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A Healthy Way To Fill
Your Days

Whether it be virtual or in-person classes, there are very few better ways to fill the days of your participants than with a SPIRIT Club exercise or healthy life skills class. Classes offer a healthy, positive way to get people moving, boost their self-esteem, and create the positive habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Classes can be 30 or 60 minutes in length, can start any time, and can be taken from anywhere. The variety of class topics allows organizations to fill their schedules with the exact class they are looking for.

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Customized Classes for your Organization | SPIRIT Club

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Whether it be virtual or in-person classes, there are very few better ways to fill the days of your participants than with a SPIRIT Club exercise or healthy life skills class. Classes offer a healthy, positive way to get people moving, boost their self-esteem, and create the positive habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle.

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There are many classroom management theories.

The following 13 are some of the most famous. You may notice that many of them overlap and influence each other.

The 13 theories below are generally either in one of these categories:

Behaviorist (focus on fixing behaviors),

Humanist (focus on removing negative influences),

Democractic (focus on empowering students),

Psychoanalytic (focus on unconscious thoughts of children), or

Cognitive (Focus on thoughts, not behaviors).

The Most Famous Classroom Management Theories

1. Behaviorism

Key Theorists: B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov

Theoretical Tradition: Behaviorism

According to the theory, anyone (and even most animals) can be trained to be well-behaved. All the teacher needs to do is teach the students to associate some behaviors with negative consequences and other behaviors with positive consequences. Over time, students will learn to do the positive behaviors more and the negative behaviors less. It's that simple!

Another element of this theory is spaced repetition. The theory believes that students will need less reinforcement as time passes.

The theory was founded first by Ivan Pavlov who trained a dog to associate a bell with food. We learned from Pavlov that the mind can associate one thing with another thing when they are put together often enough.

After Pavlov came B.F. Skinner who adopted Pavlov's idea for training conscious behaviors. He used association between behaviors and rewards to teach a pigeon how to play piano!

Critics of behaviorism state that it doesn't teach students moral values or to do things because they are right or wrong. Students learn that the only thing that matters is getting a reward for their behavior. It therefore does not help to develop moral and critical thinking in our students.

2. The Token Economy Classroom

Theoretical Tradition: Behaviorism

The idea behind the token economy is that the teacher introduces a point system or even a type of classroom currency. Children who do the right thing are given a point or token, while children who misbehave may have to lose points or give back tokens.

The token economy classroom is an idea that follows from behaviorism: it relies on rewards and punishments to encourage positive behavior.

Teachers can also create a trade-in system so students can 'buy' big rewards when they get enough tokens. A reward may be a class party, small gifts, or free play time.

3. Ginott's Method

Theoretical Tradition: None.

Ginott's method is about a teacher being a facilitator who minimizes teacher disruption and encourages students to be active in their engagement with class lessons.

Ginott's method focuses on the teacher:

Minimizing disruptions during discipline.

Facilitating inclusive conversations

Separating behavior from character.

Using 'I' statements.

Second, the teacher should also be a facilitator of class discussions that address behavior issues. This should be done inclusively and respectfully. An example might be a class meeting or a daily open discussion time to air issues. During this time, the teacher should be brief and do more listening than talking.

Fourth, teachers should use 'I' statements and encourage students to do the same. This can prevent name calling and accusations. It focuses on the valid subjective experiences of students rather than creating conflict over differing perceptions of events that caused arguments. 'I' statements include: "I feel..." and "I think...".

4. Assertive Discipline

Key Theorists: Canter and Canter

Theoretical Tradition: Behaviorism

Assertive discipline theory believes that teachers need to take control of the classroom. It states that teachers have the right to teach and students have the right to learn. If a student interrupts these rights, that student needs to be reprimanded or removed from the classroom.

Teachers must be proactive in asserting students' rights to learn. This means setting clear rules and guidelines and putting in place clear punishments for students who do not adhere to the rules.

When teachers are seen to be in control and follow-through on the consequences of misbehavior, children will trust, respect and follow their educator.

For assertive discipline theorists, the ideal classroom is calm and focused with the teacher in firm control.

5. Democratic Classrooms

Key Theorists: Alfie Kohn, John Dewey

Theoretical Tradition: Democratic

Democratic classrooms are classrooms that give students a voice and real influence on the rules of the classroom.

A democratic classroom transfers power from teachers to students. The goal is to encourage students to think deeply about how they want a classroom to work. When a student has to think about what they want, they will hopefully come up with rules based around fairness, justice and mutual respect.

The greatest benefit of democratic classrooms is that students come to see why rules are in place. They don't just follow a teacher like passive learners. They instead actively establish and follow-through on the rules of the class.

One big challenge of democratic classrooms is ensuring students have genuine choice. They cannot be coerced by teachers into coming up with rules the teacher wants. If this happens, then students haven't really been given power or a voice in a true sense.

Teachers often struggle to create a democratic environment because they believe the teacher (as the adult in the classroom) has a responsibility to enforce rules on the younger generation. Of course, this may be true, especially when it comes to health and safety.

The democratic classroom approach was promoted by famous theorists such as John Dewey (who is also the founder of pragmatism in education) and Alfie Kohn. Kohn's perspective is that rewards and punishments (Behaviorism) fail students because they kill intrinsic motivation. So, democratic education is a more authentic and genuine approach to raising moral and critical thinkers.

6. Baumrind's 4 Teaching Styles

Key Theorists: Diana Baumrind.

Theoretical Tradition: None. It's a Taxonomy of Behavior.

Baumrind's 4 styles of parenting is usually used to describe different types of parents. However, it's an approach that can be incredibly useful for thinking of different teaching styles as well.

The four styles are:

Authoritarian: An authoritarian teacher sets strict rules and high expectations. The teacher does not consult students in rule creation and students are given very little choice in the classroom. The teacher fails to investigate the causes of misbehavior and swiftly punishes students who misbehave no matter the context.

Authoritative: An authoritative teacher has high expectations and clear rules but is also very responsive to the needs of students. They value independence and may allow free choice so long as students maintain high personal standards.

Permissive: Permissive teachers are not very demanding so fail to uphold high standards. They are warm and caring of children, but lack authority and respect because children do not acknowledge their authority. Think of the teacher who wants to be every child's friend.

Neglectful: Neglectful teachers are neither demanding of high standards nor warm with children. They are more or less uncaring of their job and detached from their students' lives.

It is generally accepted that the authoritative style is most effective and compassionate to use with children. It establishes adult authority but also gives children a feeling that they are listened to and respected.

