Strategies to Promote Classroom Community

A big focus centered around the school atmosphere is curriculum based. There is a lot of research on best practices to use to promote learning in all content areas, but promoting classroom community is a topic not as researched. Social and emotional needs are two important areas that need to be met in the schooling environment for several reasons. As a future educator, the relationship I have with them as well as they have with each other is a top priority. In my student teaching placements, I wanted to take the time to explore teaching practices to promote the community of my classroom. Throughout my self-study, I used two main methods of research. A developmental portfolio was used to take notes daily and write reflections. I also used it to reflect on the small changes I would make and how I thought those practices impacted the students. The other method of research I used was personal history. In my own personal history, I reflected on my years of schooling and how much I felt included in the classroom. I also was able to pull in experiences of observing in other classrooms, like my practicum