Fostering a Classroom Community Virtually or In-Person

With so many learners either 100% remote or in a hybrid learning model, we must ensure that we don’t lose the human side of teaching. My best memories of working directly with learners involve high-fives, fist bumps, smiling, and chatting as they arrived at school each morning. I would often pull up a seat besides them while learning or sit on the carpet next to them to work through a problem. As educators, we all know teaching is so much more than instructing, engaging learning, and assessing. Deep learning occurs when students feel connected through authentic relationships with their teachers and within a learning community that embraces every individual.

In order to blossom, learners need to feel safe and supported throughout their learning journey. Learning doesn’t simply occur from listening to a lesson. Learning requires what I refer to as the 6C’s of Reimagining Learning in my book, Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation.

When it comes to connectedness or relationships, we have to remember that they are the foundation to every successful classroom. Although it may feel easier to begin posting videos of lessons and assignments for learners to complete within learning management systems, let’s make sure relationships are the priority each and every day. As a parent who was working from home when schools closed in March 2020, it was evident that learners felt very disconnected from their teachers and peers. Everything as they knew it shifted. At the time, we were in an emergency remote teaching and learning situation, so fortunately we’ve learned a lot since then. We want to ensure that every single child has a sense of belonging, feels understood, and has a way to effectively communicate to build connections.

We can foster relationships and connections to foster a class community in many ways. To begin, let’s explore how we can incorporate social-emotional learning activities throughout the day.

Check-Ins to Build Community: Check-ins allow us to ‘take the temperature’ so to speak of our learners. Many schools use ‘mood meters’ with learners so that teachers know how their students are feeling upon arrival. Mood meters or check-ins of sorts allow us to adjust our approach with students and inform us of whether they’re in need of more support.

• Using Jamboard, Nearpod, or even Padlet, have students post a sticky note with an emoji that describes how they’re feeling. I often choose to hide student names so that they’re only visible to me until our community is developed and everyone feels supported to share openly. You can expand on this idea by having learners include a word that describes how they feel, matching their chosen emoji.
• Within Zoom, screenshare a slide that shows multiple emojis or expressions. Have students use the annotate tool and place a stamp over top of the one that matches how they’re feeling.
• You can also create a Flipgrid and share it with your students. Here is an example, feel free to use it!
• With our little learners, we can also use Nearpod, Jamboard, or Flipgrid and encourage them to draw how they feel using draw tools.
• Breakout rooms within Zoom allow learners to engage in small-group conversations. It’s ideal to share a template with discussion prompts and even a shared document where they can jot down any notes.
• Surveys, phone calls, or emails are an excellent way to check in 1-on-1 with learners. Just as we would sit down and check-in on kids in the classroom, we still have to prioritize this when working with our learners virtually.
• Schedule different groups as a ‘lunch bunch’ or for game time on occasion. You might not be able to do this frequently depending on your schedule, but taking time to connect in a way other than through learning can make a difference.
• Circle time can still be held in-person, hybrid, or virtually. You may opt for small groups to discuss first, or facilitate a whole group discussion. One option is to utilize discussion prompts or sentence stems. Students shouldn’t ever be forced to share, but share by choice. Learners can utilize a template, Google Doc, or survey throughout the discussion where they could safely and privately share their responses as opposed to sharing aloud with the whole group.
• Remember, just like in the classroom, it’s okay for students to express how they feel about a lesson or content too. Not every child will love every lesson or topic within a subject, and that feedback isn’t necessarily personal. Rather, it may provide helpful insights regarding how we can make adjustments to support them through their learning journey. When in person, one activity I’d do with my students is create a four-square space on the floor using gym tape. I’d then place picture cards of a mountain, a rapid flowing river, a comfy looking couch, and a person skydiving (I changed up the pictures often). Next, I’d have students stand in the square with the picture that matches how the felt about the topic/subject/lesson, etc. If they wanted to, they had the opportunity to share why they chose the image they did. It was incredibly insightful! Virtually, we can do this too! Simply screen share and use the stamp option within Zoom or you could use Jamboard, Google Slides, Nearpod (annotate or draw tool) or even have students explain/describe within Flipgrid. All of these count as quality check-ins so we can make necessary adjustments and really get to know our learners in different ways.

Family Connections: Although relationships with our learners are essential, I’ve found that relationships with families are just as important. In fact, during remote or hybrid learning, family connections are even more critical. Parents need to know how to best communicate with you, how to check in with and support their child, and where to access resources. Families are extensions of our classroom community and benefit from feeling apart of it. Even moreso, learners benefit when their families are involved. There are many ways we can connect with families along with our learners!

• Using Wakelet or S’more, create an online newsletter to share information with families. Once I launched an online newsletter, co-created with learners, parent engagement soared!
• Schedule time to connect via Zoom or phone to talk directly with parents. Don’t wait until an issue arises, call simply to connect and share the strengths you see in their child and provide time for them to ask questions.
• Send surveys to families to check in with them on how in-person, hybrid, or remote learning is going for both them and their child. Then, identify solutions to any potential issues that are communicated. Being as proactive as possible helps, but when parents know that their child’s teacher will make adjustments to support the child or family, they will appreciate you more than you know! When we work collaboratively with one another, we create a positive experience for all. Remember, family is an extension of the classroom community. When parents feel supported and apart of the community, they are much more likely to support their child’s teacher in turn.

Although we may feel distanced at times, we have every opportunity at our fingertips to connect. Today, more than ever, we have the potential to communicate through multiple avenues and provide diverse learning experiences to students. It’s important that we keep in mind that some of our learners may feel isolated or be alone during the school day. Prioritizing social-emotional learning and authentic relationships to foster a classroom community has to be at the center of all we do. The good news at the strategies shared are beneficial within any learning mode. Even if 100% in person, integrating technology can accelerate learning, develop connections, and empower the voice of every learner if used in a meaningful way. Although nothing can fully replace 100% in-person teaching and learning we can leverage the tools we have available. Before us is the opportunity to come together as a community and create strong connections that have a long lasting impact.