7. Non-Adversarial Method

Key Theorist: Fred Jones

Theoretical Tradition: Behaviorism

Fred Jones developed the non-Adversarial method. This method advocates that teachers focus on positive rewards for students to avoid conflict (or what we might call an 'adversarial' approach).

Jones's key concept is the idea of Preferred Activity Time (PAT).

Preferred Activity Time is time set aside for students to do activities that they find more enjoyable such as art, craft, sports and free play.

Jones notes that these preferred activities are often curriculum requirements - so they need to be done regardless of student behavior. However, teachers can leverage the students' preference for these activities to help students improve behavior.
It works like this:

The teacher identifies an activity the students prefer.

The teacher tells the students at the beginning of the day that 20 minutes has been set aside at the end of the day for the preferred activity.

The teacher tells the students that "if we get through our tasks throughout the day efficiently, we can have more time doing the preferred activity".

This method incentivizes:

Engagement on task in exchange for more 'fun' time

Shorter and more focused transition periods between activities

Class self-regulation and co-regulation of each other's behaviors.

8. Pragmatic Method (Dreikurs)

Key Theorist: Rudolf Dreikurs

Theoretical Tradition: Psychoanalytic

According to Dreikurs, all human beings strive to belong to their social group. Misbehavior, then, is usually the result of a child believing they can break rules to achieve or protect their status in the group.

He called misbehavior the "mistaken goals" of children striving to belong.
The four mistaken goals Dreikurs identifies are:

1. Attention Seeking: Many students are simply misbehaving to get the attention of the group. To address this behavior, educators can ignore the behavior, turn the behavior into a lesson, distract the student, or give the student the attention they need (if they have been under-acknowledged).

2. Seeking Power: A student who seeks power in the group often feels like they are excluded or an outsider. A teacher might want to help the student gain more power, which may dilute the misbehavior. One example of this is to ask the student their opinion and acknowledge or include their perspective in the lesson. Alternatively, if their power seeking is inappropriate, the teacher can apply discipline or redirection to get them to seek power in more appropriate channels.

3. Seeking Revenge: A common instance in which a child seeks revenge is when the teacher disciplines them without acknowledging their misgivings. Or, a student may seek revenge after being mistreated or bullied. To address this behavior, a teacher needs to ensure students have positive avenues to have their sense of security and happiness in the group affirmed.

4. Feelings of Inadequacy: A student who feels like an outsider may act out because they feel like they have failed at being a member of the group. A teacher should focus on building a student's confidence to dilute the misbehavior. This could include strategies like positive self-talk, confidence building tasks, showing that mistakes are okay, and highlighting successes.

9. Choice Theory

Key Theorist: William Glasser

Theoretical Tradition: Humanism

Glasser's humanist choice-theory approach is focused on giving students maximum choice in the classroom with the trust that they will make decisions that enhance their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others in the class.

Glasser believes all our behavior is designed to satisfy five basic needs:

Teachers should be aware of these five needs and make sure the classroom meets all five of these needs. When these needs are not met, students may misbehave.
There are three ways to help children's needs be met:

Fulfill Intrinsic Needs: Meet students' intrinsic needs rather than providing extrinsic rewards and punishments. If we just provide rewards and punishments, we're not looking at the reduce cause of issues.

Create Active Learning Scenarios: Create engaging, exciting and relevant lessons so that students are excited about learning ('fun' and 'freedom'). By making class a comfortable and enjoyable experience that meets students' needs, misbehavior will decline.

Promote Choice and Ownership over Actions: Students should be given free choice to take ownership of their own actions. If students have their own free choice, they need to learn decision-making skills and take ownership of those decisions.

See Also: Maslow's Humanist Approach

10. Responsible Thinking Process (RTP)

Key Theorist: Edward Ford

Theoretical Tradition: Cognitivism.

The Responsible Thinking Process (RTP) approach holds that teachers should focus on thinking processes, not behaviors. If a teacher simply sets rules and hands out rewards and punishments, the student is a passive learner. They are not doing the important thinking. Instead, Ford argues students need to actively think about their behavior.
This approach aims to:

Encourage students to think about how to achieve their goals without harming others.

Ask students what they're doing and why - rather than telling them what to do.

Promote mutual respect between students and teachers, because teachers listen to students and let students think through moral issues.

Teachers should ask Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions force students to articulate their thoughts, promoting active thinking. Questions can include:

"What are you doing?"

"How can you behave respectfully?"

"What will happen if you disrupt again?"

"Do you have a plan to achieve your goals respectfully?"

"Do you feel you need to change your personal behavior plan?"

If students break rules, the RTP approach tends to enter into mediation where students, parents and teachers get together to help students develop their own goals and set their own personal standards.

The Responsible Thinking Process is a trademarked process - see here.

11. The Kounins Approach

Key Theorists: Jacob Kounins

Theoretical Tradition: None.

Jacob Kounis presents four core ways teachers can prevent misbehavior from occurring in the first place. His main goal was to be proactive about asserting control over the class so that misbehavior does not occur.

Kounin identifies four ways to encourage positive classroom behavior:

With-it-ness: This refers to a teacher's ability to maintain oversight of their class at all times. With-it-ness can be enhanced by teachers adopting a 'teaching position' within the classroom where they can see all students, constant roaming around the classroom while students work, ongoing focus on the students, and a classroom layout that ensures students are all visible at all times.

Overlapping: This involves breaking students into smaller groups to allow the teacher the ability to jump from group to group providing support and, of course, oversight of behavior. The term is used because there are many lessons going on at once (or 'overlapping') and the teacher has oversight of all at once.

Group Focus: Students should work in groups and be encouraged to contribute to a collaborative atmosphere. Consider teaching group work skills, positive interdependence, assigning group roles to all students, and directly assessing group work communication.

Movement and Management: Teachers should have good control over how and when students are allowed to move about to prevent distracting one another. Transitions between lessons should be well planned-out to ensure smooth flow throughout the class day.

Key Theorist: Carl Rogers

Theoretical Tradition: Humanism

Rogers is a Humanist who focused on ensuring students know that they are cared for, appreciated and trusted by the teacher. Teachers should always let students know that they are inherently good and can do good things if they put their mind to it.

Carl Rogers presents a Humanist approach to classroom management. Humanists advocate that educators should focus on:

Addressing the root causes of misbehavior.

Affirming that all children want to be their best selves (what Rogers called the 'Actualizing Tendency').

Ensuring classrooms are inclusive and meet all students' needs.

Rogers particularly highlighted the importance of teachers affirming to their students that they are inherently good and capable people.

Even when a student misbehaves, the teacher should show the student "Unconditional Positive Regard". This means that the teacher should show the student that they always believe in the student, believe they can improve, and have goodness inside them.

