Creative Community Toolkit

Creative Community Toolkit

Erin Siebert

Comprehensive View

A comprehensive community is built through bits and pieces of everyday activities and specific goal oriented activities. Both in and out of the classroom a comprehensive community will consist of individuals working toward the needs of the group while at the same time meeting their own individual needs. In this way no one person is valued any higher than another person. Each student brings their own unique characteristics, but all skills and abilities are celebrated, which are the necessary elements that will help to make each class its own special environment, to the table and without every individual’s involvement the class can not operate at an acceptable level. Every student is responsible for themselves and everyone else in the class. Classroom management follows this same responsibility to the whole class allowing students to be heavily involved in the decision making and enforcing process. In this toolkit students are seen as just as important if not more important than the teacher in the education process. In the end students will help themselves, other students and the teacher to be the most outstanding individuals they can be, but like the picture below it is not complete with out each unique piece. If this process is done correctly, using key protocols it, can be replicated and each classroom will be able to grow exponentially to help create great character in each of the students and to foster a better overall school environment.

Common Vocabulary

Students are also responsible to themselves and the class. The class will name which behaviors are appropriate in certain activities and which are not.

The students are responsible for manning and guiding the classroom, for everything to run smoothly each individual is dependent on every other individual in the class. The class will use the phrases outlined below to help determine what is acceptable in the classroom.

Big 6

It’s all right to agree to disagree

-try to resolve issues themselves

-listen to everyone else’s opinion and view point

-accept that different beliefs exist but don’t force own beliefs on anyone else

-respect differences

-see the benefit of not all being the same

The whole truth, and nothing but the truth

-honesty must come from every individual in the class

-every individual participates

-any feedback given is given to be helpful, not demeaning

-individuals or the class as a whole can veto any activity if they can come up with an alternative that meets all of the requirements of the original activity, because teachers make mistakes too

Hit me with your best shot

-every individual is a hard worker

-put forth best effort every time

-willing to try new things

-prepared, on time, and ready to participate

-equipment is to be treated like an individual would treat their favorite toy

-contribute to the class because you have something valuable to add

Let’s work together

-every individual is equal and important to the class

-games and activities are designed to be fair and inclusive for all

-individuals try to understand others’ feeling and be empathetic towards one another

-encourage success and cheer for every individual

-work together to contribute to the whole class

Life’s messy, clean it up

-all individuals contribute to clean up

-have the same enthusiasm for picking up as you did for making the mess

-if anything is broken or was damaged during use let someone know so it can be replaced or fix, so no one has bad piece of equipment next time

Bill of rights

-every individual has the right to be and feel safe at all times

-every individual is a valued and respected member of the community

-every individual has the right to try or suggest something new

-mistakes are way more than ok, every individual will make a mistake at some time during the year and that is fine because mistakes are how we learn

-everyone gets a turn

-when one person speaks everyone listens

Common Purpose

Students are exposed to all activities through love and logic. This method forces students to think how their actions affect the whole class and works to balance the individuals’ needs with the group. Students will need to be aware of what they are doing and why and how this affects the other people around them. This is asking that all students work toward being honest, respectful, helpful, understanding problem solvers everyday. The students will have to find the way to make the classroom the best place it can be. Students are involved in deciding punishments and rewards for certain behaviors. The way this discipline system is used is through student guided rewards and consequences based off a belief of fairness for the whole community.

Fairness Jar – Anytime a students need to be randomly grouped or partnered names are pulled from a fairness jar to ensure that groups are different for each activity and students have multiple opportunities to work with different students.

Community discussion – anytime a serious offense occurs in the classroom during an activity or not, the whole class is gathered to discuss what happened. This is important for a few reasons. First it takes time away from class so little tattle-tell things are lost because the group wants to participate. Second it uses peer pressure to instill correct behavior. Third it forces all individuals to be in both parties’ shoes and evaluate individuals’ involved actions and the students’ own feeling and beliefs. The class then decides if there was an actual offense and what the consequence should be.

Journal Tracking – students at the end of every day take the last few minuets of class to track their behavior in the class. The simply write down a number fitting a scale of behavior. This ensures that after every class every student does a self evaluation. If students’ demonstrated a behavior that required a community discussion they must address that in their journal. At the end of the week the journals are turned in to track students’ behavior in class and see if any reoccurring issues need to be addressed.

Emergency Action – If at anytime any individual is acting in a way that is dangerous to themselves or others the teacher will immediately intervene. If the teacher must do this the individual who has committed the offense will not have a community discussion instead the student will have a consequence fitting the offense.

Consistent Presentation:

Overview Map

Protocols: / Tools:
Attention Clap / Creating Community in the Beginning of an Activity: / Creating Community in the Setup of the Activity: / Creating Community During the Activity: / Creating Community while Finishing the Activity:
Freeze / Name Game / Strategy Session / When you know, then you can go / Clean sweep
Can you hear the
sound of my voice / Bananas, Apples, Oranges / Spread it out / When the music plays so can you / Tie it together
Check the board / Warm up mystery chart / Choice for equipment / Stations / Give it time
Heads up / Rhyming instructions / Goal Setting / Pause and game on / Tell on Circle
Chore Chart / Complete the sentence / Chair / Injury Out
Everything has
It’s place / Problem Solving
B’s & D’s
Freedom to Choose
Hold your hand up

Protocols:

Attention Clap

Clap hands like a fire cracker to get students attention. The teacher says “fire cracker bang” and clap hands over their head, and then snaps their fingers as they bring their hands to their side. As the arms come down the snaps get quitter and quitter till its silent when their hands are by their side.

