Hi Observers,
My brother and I both attended the lab school on Georgia Southern University campus for our preschool education. What I remember most about those days, other than finger painting and cafeteria lunches, is the one-way mirror. In my memory, an entire wall was dedicated to the mirror, and I regarded it as nothing more than a spot to try out my silliest faces. One day my mother took me with her to pick up my brother from his (older) preschool class. We were early, so she took us into a small, dark room. I remember the room was quiet and filled with desks. College students and parents sat quietly, watching the wall like children at an aquarium, enthralled. After some moments of confusion, I came to realize that my mother and I were on the opposite side of the mirror; the picture on the wall that riveted viewers was really the interior of our preschool classroom.
My brother and I both attended the lab school on Georgia Southern University campus for our preschool education. What I remember most about those days, other than finger painting and cafeteria lunches, is the one-way mirror. In my memory, an entire wall was dedicated to the mirror, and I regarded it as nothing more than a spot to try out my silliest faces. One day my mother took me with her to pick up my brother from his (older) preschool class. We were early, so she took us into a small, dark room. I remember the room was quiet and filled with desks. College students and parents sat quietly, watching the wall like children at an aquarium, enthralled. After some moments of confusion, I came to realize that my mother and I were on the opposite side of the mirror; the picture on the wall that riveted viewers was really the interior of our preschool classroom.
During this first week of Bootcamp, I often got the sensation that I was again behind the one-way mirror— observing the way students learn, trying to decipher what works and what doesn’t, attempting to peek into the brain of the ever elusive, ever changing “student.” Each article we read broadens the one-way mirror, and the picture of my future classroom becomes less muddy, less hypothetical and more real. This blog is where I’ll write about my observations from behind the one-way mirror and how I’ll apply my key term to my future class.
I think the key to a great classroom often begins with the community within the class—the relationships that are built between four walls: room 216 at 8am on M/W/F. The effectiveness of a classroom hinges on the relationship that the professor has with the students, the students have with the professor, and the students have with each other. In the classroom, an environment of engagement and responsibility cultivates good writing.
So, my question is: How does one build community within a classroom? What can I do, as a teacher, to cultivate community among my students?
Some key terms that I’ve been thinking about (which relate to building community):
Student Engagement
Revision/Peer review/ Shared Journaling/ Workshopping
Student Empowerment/ Voice/ Identity
Space/Classroom
From the mirror,
Claire
Claire
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