Strategies could include saying things like:

"You did a great job on Tuesday. I'd love to see you doing just as well today."

"Today wasn't a great day for us, but tomorrow let's both come to school with a positive attitude!"

"This misbehavior is not how I expect you to behave. I know you can do better."

13. Applied Behaviour Analysis

Theoretical Tradition: Behaviorism

Applied behavior analysis is a behavior management technique very commonly used to help students with learning disabilities.

The technique involves close observation of a student to identify three factors involved in misbehavior.

The three factors are:

Antecedents: What happened preceding the misbehavior?

Behavior: What was the misbehavior?

Consequences: What consequences should follow misbehavior?

By breaking down the A, B, and C of misbehavior, an educator can get a better picture of how to proceed. They educator can work to ensure the antecedents are not repeated, teach strategies to overcome common observable behaviors in a student, and come up with consequences that seem to work with the individual child.

ABA is usually used in a one-to-one environment where the educator takes many notes to follow a data-based approach to correcting misbehaviors.

Final Thoughts

Many of the approaches to behavior management above overlap. But, they can all be characterized by how they see children's behavior. Some see it as something that needs to be rewarded or punished, others aim to see the root cause, and others focus on thought processes rather than behaviors themselves.

If you know of any other behavior or classroom management approaches, please do share them in the comments below!
Read Also: 23 Great School Anti-Bullying Policy Examples (2020)
Read Also: 162 Anti-Bullying Slogans & Quotes that Pop!

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13 Effective Classroom Management Theories in 2021

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There are many classroom management theories. The following 13 are some of the most famous. You may notice that many of them overlap and influence each other. The 13 theories below are generally either in one of these categories: Behaviorist (focus on fixing behaviors), Humanist (focus on removing negative influences), Democractic (focus on empowering students), Psychoanalytic (focus on unconscious thoughts of children), or Cognitive (Focus on thoughts, not behaviors).

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Allport, Watson, Shaw, and Mead were the social theorists that established cooperative learning prior to WWII, suggesting that group work is more effective and efficient, than working alone. However, it was 1937 when researchers Mark Arthur May and Leonard William Doob collected all the principles behind the Cooperative and Collaborative Learning Theory.

Cooperative and Collaborative Learning is a learning situation that involves two or more individuals who are attempting to have a shared educational experience. In these environments, students are able to learn from each other, utilize each other's skill sets and resources, and share experiences that may benefit the entire group. As a theory, it suggests that learners who are educated in a group setting and cooperate in order to achieve a set of common goals are more likely to be successful in doing so, while those who work autonomously are more likely to exhibit competitive behaviors.

Cooperative and Collaborative Learning benefits not only the academic, but also the learner's social persona, since it emphasizes on teamwork and team spirit. In a classroom this means higher levels of achievement, potential cross-ethnic friendships, life-long interaction, enhanced communication and cognitive skills, and critical thinking.

The 5 Basic Principles of Cooperative and Collaborative Theory

1. Interpersonal and collaborative skills
Students learn how to work together and support each other. Instructors should encourage brainstorming, reflection, and participation.

2. Face-to-face interaction
With face-to-face interaction learning becomes dynamic. Students discuss their ideas and make oral summarizations, while comprehending the value of individual differences and critical thinking.

3. Beneficial interdependence
Students learn the value of collaboration for the successful completion of a task, and the usefulness of team roles, and effective representation.

4. Individual responsibility
Collaboration aside, students should sense their responsibility towards the group and comprehend the value of their contribution for the successful completion of a task. Slacking, hiding behind someone else' work and simply following instructions won't work.

5. Group interaction processing
Groups should learn how to interact and then evaluate their effectiveness and skills. Instructors should give students the time to reflect on the group's collaboration level, i.e. if everyone participated, if they supported and listened to each other, if everything went smoothly, etc.

Join us at the Instructional Design History Journey
A New Instructional Design Model Will Be Added Every Week! You are more than welcome to let us know if you would like us to cover an instructional design model and theory that is not included at Instructional Design Models and Theories. Simply leave a comment at Instructional Design Models and Theories.Last but not least, you are more than welcome to embed the Cooperative and Collaborative Learning Theory presentation at your site of blog. If you have a question that needs an answer concerning the Schema Theory do not hesitate to leave a comment and I will reply you as soon as possible.

References:

http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001348633

http://www.learning-knowledge.com/teachlearn.html

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v7n1/gokhale.jte-v7n1.html

http://www.co-operation.org/home/introduction-to-cooperative-learning/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_learning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_learning

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v7n1/gokhale.jte-v7n1.html

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/coop/

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Instructional Design Models and Theories: Cooperative and Collaborative Theory - eLearning Industry

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Allport, Watson, Shaw, and Mead were the social theorists that established cooperative learning prior to WWII, suggesting that group work is more effective and efficient, than working alone. However, it was 1937 when researchers Mark Arthur May and Leonard William Doob collected all the principles behind the Cooperative and Collaborative Learning Theory.

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Teamwork plays an important part in successful business operations. Definitions of teamwork include a group of people working together for a common goal with each member contributing to the project or program. Social scientists and group-theory researchers study teams to develop theories to define effective practices.

Business-administration programs teach team techniques, and employers ask management-job applicants questions about team-building techniques and practices. An understanding of teamwork theory helps impress job interviewers and also improves work management.

Productive teams help build businesses and create effective companies. Maslow's team building theory suggests that teams are motivated by opportunities for growth and actualization, as explained by Halo Psychology. Highly motivated teams tend to be more creative and productive. Firms focused on high production levels study teams and interpersonal interactions at the business with an eye on making changes to improve productivity.

Apple founder and former Pixar head Steve Jobs, for example, incorporated teamwork as an important part of his corporate operations. Jobs thought the key to high-performing teams involved frequent employee interaction, as described by Inc. He used teamwork theories in the construction of his corporate headquarters to increase worker interaction. Despite the fact that Jobs pioneered communication through electronic media, he also promoted personal interaction to fuel successful teams and workplaces.

The first scholarly study of teamwork took place in the 1950s under the direction of psychologists examining how humans relate to themselves and others. This group looked at how work influences team interactions and the actions team members take to tap the talents and skills of other members in solving a task or problem at work.

Additional studies explored the changes in teams over time and how teams integrate technology in completing tasks. The earliest formal studies of teamwork took place after World War II and focused on discovering the reasons for the failure of military teams.

Using a label to describe a theory allows easy recognition and a foundation to discuss the basic concepts. Major theories evaluating team-member role development include Interaction Process Analysis, a theory proposed by sociologist Freed Bales in 1950. Bale's theory evaluates individual members using a formal inventory system.

