(#Tleadchat topic for 7/10)
I'm taking a big leap into the Twitter chat world of guest moderating on Thursday, July 10th (10EST/9CST). I'm excited, hopeful, and anxious all wrapped up into one. But #Tleadchat stands for Teacher leader chat, so that's a part of the territory - stepping out & trying something new. A big thank you goes to #Tleadchat creator Brian Costello (@btcostello) for the opportunity.
I decided on discussing two intertwined topics ~ Building a Community within the Classroom, and Creating Connections Beyond our School Walls.
Building a community within the classroom: I feel this is so important and needs to start from day 1 (or before if possible) because it is truly all about knowing your students and forming relationships. "Getting to know you" activities are so much more than just a first day mixer or "what you did over the summer" chat. It's about building a community of learners, a classroom family, and mutual feelings of respect. Only then can you expect to build the rapport that is needed to lead your students to take risks and to trust you to guide them down new paths.
Creating Connections Beyond our School Walls: This is an important 21st Century Skill that I hope to dive into with my students this next school year. I believe it's essential for students to collaborate, connect, and share their learning with others (besides just myself, their classmates, and families). I've also learned that the concepts of creation as well as application are very powerful in the retention of learning. I want my students to do more than just memorize facts & remember key points. Creating connections, making learning come alive, and collaborating with others outside of our city/state/country are learning targets for our students to have continued success in life.
Please join me & some great teachers from my growing PLN to discuss these topics at #Tleadchat on Thursday, July 10th at 10pm Eastern, 9pm Central. Hope to see you there!
A preview of the chat questions can be found HERE.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Jen! Making connections is THE most important part of a classroom. Without it, nothing else will fall into place. Connections should extend to the whole family, not just the student and technology makes it SO easy. I am participating in something this summer called PTCamp, and it's all about the family engagement piece. Learning lots of great stuff. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteConnection outside of the classroom is very "21st century". Our children are going to be expected to do this when they graduate HS and college, so it is our responsibility to prepare them for this. Great post again, Jen!