Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Creating a Caring Community of Learners
Adapted by Carla Heintz, M.E., & David P. Lindeman, Ph.D. January 2012
Kansas Inservice Training System 1996, Updated May 2002, September 2005, & November 2009
Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities 2601 Gabriel, Parsons, KS 67357
620-‐421-‐6550 ext. 1618 www. kskits.org
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Creating a Caring Community of Learners Children learn best when they are active members of a community of learners. This community is inclusive of all individuals. It is a place where warm caring relationships are fostered between the adults and the children as well as among the children. Teachers can foster both an enjoyment of and engagement in learning by all children.
Educators create this community by:
• Planning ways for students to collaborate in work and play and providing the support each child needs to feel a part of the group and interact successfully
• Prioritizing warm, caring relationships with each child and providing an emotionally safe climate
• Setting clear and reasonable limits, with the help of the children if they are old enough, and applying them consistently
• Listening to and acknowledging children’s feeling and giving them feedback that guides them in resolving their own conflicts
• Valuing mistakes and misbehavior as an opportunity for learning and providing appropriate feedback and guidance to help the child make a better choice next time.
• Providing a physically safe and inviting environment that is organized and full of engaging materials that are easily accessible to children.
• Creating a daily schedule that follows a routine, includes a balance of rest and activity, and is somewhat predictable but not rigid.
• Including each child’s home culture into the culture of the class as a whole • Providing specific positive feedback regarding their accomplishments
To learn more about creating a community of caring learners watch the following videos on the CSEFEL website which outline the steps necessary for creating a caring community of learners and show individual teachers implementing the strategies on a regular basis: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/social_emotional_competence.html and http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/practical_%20strategies.html Other resources can be found online at: http://www.nectac.org/topics/menhealth/children.asp
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Classroom Strategies that Support Friendship: 1. Have discussions about making friends.
For ideas on how to use books as a discussion starter, see the book nook for The Rainbow Fish by Marcuse Pfister on the CSEFEL website: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#booknook
2. Coach children.
Often children have trouble entering groups, taking turns and maintaining positive relationships. In order to support them as they acquire these skills teachers can provide some direct instruction, modeling, practicing ways to with make requests with the child, and offering positive specific feedback when they have navigated a social situation successfully.
3. Pair children to work on a task.
Pairing children together to complete a task can provide opportunities for children to establish new friendships. It also helps them learn the skills of communication, negotiation, turn taking, and cooperation causing the children to be more likely to initiate partnerships independently.
4. Interpret children’s actions.
Some children are unaware of things they do that might alienate others. When you describe their actions and help them come up with positive alternatives to that behavior, you help them to become more conscious of the behaviors that cause them trouble and better able to make changes in the future.
5. Point out the benefits.
Children who are aware of the positive consequences of behaviors such as sharing, turn taking, showing empathy, helping, and encouraging others are more likely to do it in the future. When a teacher points the positive feelings their actions had on a fellow classmate, they desire to do it more paving the way to create a caring community among the children.
6. Minimize Rejection.
Look for ways to stop rejection of individual students before it starts in your classroom. Establish the expectation that your classroom is a friendly classroom where everyone has a friend and respects one another.
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Rev. 11/03 The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign csefel.uiuc.edu H1.3
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