David Buchanan and Andrzej Huczynski published a major theory in the 1980s focusing on the elements of power and status in team management theory. Other important theories such as Meredith Belbin's theory of team roles also presented in the 1980s, propose ways to examine assigned team-member roles and compare these with the roles developed as a result of the individual team member's personality. More recently, John Adair's leadership theory emerged offerring a framework for team leaders that integrates tasks, managing the team and managing individual contributions, Mind Tools reports.

The major elements examined by teamwork studies include the team environment, member actions, communication used by the team, traits and roles of team members and the team work assignment. Scholarly studies also explore the attitudes and beliefs of the team members. In-depth team study also looks at the use of employer reward systems, both real and perceived by the worker.

Modern scholarly studies compare new teamwork theories with earlier theories, and also create mathematical equations to represent the behavior of individual team members and the group as a whole. The math equations attempt to predict team behavior under various employment conditions.

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Teamwork theory was developed by organizational psychologists and social scientists. Applying teamwork theory in the workplace can maximize team performance and overall productivity. Important theorists to know include Maslow, Bales, Belbin, Adair and others.

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Learn how to develop a plan to attract membership among diverse stakeholders in community-based efforts.

So you want to attract some members into your club or organization? Why? Are you sick and tired of trying to do everything yourself? Did someone remind you that two heads are better than one? It may not really matter why you've decided to try to attract more members. What matters is that you have a plan.

Developing a plan for recruiting members will make your life much easier. This section will show you how.

What is a plan for increasing participation in community action?

Planning is a way to organize actions that will hopefully lead to the fulfillment of a goal. In this case, your goal is increasing participation to meet the purposes of your organization. How? By providing clear directions and your approach to following them, in other words, giving a method to your madness.

Developing a plan for recruiting members will cause you to ask yourself some fundamental questions. These questions are essential to just about any recruitment effort, and your answers will be the building blocks for your recruitment plan. They are:

Why do you want or need members?

How many members do you need?

What kind of members do you need?

Who is going to find and get the new members?

Where are the new members?

When is a good time to look for new members?

How should you approach potential members?

What happens if you get a yes, a maybe, or a no?

What are some obstacles you may encounter? And how do you get around them?

Example: An organization in need of increasing participation in community action
My neighborhood organization wants to clean up the area around an abandoned building in our neighborhood. We hope to remove the blight and potentially lower the amount of crime in the area, but we don't know how to find the people. We are very busy and have never done this before.

Also, this may just be the beginning. We want to grow our organization large enough to clean up the whole city. Wouldn't that be amazing? But that would certainly take more members than we recruit ourselves. Maybe we should build a coalition or partnership. Then we'd have the people power we need. But how can we do that?

Here's the key point: Regardless of whether we are trying to recruit members who speak for themselves or members who speak for entire organizations, it would help to have a plan to find people and bring them together. Answering the questions above will save us time in the long run and increase the chances of accomplishing goals we set for ourselves.

Why should you develop a plan for increasing participation in community action?

To make accomplishing your goals easier.

To help you get from point A (an organization in need of members, or a coalition in need of member organizations) to point B (an organization with the members it needs or a coalition with the members it needs). Your organization or alliance will almost certainly always need fresh members.

To make your search for new members more efficient and effective. A plan is essential because it focuses on steps you will need to take to achieve your ultimate goal of recruiting members. The planning stage is the time to decide what actions the organization will take to achieve its goal.

Most of the time, organizers looking for membership would have better luck recruiting potential members if they sat down and planned what they would do to achieve their goals, rather than just jumping right in. A planned effort will almost always be superior to an unplanned, disorganized attempt.

Writing things down is very important to the planning process because you don't want to waste time going over questions you have already answered. Writing down the answers will save precious time.

How do you develop a plan for increasing participation in community action?

Let's come back to the fundamental questions mentioned above and go through them one at a time.

Why do you want or need members?

It is not only enough to want members for your organization. You must think of why you want them. You must ask yourself, "Why am I looking for new members in the first place?" Your organization may be looking for members who speak for other organizations or themselves.

Your organization may need members of a partnership or coalition who:

Represent the local government, the local school systems, religious organizations, youth organizations, businesses, other human service organizations, senior citizens, the police, parent groups, colleges and universities, etc.

Can coordinate the efforts of the organizations they represent to achieve shared goals (for example, a city-wide event in which several organizations carry out different city beautification tasks)

Can rally support for issues in the best interests of your organization and those of the organizations your coalition members represent

Your organization may need individual members to:

Hand out flyers

Help out on a specific project (for example, helping to clean the lot around an abandoned building)

Help organize and recruit other members

Give general support to the organization

Do many, many other things

You must have something in mind. Otherwise, you wouldn't have decided you need more members to begin with. Think... Then write it down!

How many members do you need?

Once you have listed the reasons you are looking to get new members into your group, you should have a pretty good idea of how many individual members and coalition members you will need to recruit.

For example: Starting a plan for increasing participation in community action
Let's think about the abandoned building example. How many people do we need to clean up the area? It's a big yard, and it is very messy. We'd like to get it done in one day, so the best guess is that it will take at least 15 people.

There are five diehard members of my organization, and a few others around the neighborhood have offered their help if something came up. Well, now we have something.

So we know that we need to get ten more people to commit to this project. Of course, we'd love to get ten new long-term members, but for now, we just need ten more warm bodies to help clean the area.

Okay, now we know why we want new members, and we know that we need at least ten more. Wow! We're already starting to have a plan. Okay, now, let's think big. Let's go back to the city-wide beautification effort.

If our organization gets all the people we need to clean up the area that sparked our beautification efforts, we will still need members representing other organizations in our coalition. We need to have members who can coordinate the actions of their organizations so that the whole city will become beautiful.

Even thinking big is simple. What's next?

What kind of members do you need?

It's not usually a good idea to put people into categories, but in this case, determining what kind of members the organization needs will be helpful.

Organizations need many different kinds of members. As mentioned earlier, this can be especially important when deciding whether your organization is trying to build individual membership or trying to make a coalition through recruiting members who speak for organizations.

Some members may speak for organizations or whole groups of people, and some may not. Some members will be leaders, and some will not.

Members of organizations function at different levels. Some show up more frequently than others; some are more committed than others; some have other things going on in their lives that will take priority over the organization. We can use all these types of members and members with many different kinds of skills.

Members who speak for whole groups of people are especially helpful because, through their membership, your organization will gain access to people who may help out at different levels.

Organizations will often be looking to recruit members with varied skills. However, sometimes a project will come up in which specific skills are needed.

