Icebreakers for Community Learning Environment
One of the icebreakers that can be used to establish a community in the learning environment is a spontaneous show and tell. This is an activity that allows the students to know each other in a fun and quick way ( Westwick & Chromey , 2015). In this activity, the teacher divides the students into groups and tell them to introduce themselves in their groups. In each group, every student is allowed to know, tell the members about themselves and share anything they feel interested in. During the whole process of interaction, learners get to know each other, and as a result, they develop friendship and strong bond towards each other in a way that promotes unity in the learning environment.
The other icebreaker that can be used to build community in the learning environment is through zoom puzzles. This is an activity in which the teacher creates puzzles and then groups the students into four or six depending on the class size. Each group is then given a puzzle to solve. During the process, the learners will have piece together and hare information while attempt to solve the puzzle. As a result, they will get to know each other, interact more, and increase the bonding between them. While it is a fun activity, it increases interaction amongst learners in a way that makes them more bonded to each other ( Westwick & Chromey , 2015).
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Inspiration through art is another icebreaker that can help promote interaction and build a strong bond amongst learners. In this activity, the teacher asks each student to draw an image of whatever they like. Once they have drawn, each student is asked to write a quote they feel is inspirational to them on the picture. Each student is then asked to go around and share whatever they have done, and the reason for their choice of the quote. During this process, learners get to interact with each other and share more about their inspiration and experience thus increasing a strong bond and friendship.
Other Steps to build Community in Learning Environment
The first step to establish a community in the learning environment is to promote interaction through weekly meetings to allow learners to interact and share more information about each other and with the teacher. Through respectful interactions and sharing of information, the learners feel valued not only by the teacher but also by other students in a way that promotes bonding ( Corrado & Smith, 2014 ). Students develop a sense of connection and empathy when the learning environment accords them a pace where they can say their opinions and feel that they are valued and respected. The next way to promote teamwork is to create a team environment. Teamwork is one of the tools that have been useful in promoting community and sharing of information and ideas. Teams for learners can be in various forms, either group for task completion or teams for games. Rather than individual classroom tasks, it is important to divide learners into groups and then give them tasks to complete. The groups will provide them with opportunity to interact and feel valued, which subsequently leads to a sense of bonding.
Also, the teacher can promote problem-solving skills amongst the learners. The ability to solve problems in a non-violent manner can be a life-long skill that can help the people stay bonded together. The teacher can achieve this by addressing the classroom issues in a daily community meeting where students are involved. The sense of community problem-solving skills can help increase peaceful and respectful interactions amongst leaners ( Corrado & Smith, 2014 ). It is important to focus on relationship building from the first day so that it becomes a culture within the learning environment. This leads to strong foundation for the overall sense of community within the school.
Importance of Promoting Community amongst Learners
Community learning environment helps reduce behavioral issues and promotes respect and unity amongst the learners. According to Webb and Engar (2016), “teachers who promote a culture if classroom community expose the students to lessons on positive values, respect and responsibility, which allows the learners to take a message of collaboration and fostering positive relationships with their peers.” As a result of community learning environment, students become more bonded to each other and develop a feeling of empathy and healthy conflict resolution skills. Also, classroom community has been associated with increased students’ motivation. Lloyd, Kolodziej and Brashears (2016) note that community learning environment makes the students develop more inspiration towards their learning and help them enhance their social skills which all result to increased motivation. Due to the strong bond, students develop the spirit of unity and harmony in the classroom and the outcome is reduce incidences of violent behaviors and acts that could demotivate the students in their learning activity.
Community classroom also allows the students to acquire and develop relevant social skills such as problem-solving skills, communication skills and proper interaction with others. Through constant interaction between the teacher and learners, the students are taught basic social skills that are not only useful to them in their academics, but also in overall life interactions. Community classroom has also been associated with improved academic performance amongst students. Through constant interaction amongst the students and with the teachers through mutual respect, students develop a positive attitude towards learning ( Webb & Engar , 2016). Community classroom also create a peaceful learning environment where learners can focus on their studies and share knowledge that best help them excel in their studies. It further make the students develop a feeling of trust, belongingness and unity, all which have been associated with positive academic performance.
References
Corrado, C., & Smith, T. (2014, February). Building community in the diverse classroom: Engaging students and promoting equity. In AKD Teaching & Learning Preconference Workshop at the Eastern Sociological Annual Meeting .
Lloyd, M. H., Kolodziej, N. J., & Brashears, K. M. (2016). Classroom Discourse: An Essential Component in Building a Classroom Community. School Community Journal , 26 (2), 291-304.
Webb, J., & Engar, A. (2016). Exploring classroom community: A social network study of reacting to the past. Teaching & Learning Inquiry , 4 (1), 1-17.
Westwick, J. N., & Chromey, K. J. (2015). A Life-Changing GIFT: The Impact of Classroom Climate and Community Building. Discourse: The Journal of the SCASD , 2 (1), 3.
