1. Colleen McGillicuddy’s
Ways of Establishing a Classroom Community
Here are ways I plan to create a positive classroom environment:
Establish Relationships
 Encourage Students with Meaningful Praise--Teachers have tremendous power
in helping students feel they are an integral part of the classroom. From the first
day of school, I plan to shake my students’ hand at the door with a smile,
encourage students after each comment with meaningful praise, and get to
know each student on a personal level through assignments, classroom
meetings, and one-on-one conversation.
Establish Routines
 Morning Meetings are excellent ways for students to feel appreciated in the
classroom and part of a classroom community.
 Conflict Resolution (see next page) is a miracle-worker in fostering positive
relationships between students and creating a safer environment in the classroom
 Class-founded rules help students feel more ownership in the classroom as well
as more responsibility for when they misbehave.
 Students set personal goals and standards to help them take responsibility on a
more personal level and help create individual accomplishment when met.
Meaningful Core Content
 Project based learning helps create a sense of accomplishment throughout the
entire class while working together. This along with the purposefulness of the
assignments creates a strong, cohesive classroom environment.
 Showing the growth of learning to children can boost morale of everyone,
which helps the whole team. Graphing progress in math and reading
comprehension are powerful ways to prove to students that they are doing great.
 Creating a climate of multiple right answers allows students to feel more
comfortable expressing their ideas and therefore encouraged to try to think and
work creatively.
An Inviting Environment
 Lev Vygotsky stated, “Children grow into the intellectual life of those around
them.” I plan to have a classroom that is colorful, stimulating, and exudes
creativity. I want my students to see powerful quotes, enriching art, and feel the
meaningfulness of learning around them through our discussions and projects.
 I plan on having my room be neat, organized and inviting so that students feel
comfortable and can focus on learning.