If there is a specific skill your organization is looking for to help achieve your goals, your organization or coalition may wish to recruit members who speak for organizations with some talent in those areas.

As for developing a plan for recruiting members, you must decide what kind of members you are looking for. Then it will be easier to focus your search.

Who is going to find and get them?

Well, who have you got? If it is you alone, you certainly have your work cut out for you. But even if you have a small army of recruiters, you will probably still have your work cut out for you. It's a big task. By now, you should know who you are looking for, whether they speak for themselves or organizations, and how many people you need.

Determining who finds and gets the new members is essential to your planning. You and your helpers can plan the approaches you will use to get the people you need.

Don't be shy about delegating responsibility. If you have people available to help you recruit, make those people as useful as possible. Assign recruitment tasks to different people. Don't just tell all of your people to go out there and get members. That will most definitely waste your time and possibly that of potential members too.

Getting back to the clean-up example, we may have decided that there are some people with some specific talents or assets that could help us in our clean-up, and in the neighborhood organization in general.

Divide up the recruiting task. We know that we need some neighbors with yard tools, and someone with a pick-up truck would certainly be helpful.

Make sure you break up the recruiting. Tom, with the pick-up truck, will not be happy if all five members of the group ask him to help out. After all, you want to ask for help, but not to be too pushy. Also, your organization may seem very disorganized if nobody seems to know what anyone else is doing.

So figure out who will be recruiting whom.

And in the case of the city-wide beautification initiative, your organization may wish to seek members who speak for organizations that have special skills or assets that will help achieve your goals. For example, a hardware store, a gardening association, an art club, and a florist may be incredibly helpful.

Where are new members to be found?

Truthfully, everywhere. But now, you can target where you look. Try making a list of places where the type of people and organizations you are looking for might be.

Example: You are looking to build a new clubhouse for some neighborhood kids, and nobody in your organization is good at building. What skills would be handy in a new member? Building skills, of course.

Now that you have this information, use it. Find out where people with building skills may be, and go there and ask for help. Check the yellow pages for hardware stores, construction unions, and contractors in your community. Think about other clubs, agencies, and organizations in your community where people with building skills may go.

Example: Let's think big again. Perhaps your organization started out wishing to build a clubhouse for a group of neighborhood kids. Then, everyone became so enthusiastic about the project that your organization decided to form a coalition to promote youth club activities.

Now you may not only wish to recruit members with building skills, but also members who speak for organizations, unions, community services, and local and corporate businesses that may want to become involved. After all, your organization would probably like all the help it can get.

Don't forget. You won't know who wants to get involved unless you ask.

So figure out who your organization would like as members. Then...

Make a list and write it down!

When is a good time to look for new members?

Well, how about now? Any organization should always be looking for new members. Sure, some times are better than others. It is easier to recruit members when the organization is rallying around a particular project or issue. Find a hook (something to attract people to your specific project, cause, or problem). Hooks are useful.

But there are also many important times for an organization to look for new members or a coalition to look for new member organizations. Some of them include when you are:

Taking on a new initiative

Wanting to become more powerful in the community

Starting a publicity/fund-raising campaign

Replacing former members

If your organization does not have a specific need for new members but is just waiting for a good issue or event to help you start a recruitment drive, certain topics often draw attention and support. These include:

Are any of these issues related to your project? What others can you think of?

For your plan, you must decide when you will start actively looking for new members. Developing a timeline will prove to be helpful-set goals.

You may also need to know how soon you need your new members. You might have a big event coming up, such as a fundraiser, that you will need more members for. In that case, you might want to create a timeline with your plan of action.

For example, our group needs to have 30 new members before putting on our annual dance in January. It is September now. So, we'll try to recruit at least 15 new members by mid-October. It makes sense for us to aim a little on the high side, so we'll be okay even if we fall short. Our group met together and created the following timeline:

Develop a recruiting plan

Set goals to recruit member organizations or representatives.

Meet with representatives of member organizations

Continue looking for support. The more, the merrier!

Begin recruiting members or organizations for a coalition. The goal is to have recruited 15 members by mid-month

We will meet to keep new members' interest

Continue meeting and recruiting. Remember, our goal is 30. But don't stop there!

If we are having trouble, review tactics.

Keep recruiting

Remember to develop your plan for recruiting members before you start doing the work. You don't want to spend time switching from tactic to tactic trying to achieve your goals. Be sure to organize your search for new members. Don't forget to make a plan and write it down.

How should you approach potential members?

Ahh, the approach. Let's imagine that although our group feels very strongly about our project (in this case, cleaning up the messy area), it may not sound as appealing to others. Getting new people involved with the project or group sounds about as easy as, say, meeting a life-long partner at a bar.

It's crucial to design an approach carefully. Look at this example:

"Hey, do you want to come out Sunday to pick up trash and scrub graffiti off walls with some people you barely know?"

Not likely to get a very favorable response. Maybe this one is a little better:

"Hello, you live in our neighborhood, don't you? I've seen you around a bit. Well, you know the messy area around the old Spooky House that makes our neighborhood look like a parking lot after a flea market? A group of us are going to get together Sunday to clean it up, and then we're having a potluck at Shawn Barge's house."

It may be a good idea to personalize your metaphors if you know the person you're trying to recruit. For example, for a sports fan:

"...It makes our neighborhood look like the parking lot of a football stadium on after the game."

Remember, when you are trying to convince people to help out that they need to feel they will get something out of it too: satisfaction, new skills, personal fulfillment, et cetera. You want to make potential members feel as though cleaning up the yard will benefit them because they live in that neighborhood too.

Coalitions that wish to attract member organizations should be careful to give the organizations they are trying to recruit compelling reasons to join. Organizations will not want to become involved with a disorganized, inefficient effort.

What to do if you get a yes, a maybe, or a no.

Suppose you get a yes. Great! By now, you should certainly know why you've recruited this person in the first place. Just make sure you can tell the new member or organization what is needed when.

A maybe is pretty good too. A "maybe" shows you that this person or organization is not entirely without interest in the cause. Keep in touch with those who say "maybe." Maybe they will be interested in joining at a later date or becoming involved in a different capacity.

A no...well, you can't win them all. You should also try to distinguish a "no" from a "not right now." You may have asked at the wrong time; after all, you don't know everything in everyone's lives. If you didn't get the door shut in your face, you might want to try again later. You never know when someone may have a change of heart.

Whatever someone says, don't be caught by surprise. Think ahead to what you will say next.

Obstacles

Anticipate obstacles that may occur. Things don't usually run perfectly, and anything can (and sometimes does) happen. Be prepared to overcome possible barriers. A hurdler doesn't worry about tripping over hurdles; she hurdles them. You must be ready to also.

