationships in my classroom, we discuss and review my 3 classroom rules: respect each other, yourself and your surroundings. Every thing we do in class, these rules guide my expectations and students behaviours and actions. I also build a feeling of security and belonging in the class by filling buckets. I first read the book: "Have you filled a bucket today" by Carol McCould. Every week students write positive comments to other students and then put that piece of paper in their "buckets". As a class we review how to be a good bucket filler in the classroom, school and community.
What I have below is the sheet I give students on the very first day of school to get to know them in high school.