Good evening and welcome to tonight's #earlylang chat! Our topic tonight is Creating and Maintaining Class Culture. I'm Julie and will be moderating tonight's chat :)
Here! Elementary Spanish grades 2-4 with plans for expansion later this year into next as program develops. Riverside Magnet School Goodwin college. #EarlyLang
So glad you've joined us Silvia! And yes, you're doing great so far. As long as you include the hashtag #earlylang in your tweets they will show up in our chat.
In reply to
@MoyerWorldLang, @MundodePepita, @_MadameH, @MaCristinaRV, @WhatDHeckman
Let's kick it off with our first question-Q1: How do you define classroom culture for an #earlylang classroom? Are there key ingredients? Don't forget to put A1 in your answer :)
We're on Question 1. When responding, please include A1 in your answer to help keep our chat and thoughts organized. And don't forget our hashtag #earlylang
Let's kick it off with our first question-Q1: How do you define classroom culture for an #earlylang classroom? Are there key ingredients? Don't forget to put A1 in your answer :)
A1: Being sure students know they are allowed to make mistakes. I tell students regularly how when they learned how to speak they made lots of mistakes :) #earlylang
A1: To me, classroom culture is the sense of community formed by everyone in the room where everyone is acknowledged and where mistakes are OK and part of the learning process. #earlylang
I think that students feeling safe to take risks is key! It is hard to get them to feel like being wrong is ok. Many want to be perfect the first time #earlylang
Yes! Consistency and fairness. For me this means routines & boundaries but also sharing personal info abt myself and lots of smiling and laughs. #earlylang
I'm noticing creating a safe environment for making mistakes is a common thread here. We will explore this more I think in the upcoming ?s, too #earlylang
A1b as much as this is my goal, I have a hard time expressing myself and being my true self in class. I am a private person and sometimes have trouble opening up to my Ss. I'm working on it! #earlylang
Our next question is coming up shortly- any last thoughts about how you define class culture? Any thoughts about the physical environment of the room? #earlylang
This! We have a bellringer or song we sing coming in, then hola, go over the rules and learning targets, and we mark off everything on a schedule so they know what's coming next. It really helps set the tone & make Ss feel safe in TL. #earlylang
A1 I want my room to feel like a cozy, inspiring, fun room with lots of kid friendly stuff, full of visuals that represent what we are learning about #earlylang
A1: We sit on the carpet in cooperative learning groups of 4 - face/shoulder partners. Tables are for quiet work. And there's TL everywhere to assist staying 90%. #earlylang
A1: I have been trying out yoga videos in spanish and doing ¡qué disparate! from the highlights bilingual magazine practicing saying "es tu turno" and "es mi turno". What do you do? I always like to learn new ones #earlylang
Typically from 16/17 to 24 kids in a class. They don't fit on the rug after 1st grade but that's ok. And no problem seeing the board because of where it is. #earlylang
A2 Today while using "Learn" mode in Quizlet, students were working together making mistakes (A1). I said "you can only learn if you make mistakes. They worked harder! #earlylang
A2: I set the tone from day 1 with a smile, a friendly, upbeat voice and a greeting activity, which leads to setting routines over the course of the first months in Kinder. That builds the foundation for the rest of the program #earlylang
A2- I have yet to figure this out in my classes but I have amazing primary teacher colleagues who are SO good at this. They all take care of each other, and I think it comes from practice, practice, practice and then the kids start doing the right things w/ each other #earlylang
#earlylang A2: Setting clear expectations, behaviors, A LOT of modeling, reinforcing good behavior, students on task, students that ask questions I always say "that's a great question" "thanks for asking"
A2b I'm also a firm believer that being able to regulate emotions is a *skill* that needs to be taught just as much as academic skills. Requires a LOT of explicit teaching. #earlylang
A2 I also talk about expectations- Being our kindest selves, Using our Best Manners & Being a Team Player. These remind my kiddos of how we will interact w one another & support one another #earlylang
A2: Modeling and setting routines and expectations. I share how they must listen to understand to acquire language every time they're off task. It focuses on the learning process instead of behavior issues. #earlylang
A2: Taking time at the beginning of the year in English to explain proficiency and what it looks like has really made a difference. My Ss have goals and understand what they need to get there. And we track with Si Se Puede bubbles. #earlylang
Beautiful! I love sitting on the floor with my Ss too. I think it's important to always be on the same physical level as my Ss. Something I learned as a camp counselor that I never forgot. #earlylang
A2 During pair work, I tell students to work with someone they have never worked with. Interesting to see unlikely pairs. Seems to help improve classroom community #earlylang
A3 For me, this is where being sure I am paying attention, & including ALL students is key. It can be hard to give that 1 on 1 to all of the kiddos we have as #earlylang Ts, but it is so valuable
I totally agree. And it's hard to give that one on one support to a student who's particularly difficult, but they're often the ones who need it most. #earlylang
A3. I have a class point system that is fun but of course not as deep as making personal connections with students and trying to get to know them. That takes a lot of time (sooo many students, 535) but it is worth it to try my best and it's more meaningful. #earlylang