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Section 1. Developing a Plan for Increasing Participation in Community Action

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Learn how to develop a plan to attract membership among diverse stakeholders in community-based efforts. So you want to attract some members into your club or organization? Why? Are you sick and tired of trying to do everything yourself? Did someone remind you that two heads are better than one?

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Implementing Group Work in the Classroom | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Group work can be an effective method to motivate students, encourage active learning, and develop key critical-thinking, communication, and decision-making sk

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It's the first question on every parent's mind when it comes to education.

And the only way we can answer that question is through shared responsibility, shared accountability.

We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every child, regardless of the challenges the child may face, and provide the teaching and support each child needs to meet those expectations. That's the promise of public education and the right of every child.

We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every teacher. The teacher has the most direct impact on a child's success in the classroom.

Accountability means holding everyone with responsibilities to high standards of performance.

We look to school districts and states to invest in classroom resources and support teachers - set clear expectations, help teachers develop their craft, provide meaningful support that is tailored to the teacher's needs, and then provide a fair, multi-faceted review of how well teachers are serving the educational needs of our students. We also look to districts and states to drive improvements in schools that fall short year after year.

We look to principals to establish a safe, welcoming and rigorous school culture with a coherent and compelling vision for learning and growth. We look to principals to foster excellence by recognizing top teachers, providing support to help struggling teachers improve, and replacing those who aren't showing improvement.

We look to teachers to help every student learn - not just those students who are self-motivated learners. We look to teachers to model that love of learning - learn new ways to engage students, master their subject matter, seek advice and accept critical feedback, and get better at their craft every year.

We look to parents to partner in their child's education - make learning a priority at home, advocate for their child, and understand how they can help make things better in their children's classrooms and schools.

And we should all look in the mirror and ask: What more can I do to improve educational opportunities for our kids?
What About Testing?
We need tests. They are one way to answer the question: Is my child learning?

Tests need to be fair, reflective of high standards, and done in moderation. They will tell parents and teachers if a child is learning the basics, while also developing critical-thinking skills. Tests should be used to help identify a child's strengths and weaknesses, so that learning can improve for that child.

We need to be accountable for the quality of public education, which also means we shouldn't over-test our children or devote excessive learning time to test prep.
What About Teacher Evaluation?
We need fair, balanced and regular teacher evaluations that allow parents to trust that their child has a teacher who is passionate about his or her craft, knows how to engage students with creative lessons, and connects with students as individual learners.

Test results that show how students are learning should be one measure of a teacher's overall performance, along with classroom observation, student surveys, and other indicators.

We need to stop fighting this common-sense change to teacher support and evaluation. We can't return to the past - when there were no clear expectations for teachers, no meaningful training and support, and 97 percent of teachers in America were rated "satisfactory," largely based on cursory classroom visits and superficial checklists.

We know what is possible when we devote less energy to what separates us and focus more on what binds us together: belief in our kids; hope for a brighter future.

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Is my child learning? It's the first question on every parent's mind when it comes to education. And the only way we can answer that question is through shared responsibility, shared accountability. We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every child, regardless of the challenges the child may face, and provide the teaching and support each child needs to meet those expectations.

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Do your students give excuses for their poor performance in class? Are excuses like "there was no sufficient time to prepare," "the questions were too tough," "the material was not taught in class," etc. often used in your class? Student accountability is an important trait to develop in your students. It helps them take responsibility for their actions, learning, and helps improve academic performance and achievements.
Introducing student accountability in the classroom
It may not be easy initially to instill this behavior in your students, but with your constant support, students may slowly learn to develop it. Here are some ideas to achieve student accountability in your classroom:

What is student accountability? Few students understand the need to take responsibility for their actions. Therefore, it is essential that you frame rules at the beginning of the year on the actions that are acceptable and unacceptable in the classroom. Unacceptable behavior should have a prescribed consequence (like a time-out) that should be followed closely. The student then decides whether he/she performs the acceptable/ unacceptable task. Understanding this crucial concept will help students take responsibility for their actions.

Be firm with your rules. It is often observed that leniency only encourages students to break rules. When a teacher bends the rules for someone in class, others will expect the same treatment. Failure to comply will lead to complaints of favoritism that adversely affect the dynamics of the class. Thus, following your rules is a good way to instill accountability in your students.

Create a positive environment

Be positive, non judgmental and supportive to the students. Since your students are trying to change their behavior, there may be slip ups initially. Remind the student that every action has a consequence and that it was their choice to face the punishment. You may also have a group system in which students remind and support each other.

Inform parents of the game plan. At times, incorrect or imprecise information is conveyed to the parents. To prevent this and generalize student accountability even outside the class environment, parents should be kept in the loop. If a student misbehaves or fails to turn in the work on time, you can ask the child to call and inform the parents in your presence. Such practices will reduce the incidence of mistakes from occurring and increase the practice of taking responsibility.

Help your students develop a plan to achieve their goals. Instruct them to draw a triangle. At the tip of the triangle, write the goal that needs to be achieved (i.e. improving performance, submitting assignments on time). On the base, write down the steps necessary to achieve the goals. This gives them the opportunity to formulate their own goals and strategies. Writing them down serves as a reminder to the students on their committed to their goals and teachers may encourage them to sign the work and also get it signed by their parents. A copy of this is maintained by both the staff and parents to help the student achieve his/her goals. After two weeks, teachers and students can review the goals to see how much was attained, discuss whether the goals were realistic, figure out changes to the plan or set new goals. Such practices will help students to be proactive in their learning.

Keep an achievement chart

Another way to instill student accountability is to encourage students to evaluate their own work, performance and participation in class. Create an achievement chart that records the various activities and behaviors in class (for example: active involvement in class, academic performance in tests, timely submission of assignments, achievement of goals, etc.). This chart is to be scored by the student daily on a three point scale of 0, 1, and 2 where 2 is good, 1 is average and 0 is bad. At the end of each week, the student adds the score and makes a chart which is a record of their learning. The chart demonstrates how well each student has achieved their objectives of learning and which areas needs more work and effort.

Thus, by teaching students to be accountable for their work and take responsibility for maintaining a level of academic performance, we are encouraging them to be in charge of their own success.
Learn More... Take a course
Discuss Here: What are the methods by which you successfully introduced student accountability in your classroom?

About PLB

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How can I Introduce Student Accountability in Class to Enhance Student Performance?

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Do your students give excuses for their poor performance in class? Are excuses like "there was no sufficient time to prepare," "the questions were too tough," "the material was not taught in class," etc. often used in your class? Student accountability is an important trait to develop in your students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's the first question on every parent's mind when it comes to education.

