Building Community
Building Community. Getting Off on the Right Foot for Success Bruce Imber & Greg Luce, Bucks County Community College. Introductions. Who are we? Who are you?. Goals for this session. Introduce the value of building community Share ideas, best practices, and experiences.
Building Community
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Presentation Transcript
Building Community Getting Off on the Right Foot for Success Bruce Imber & Greg Luce, Bucks County Community College
Introductions • Who are we? • Who are you?
Goals for this session • Introduce the value of building community • Share ideas, best practices, and experiences
Common classroom issues • Attendance and “disappearing” students • Distractions (cell-phones and texting) • Lack of student interaction (participation and feedback) • Disruptive students • Student differences at community college (diverse backgrounds, experiences, learning styles and skill levels) • What else do you experience?
How can community address these issues? • Community building contributes to or enhances: • Collaborative & cooperative learning • Respect and responsibility • Increased motivation & commitment • Engagement & ownership
It starts with the First-day • Setting the stage for a welcoming classroom • Introductions & learning names • Explaining expectations • Teaching how to be a successful student
Introductions & learning names • Quickly learning student’s names helps create a connection and demonstrates your respect for the students • Allowing students to meet each other builds a sense of belonging and a network
Establish expectations • Shared decision making • name and negotiate class norms • Manage discussions • Avoid monopolizers • Encourage participation from all • Teach students to be students
Obstacles to consider • Room set-up • Student resistance • Handling disagreements • Social loafing
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