Belongingness In The Classroom

In both clips, we are working on our warm –up. This is a routine we do everyday; students rely on these routines and helps the class run smoothly. Especially with my ELLs and IEPs, these routines provide a sense of belongingness, when students are aware of what’s going on in the class rather than sitting there completely lost. Being aware of my student’s background is what drives me to make these routines. Students know what supplies to gather once entering the room and know where to put back once leaving. In clip one before we start the activity I have them stand up and together we cut out the circle that we used for the activity. They understand why we stand up every time we cut stuff out, because it saves time. In addition, they know the

Getting to know my students has been beneficial in creating a positive environment. In doing so, I use many tasks that relate to my students (clip 2). The first day I met my students, we did an activity on getting to know each other. I found out that many of them ride the bus and the trolley or have ridden the trolley. This is why I chose this kind of task that relates to something they do on a daily basis. Before the start of clip 2, we spend time discussing the railroad sign (instructional material 2.1) and talked about experiences riding the trolley. This got students engaged in the learning task and provided a sense of relatedness amongst each other. Throughout my lessons I provide positive feedback, many times by telling them what a good job they are doing. By using praise to motivate my students establishes mutual respect. As you will see in both clips, I walk around the room checking on each group and certain individuals. For example, in clip 1 at minute 7:15, I check up on a student that likes to work by himself and does not ask for