And the only way we can answer that question is through shared responsibility, shared accountability.

We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every child, regardless of the challenges the child may face, and provide the teaching and support each child needs to meet those expectations. That's the promise of public education and the right of every child.

We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every teacher. The teacher has the most direct impact on a child's success in the classroom.

Accountability means holding everyone with responsibilities to high standards of performance.

We look to school districts and states to invest in classroom resources and support teachers - set clear expectations, help teachers develop their craft, provide meaningful support that is tailored to the teacher's needs, and then provide a fair, multi-faceted review of how well teachers are serving the educational needs of our students. We also look to districts and states to drive improvements in schools that fall short year after year.

We look to principals to establish a safe, welcoming and rigorous school culture with a coherent and compelling vision for learning and growth. We look to principals to foster excellence by recognizing top teachers, providing support to help struggling teachers improve, and replacing those who aren't showing improvement.

We look to teachers to help every student learn - not just those students who are self-motivated learners. We look to teachers to model that love of learning - learn new ways to engage students, master their subject matter, seek advice and accept critical feedback, and get better at their craft every year.

We look to parents to partner in their child's education - make learning a priority at home, advocate for their child, and understand how they can help make things better in their children's classrooms and schools.

And we should all look in the mirror and ask: What more can I do to improve educational opportunities for our kids?
What About Testing?
We need tests. They are one way to answer the question: Is my child learning?

Tests need to be fair, reflective of high standards, and done in moderation. They will tell parents and teachers if a child is learning the basics, while also developing critical-thinking skills. Tests should be used to help identify a child's strengths and weaknesses, so that learning can improve for that child.

We need to be accountable for the quality of public education, which also means we shouldn't over-test our children or devote excessive learning time to test prep.
What About Teacher Evaluation?
We need fair, balanced and regular teacher evaluations that allow parents to trust that their child has a teacher who is passionate about his or her craft, knows how to engage students with creative lessons, and connects with students as individual learners.

Test results that show how students are learning should be one measure of a teacher's overall performance, along with classroom observation, student surveys, and other indicators.

We need to stop fighting this common-sense change to teacher support and evaluation. We can't return to the past - when there were no clear expectations for teachers, no meaningful training and support, and 97 percent of teachers in America were rated "satisfactory," largely based on cursory classroom visits and superficial checklists.

We know what is possible when we devote less energy to what separates us and focus more on what binds us together: belief in our kids; hope for a brighter future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Is my child learning? It's the first question on every parent's mind when it comes to education. And the only way we can answer that question is through shared responsibility, shared accountability. We have a responsibility to set a high bar for every child, regardless of the challenges the child may face, and provide the teaching and support each child needs to meet those expectations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Working with a Student Consultant gave me a sense of students being able and wanting to take certain pedagogical responsibility, and the counter of that is me taking a learning responsibility."

"I'm constantly trying to think of ways I can put the pedagogical goals I have for my students in their hands."

"I work with students in a more productive way, with a two-way dialogue which helps us explore different avenues in a train of thought. Instead of only me just telling the students what I think they should know, I mix lecturing with discussion. I try now to be more present to the NOW in the classroom and be open to where it is going than I used to be before, when I focused on just getting the students to know particular things."

"I work with students more as colleagues, more as people engaged in similar struggles to learn and grow. I have become even more convinced that students are experts in learning and essential partners in the task of creating and developing new courses and refining existing ones."

"It doesn't mean that you are giving over control of the course. But there are elements of the classroom that we are co-responsible for, that we are traveling through together."

Student Comments

"I no longer think that professors are responsible for having all the answers and making a class perfect and wonderful to suit my own needs. It is up to the entire community to make learning spaces function, so that means students have just as much responsibility as professors."

"My role definitely began to break down the boundaries between student and teacher and created in-between roles in which I could recognize my partner and myself as both learners and teachers simultaneously. This perspective has influenced the way I see myself in my other classes, I am more aware of the classroom dynamics and teaching styles in all of the classes I am in now, and I consistently think of ways classes could be improved instead of just accepting them as static."

"[TLI] is a wonderful opportunity to really get to know a professor well in a different capacity and to develop a different kind of professional relationship but also one that was personal; engaging in work together with them."

"When you are in a college environment or any environment as a student, you think you are there to get a lot. And this has given me a lot of confidence in that I have a lot of things to give. I can give in terms of teaching others. I can give in terms of giving others ideas about how to teach others. And I don't think I would have had that if I wasn't involved in the TLI."

Continue reading: Participant perspectives from different programs

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"Working with a Student Consultant gave me a sense of students being able and wanting to take certain pedagogical responsibility, and the counter of that is me taking a learning responsibility." "I'm constantly trying to think of ways I can put the pedagogical goals I have for my students in their hands."

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

-- John O'Donohue

A few years ago, a student of mine lost his father to an unexpected illness that took a wrong turn. Two days later my student came to class. Surprised, I let my student know that if he needed to take time off to be with his family, I would later work with him to help him catch up on materials he would miss. I was giving him permission to be absent from class. He didn't want to. In fact, he said that being in class helped him forget about his problems.

His reason resonated with me. As a student, and even now as a teacher, being in class has always offered me a sanctuary where I could tune down everything else and immerse myself in a community of knowledge seekers, if only for a few hours each week.

Today, growing numbers of colleges and universities all across the country -- including Dartmouth College, Rice University and Stanford University, among many others -- are temporarily canceling their face-to-face classes to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 situation. The conversations on our campuses, as well as on professional Listservs, have turned to the topic of academic continuity plans as the nation continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19. As I look through the materials put together by various teaching and learning centers and instructional technology groups, I have noticed that the resources have focused almost exclusively on the hows of technology: tools to record lectures, create discussions and proctor exams. Yet while the technological know-how to virtually connect with our students is necessary, it is not sufficient to continue the teaching and learning endeavor.

Beyond the electronic connection, we need to connect emotionally -- especially in times of anxiety and uncertainty. As a neuroscientist, I know that emotions are key to learning. In Descartes' Error, Antonio Damasio asserts, "We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines that think." Recent literature affirms the importance of the affective domains in teaching and learning.

So I began to wonder about the impact such transitions will have on students and colleagues emotionally, psychologically and even physically. The current situation hits close to home for me. During the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, I was a student in middle school in Baghdad. When the bombing started, schools shut down abruptly. We didn't have internet or the ability to attend school virtually. One morning, one of my teachers showed up at my house, hand-delivered homework and reminded me to keep studying. To this day, I remember how her dedication and acts of resilience and hope helped me feel a tiny sense of normalcy during that turbulent time in my life. At night, I would sit by the candlelight to study and dream of going back to school and all the conversations I would have with my friends.