A3 I also find it's crucial to really listen & pay attention to those who aren't being part of community to try and figure out why so I can then talk w him/her about in #earlylang
A3 One strategy that seems to work help is to make the lowest student be the teacher. Especially good for teaching tech tools. I didn't "buy" into this until I tried it! #earlylang
So glad you can join us, Val! We're on Q3: How do you ensure all students are motivated to "buy into" the classroom culture you have established? #earlylang
Since all the classrooms in my school also do jobs (and they're all pretty similar), I finally decided to just use the classroom jobs from their homeroom. #earlylang
A4 This year we did team building activities as a school at the beg of the year-allowed us to reflect on being a team in class as well, & how much better it feels when we are all working together #earlylang
A4 I volunteer as a mentor to Ss so it gives me time outside of class to connect with students who don't typically value Spanish class. As we develop a relationship I try to show them how their skills/creativity add to our classroom community. #earlylang
A4 I also think we need to be sure we are actually welcoming to even the most difficult kiddos. We have to consistently be sure how we interact w all kids is positive & warm #earlylang
Yay!! We're so glad you're here! We're on Q4 is related to our previous question: In what ways do you help students see the value of belonging & contributing to the class community? #earlylang
Ditto. It's also so great for other kids to see us out and about, interacting w kids in different ways. Does your school do silent mentoring also? #earlylang
A4 I volunteer as a mentor to Ss so it gives me time outside of class to connect with students who don't typically value Spanish class. As we develop a relationship I try to show them how their skills/creativity add to our classroom community. #earlylang
I don't have them be the teacher, but I do always call on them when they are brave enough to raise their hands or offer an idea for a story. Same idea of making them important in class #earlylang
A4--also make it safe to be a part. Is everyone included, including introverts for example? Do we give multiple ways to be a part of the community? #earlylang
I go over each job on Monday when we switch I take out the clothespin and make a comment about how great the student did the job and pick another name from the zip loc bag where I keep the clothespins #earlylang
Anyone interested in helping introverts in world language classrooms should chat with @MllesrtaUrso. She did a wonderful session at @CT_COLT on this and shared some great ideas! #earlylang
A4--also make it safe to be a part. Is everyone included, including introverts for example? Do we give multiple ways to be a part of the community? #earlylang
A4 #earlylang I saw something on Tch about appointing the quiet student to be the secretary of the group when working in groups. Have never tried it, but seems like it would work.
A5. I have an extra credit opportunity where students can bring anything with Spanish on it and I will hang it up in my classroom. Kids I never expected like to be able to share something without having to talk in front of everyone. #earlylang
A5 Part of this for me is being sure I have lots of different types of activities planned so all kids experience success, & so at some point something they truly are interested in is part of class #earlylang
A5 This is pretty basic, but communicating 1-1 with sts works, it is the kid version of small talk. The challenge 4 me is to remember sthng about each student, i.e. who has a dog, who wants to bring sthng to class, who has siblings #earlylang
It can be tough to smile when you have so many other things on your mind while teaching. Maybe make a conscious effort and then report back to us on how it went! #earlylang
A5 I also use what I call the 'hug offensive' when I see kiddos who need it- a hug & a "so happy to see you" goes a long way; or a 'I missed you yesterday' #earlylang
This was difficult for me too (remember something about each student) until last year when my English partner and I started doing home visits in the DLI program #powerful#earlylang
A4: Showing up with a positive attitude to class is important. The teacher permeates the atmosphere of the learning environment and it's contagious! #earlylang
A3 I use @WLClassroom's persona secreta in gr 3; I pick one student each class, if s/he follows our guidelines, class gets a point, leads to group treat #EarlyLang
A4: Showing up with a positive attitude to class is important. The teacher permeates the atmosphere of the learning environment and it's contagious! #earlylang
Our school does "star" slips that I can hand out when I catch kids being good. It has really helped our positive culture in my class AND the school! #earlylang
Yes! And the importance of creating community right at the beginning, w proactive establishment of routines, procedures & how everyone will be in class together. Love it! #earlylang
A5 high fives and extra kudos for everyone!! Noticing more buy-in this year from CI and special shout-outs, esp. those mor difficult students. #earlylang
We have "BE PROUDS" and yes I have them in Spanish!!! #earlylang Principal comes every Monday and videotapes students who was chosen by me for showing "PRIDE" and then I send video home
In reply to
@doriecp, @Sra_Kennedy, @JL_Delf, @WLClassroom
Should have mentioned this before, but I love popping in to see Ss during their other specials (art, music, PE...) So many times I've been able to say "I didn't know you were such a great [artist]!" and then I find ways for them use that talent in Spanish class. #earlylang
A4: Showing up with a positive attitude to class is important. The teacher permeates the atmosphere of the learning environment and it's contagious! #earlylang
