How can we build a sense of community, regardless of the learning format?

Starting the year with some Community Building Activities,

regardless of the learning format!

Here are some ideas that either I had or that were shared with me on Facebook & Instagram:

• I was thinking of creating a “get to know you” survey, keeping it short and sweet, and at the end of the survey ask your students what THEY want to know about their new classmates. Create a Student Created Survey from their questions and have fun with that one! 

• I am in LOVE with Padlet  (see if you school has an account or get the free one) and if possible would like students to create an “about me” Padlet to share out with the class, but this could be done with Google Slides as well.

• I read one idea that really sounds like a good way to engage with any age of learners-teacher creates an “Investigate the Teacher” Bitmoji Classroom full of artifacts related to our lives and students take turns making inferences about you. See LitCircle for more ideas she complied - many other excellent ideas for middle and high school

• Using Mentimeter (there is a free account) to create live polls, quizzes, word clouds, collaborative questions- I attended a virtual training and the presenter used this a great deal to get educators from across the US to engage and share thoughts. 

• Allie suggested- “creating a collage with pictures and videos from home.” She also said she has thought about starting her virtual school days just as she would in-person, with a morning meeting in order to create a sense of togetherness.

• Allie also suggested- Using Greatness Circles, which is a Nurtured Heart Approach, at the end of learning time, regardless of what it looks like. I think those share outs could also be something that is turned into a class video opportunity if virtually learning or trying to blend in two separate groupings of students, again to create more sense of community. 

• Emily suggested- “recording morning meetings to share with student groupings if we are in a hybrid situation” where these meetings can be live with some students and/or recorded as well, for posting in Google Classroom so other students may check in throughout the day.  

• Allison said- “with parent permission, I create a slideshow for my screensaver that plays while students are working. They love seeing pictures of themselves and their friends, and seeing pictures of previous projects and adventures throughout the year. This can also job their memory on what they have learned.”

• Allison also suggested- regardless of which way we are learning, virtually or in-person, at the start of the day students share out how they are feeling using their finders, 1-3 with 1 being not-so-ready (maybe very tired or upset), 2 being sort-of-ready (maybe a little sleepy or distracted), and 1 being ready-to-go. Knowing and checking-in at the start of the learning time leads to conversations and build community and empathy depending on what students share out.

• Allison also had this to share- at the end of learning time students share out their “ladybugs and spiders” ladybugs are things that went well and spiders are things that did not, and before learning the learning environment we squash our spiders leaving the bad behind. 

• Heather suggested- old school penpals which can lend a hand with writing practice throughout the year.

• Melissa said- a virtual show and tell or talent show!

• Julie suggested- a weekly “tell me something good” perhaps at the end of the week, or maybe a “build a story together” time where students organically piece together a quick story with guidance from the teacher.

• Regina was thinking similarly to Heather- “old fashioned letter/note writing to each other and sending via snail mail with a question/topic to respond to during the Google Meet sessions”

Please let me know if you have other ideas to share! Thank you to those of you who kindly lent a hand!