The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
Students must first learn social skills before they are responsive to academic skills. Students must feel comfortable and safe in the classroom. When a student feels comfortable, they are more likely to engage academically. A strong set of social skills should be presented to students in order to make them more responsive to learning. As educators, we need to make students feel inclusive and respected in our classroom; in turn students will excel academically.
How children learn is as important as what they learn.
Students learn in their own ways and it is important to recognize each student for their strengths and also their weaknesses. Knowing these will only help educators mold their material to better suit the students. It is important to recognize and react. Some students need to learn things in a hands-on manner and others can understand and decipher straight from lecture and text. Modifying teaching strategies to better fit the students’ needs is part of having a responsive classroom.
The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
The most important aspect of a classroom is making the room safe and inviting. Building a strong classroom community will help students feel more comfortable with interacting with other students. When students feel comfortable they will be more open to learning. Promote social interaction at the beginning of the year to set the means of the classroom right away.
To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.
A set of social skills needs to be set at the beginning of the year. These skills will be the norms of the classroom. It may take most of the year for some students to learn about and adapt these social skills. They should be followed through for the whole year. Make clear to the students what the norms are and why they are in place so students understand why we have these norms.
Knowing the children we teach individually, culturally, and developmentally is as important as knowing the content we teach.
Knowing each student will help both the teacher and student grow. Each year, the way we teach should be molded to fit the students in the classroom. Ways that we can do this would be implementing each student’s culture. Activities that include each student will promote equality and an strong classroom community.
Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to a child’s education.
Having an open means of communication with students’ family is very important. This will be a way for educators to learn about the background of each student. Communicating with parents or guardians also shows that the student is in their best interests and they are getting an education that is molded for them. If there are concerns for any student, contacting the parents or guardians is important sooner than later.