Freeze

Whenever students are moving in the classroom to get an immediate stop, the teacher shouts freeze. All students then freeze in any pose that they can maintain for a given period of time. If more time is needed to calm students down to a more appropriate level the teacher can move them through a series of more challenging poses asking them to accomplish different tasks with the various poses.

Can you hear the sound of my voice?

To get student’s attention or help calm them down the teacher says, “If you can hear the sound of my voice, then…” The teacher then follows this statement with a direction for the students to follow. The teacher says the direction and the statement at a very low volume so only students who have control of themselves can hear the direction.

Check the board

On the way into class students pass a board either just outside of the door or just inside the door. On the board can be listed either the instructions for the first activity or an outline of what will happen in class so students know what to expect and what to do.

Heads up

On a bulletin board in the class the schedule for the given unit is posted. It gives students a heads up for what is coming, and also is a way for students to see what they missed if they were absent. Also posted are the up coming units to give students something to look forward to.

Chore Chart

Near the heads up bulletin board the chore chart is listed. Different students are assigned different chores for the week or day. Ranging from “fun” chores such as line leader to more “serious” chores as the pick up master, who makes sure everything is picked up that should be. Every week each student will be assigned only one chore. The chores rotate so everyone has a turn at both “fun” and “serious” chores. The chores will range and vary and changed given the different units.

Everything has its place

All equipment and classroom materials is clearly organized and labeled so anyone in the room can tell where things go. Before students can leave the class or transition to another activity everything must be neatly put back for the next class.

B’s & D’s

Or better know as bathroom and drink breaks. Student are allowed to go to the bathroom and get a drink whenever they want as long as it does not interfere with instructions, game play, or another student’s learning experience including their own. If bathroom passes or hallway passes are required for the school they will be located by the door for students to use in a timely manner. When students return they place the pass where they found it by the door for another to student to use. There maybe multiple passes so multiple students can use the facilities if need be.

Freedom to Choose

Every student has the freedom to choose to participate or pass. This includes all classroom activities. Students will not receive consequences for passing as long as they are not taking advantage of this policy. This freedom to choose policy puts the desire to participate and behave in each individual’s hands and address the fact that we all have bad days.

Hold your hand up

If students wish to contribute an idea or share with the group they must raise their hand and wait to be called upon. Unless specified other wise by the teacher.

Tools

Beginning:

Name Game

Students go around saying their name, but the next person to go must say all the names that came before them. This gives students lots of repetition with names and helps the teacher as well.

Bananas, Apples, Oranges

Each fruit is assigned a meaning, like oranges means gather in a circle and so on. When the teacher calls each one out students do the implied meaning right away.

Warm up mystery chart

When students walk into the classroom there are pictures on a bulletin board. The pictures are clues to what their warm up activity is. The students will work with partners or in a group to figure out their warm up. As time progresses students work on communication skills and teamwork.

Rhyming instructions

As instructions are delivered they rhyme at the end to help students remember important parts.

Complete the sentence

When instructions are delivered the teacher pauses or leaves certain words out for the students to fill in. This can be used as way to check understanding or make sure that students are paying attention.

Setup:

Strategy Session

When students are divided into teams they are given a strategy session to create there plan. This session can be given before or during the activity to give students a chance to evaluate their choices.

Choice of equipment

If students need a ball or object for an activity, they are allowed to choose. In this way students can modify their own activity making it harder or easier for them.

Spread it out

Equipment is spread out so that when students go to pick out equipment or materials it is not all gathered in one place creating a traffic jam or instigating problems.

Chair

The teacher pulls out a chair and the students gather around the chair and listen for directions.

Goal Setting

When students begin a task they are given some time to set a goal for him or herself or the group so every activity has a clear purpose and a way to measure their success.

During:

When you know, then you can go

Students go to the board for directions or instructions. And only when they have read and understood them may they begin to gather equipment and participate in the activity.

When the music plays so can you

Appropriate music is on in the background when students are participating in activities. When the music stops student must stop as well.

Pause and game on

During any activity the teacher can say pause. Students then stop what they are doing and gather. The teacher can use this time to change or modify the activity to make it harder or easier or add in more complicated elements.

Stations

Students have pre-assigned stations where they work in groups to accomplish tasks.

Injury Out

If a student injures another student during any activity for whatever reason the student that was injured decides when the offender can rejoin the group.

Problem Solving

Anytime a situation arises where students in counter a problem or conflict that they should be able to address themselves. The class will break into groups over this instant activity. The groups will work to resolve the issue and will come up with different alternatives for the students to choose from. If it is an extremely simple conflict between two students it will be resolved through rock paper scissors and the winner is right in the conflict.

Finish:

Clean sweep

At the end of the period students can play clean sweep. The gym is divided into halves or quarters and students race to put away their side of the gym as quickly as possible. In this way everyone is responsible for clean up.

Tie it together

Lessons from day to day are tied together through review and preview questions. The review questions are used in the beginning of the activity while the preview questions are used to clue students into the next activity.

Give it time

Students are given time to figure out answers to questions and solutions to problems, with out interruptions from other students.

Tell on Circle

After an activity has been completed everyone gathers in a circle. Students then comment on what was good about the activity with an emphasis on positive behaviors.

References:

Lecture Notes, 2008. Cindy Kuhrasch, Curriculum and Instruction 378: Teaching of Physical Education

Jeanine Kiss, K-1, Violence Prevention Program, Lowell Elementary School

Mike Moore, Elementary Gym K-4, Wilcox Elementary School

Suzanne Siebert, Kindergarten, Wilcox Elementary School

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