Cindy Kuhrasch

CREATING COMMUNITY: The old adage which states, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is true. The creation of a safe and caring classroom community is crucial to the teaching of any skill or concept. This is especially true in the gymnasium setting where there are many potential safety issues of both the physical and emotional variety. Thus, it is imperative that we develop and maintain a setting in which our students feel safe to take risks and also feel accepted and appreciated for their efforts.

Many physical education teachers have been successful at creating this type of community, and their students have experienced the benefits of learning within a caring community. There is nothing like the feeling of working together toward the development of skills within a caring environment. For those who are new to the field, or for any who want to improve their own classroom environment, the "Four Cs" approach may be of some help. The "Four Cs" consist of:

Using a comprehensive view of community Developing a common vocabulary for use in your classroom Defining a common purpose for both students and teacher Teaching with a consistent presentation

1. Comprehensive View Teachers must have an understanding of the idea that community is created and maintained throughout all of the elements in the educational process. Community is developed through planning, instruction and assessment.

Your perspective about the student's role in developing behavior impacts your classroom community. Knowing your own perspective, and thinking about your student's role in managing their behavior, is an important step in creating classroom community. Take a moment to think about your beliefs in this regard.

What do you believe about student behavior? Mark a spot on the continuum.

2. Common Vocabulary The next step in the creation of community is to develop a common vocabulary. This vocabulary will describe the teacher expectations and student behaviors. This common “language” can then be used by teachers and students alike in discussing management and community situations. Hellison’s model is an example of a common vocabulary. Hellison's Levels Level 1 Irresponsibility Pushing when selecting equipment Laughing at others Talking to friends when the teacher is talking Blaming others for your problems Level 2 Self Control Not getting angry at others because they did something to upset you Having control over yourself and not letting behavior of others bother you Level 3 Involvement Trying new things without complaining or saying "I can't" Participating even when you may not like the activity Level 4 Self-Responsibility Practicing a new skill without being told Cleaning up without being asked Willingly working with anyone in the class Helping someone who is having difficulty Level 5 Caring Doing what is best for the class even if it is hard for you Doing what is right even if friends are not

3. Common Purpose The next step in creating community is to define a common purpose. Students need to know why they are in class, and of what use their learning will be. The development of classroom rules and goals are crucial in this process. Students should be involved in the process. Once the purposes are set, students and teachers can refer to them to stay on track. In order to solidify your understanding of this concept, discuss the following questions with one or more classmates: Why do we go to class? What do we need in order to achieve our answers from question #1? What sort of expectations do we have of each other (and of the teacher) as a result of the answers to the previous two questions? 4. Consistent Presentation The last step in creating community is to develop a consistent presentation of the vocabulary and the purpose. Teachers need to express expectations and behaviors for each learning activity (common vocabulary), and provide a reason for the activity as well (common purpose). There are five "Ps" that encourage this process and they are: Pre planning - Create activities that promote opportunities for positive behavior. For example, play high five tag that allows players to unfreeze each other, rather than freeze tag where players simply stay frozen after being tagged. Select one of the following activities, and redesign it so that it encourages positive (level four) behavior rather than level three or lower: Simon Says Heads up Seven up Musical chairs

Pre-instruction - Initiate a brief conversation at the beginning of each activity that defines expectations and challenges students to be their best. A simple example might be to ask students the following question "How might you be at level four for this activity?" Use student answers to shape the expectations for the activity.

Play - Teach-Play-Brief stoppages of play during which great behaviors and meaningful progress toward goals are celebrated and issues of lower level behavior are discussed. Once the activity has begun, watch for examples of positive behavior and potential issues that could discourage community. Stop the activity at natural pauses and point out the positive behaviors. For example, "I noticed that Sue unfroze two players during that round…nice job!" Also use your common vocabulary to clarify the levels of behaviors that could be destructive to the community, and redirect or challenge students to work at higher levels. For example, you could ask students "What level is puppy guarding? Yes, that is level three; let's challenge ourselves to work beyond that level."

Processing - Conduct brief meetings after activities that discuss positive and negative aspects of behavior and progress being made toward goals. One way to facilitate this is to have "Tell-on" circles. After the activity, students get a chance to "tell-on" anyone they saw working at a level four or higher. They should report the student's name, their level of behavior, and the behavior that they saw. For example, a student might say, "I saw Tom at level four because he unfroze me when I was tagged."

Protocols - Design organizational frameworks and strategies that provide opportunities to behave in a positive, purposeful manner. For example, design student jobs that allow all of them to play an important role in the classroom.

Once you have walked through this process by: 1) considering a comprehensive view of community,
2) developing a common vocabulary for your expectations, 3) defining a common purpose for learning together, and 4) consistently presenting your learning activities, you will experience the many benefits of a caring and cohesive classroom community.

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