I do not question any higher education institution's decision to move their classes online or close their campuses. Rather, I am thinking about how we can teach in times of uncertainty and how we can ensure that our students continue to learn most effectively.

More specifically, I am thinking about students who don't have a safe environment at home -- for whom residence halls and classrooms have served as a sanctuary, students who have found a community within college, or students who rely on college for their sustenance and security. In other words, most students. So how can we, teachers, be that "dancing clays" to balance our students' mental and emotional loads, so that they may stumble just a little bit less?

Reflecting on that experience and my questions, I came up with a short list of what I would've liked my teachers to do had I been a student who was sent home due to COVID-19.

1. Email your students to remind them that you are still there for them.

2. Tell them how you are shifting your schedule to deal with the new situation and that change is part of life. Humanize yourself and make it casual and lighthearted. For example, you might talk about how, in between reading their discussion posts, you decided to start your spring cleaning, which you've been putting off forever.

3. Reflect on the notion of rigor and continue to challenge and support your students. As instructors, we often must balance rigor and support, and this situation might be one where students will need more support than rigor. Establishing continuity doesn't mean you increase the amount of work required of them. I say this because I worry that some of us might be fixated on the rigor of the materials presented. Let's face it -- the rigor may suffer, and that's OK considering the situation.

4. Repeat some of the lessons you taught in class. Especially for those students who are missing the classroom environment, this will probably help activate their memory of being part of a community and remind them that they are still part of one. For example, in your email you can say something like, "Remember when we talked about this and ..."

5. Use hopeful and optimistic language, such as, "When you come back this fall ..." This will help students look forward to coming back to the campus.

6. Offer students an opportunity to exchange phone numbers and, for those who are interested, help them create a WhatsApp chat group. It can sometimes be difficult for a student to ask for a classmate's phone number.

7. Don't ignore the elephant in the room. If possible, talk about COVID-19 and fear. This is an opportunity for you to remind your students to consider the sources of their news and to beware of the large amount of misinformation.

8. Remember that students have left behind more than just their classes and academics. On both residential and commuter campuses, there are important spaces where students meet and talk about their nonacademic lives -- sports, upcoming concerts, recently discovered shows and so on. Consider creating a community discussion board for them to share what is happening in their lives, especially given the stress, fear and strains in these uncertain times.

9. Let your students know that you are there for them and that if they need help to reach out to you. Let them know that you are (I hope) in touch with counselors or mental health experts that can help them should they need to speak to someone.

10. Most important, ask each of your students how you can help them. The Persian poet Rumi says, "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Likewise, in times of uncertainty and unknowing, we can create a space where our students' voice and insights can illuminate the path we are carving out for them -- and us.

Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list, and I invite you all to add to it in the comments section below or at #hopematters4learning. Think about yourself as a vulnerable student who is trying to learn and complete a degree on an already thinly spread set of obligations. What might help you?

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10 strategies to support students and help them learn during the coronavirus crisis (opinion)

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Mays Imad offers 10 teaching strategies to support students and help them continue to learn during this time of uncertainty.

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Collaboration in the classroom makes the learning experience better for students. It allows them to improve their critical thinking skills. They can question theories and gain a deeper understanding of different phenomena.

Collaborative learning goes a long way in boosting an individual's confidence. It creates an environment where everyone can share their ideas freely. Collaborations allow students to access a wealth of knowledge as they learn from each other and through each other.

Many people find collaborative classrooms interesting, which improves their focus and retention. Here are some of the ways you as an educator can encourage collaboration in schools.

Accord Complex Tasks to Groups

You can enhance collaboration among your students by allowing them to tackle problems together. You will prompt the learners to approach other complex subjects in the same manner and make them less frustrating.

When working together, students realize that they are having the same difficulties, and anxiety reduces. Besides, it clears their minds, letting them think critically and solve problems even faster.

Give Assignments

Assignments also create opportunities for collaboration because students have control over how to go about them. Apart from completing the tasks on their own, they can decide to collaborate externally. For instance, by searching "do my term paper," they can get expert help with their assignments.

Students can work with peers outside the school to accomplish set tasks. This instills a cooperative spirit in them. Therefore, they will embrace the idea of seeking support from their friends, parents, and even teachers.

Eliminate the Possibility for Freeloading

If learners could be honest, they would plead guilty to freeloading in most group assignments. If students are presented with the opportunity, they will certainly take it, and it will be counterproductive. The whole idea of group work in promoting collaboration.

You can prevent individuals from riding on others' efforts and not participating by creating moderate-sized groups. It is preferable if they comprise four to five members. This way, every member's input will be required, and freeloading will become impossible.

Another approach you can take is assessing the students individually. For instance, if a group has to deliver a presentation in front of the class, ensure that every student in the team does something. This will encourage participation and ensure collaboration.

Some educators assign the learners roles as they delegate the group work. This creates accountability and prevents inactivity.

Indulge Learners in Challenging Activities

In this case, you will not even have to create groups. Students will be proactive and will extend support to each other. When given simple tasks, they often do the work alone without seeking the input of their peers.

As much as they may get brilliant scores when they work unassisted, they still miss out on a lot. For instance, they lose an opportunity to challenge their minds to think critically. Also, they are deprived of a chance to learn from each other.

Challenging tasks will automatically create a positive sense of interdependence. Some of the activities may include debates, experiments, and research.

Emphasize the Importance of Collaboration

Sometimes, all it takes is an excellent talk helping students understand how vital partnership in the classroom is. Teach them how they can collaborate and why they need to do it. Also, you might demonstrate the ways of working effectively in teams.

With such insights, learners will not even need to be directed to cooperate in groups. They will form teams themselves and even request more complex assignments because they will be capable of handling them.

Incorporate Technology

You can leverage technological tools to enhance collaboration in the classroom. For instance, Google Docs promotes a wide range of related activities.

The tool allows easy sharing of files and documents. Moreover, it enables real-time editing so that all team members can work on the same task. Collaboration through such tools is practical, effortless, and time-efficient.

You can also encourage students to use video conferencing applications to hold discussions when doing assignments from home. These tools eliminate the barrier of distance in collaboration. People can organize debates and complete group assignments from wherever they are.

Learners are curious and love progressive technology. They embrace these tools and will be excited to use them.

Conclusion

Collaboration in the classroom does not always occur automatically. Students need guidance and reminders on why it is essential. As an educator, you should create situations where collaboration is necessary.

Give group assignments, deliberately choose complex tasks for the learners, and ensure that they participate during the lesson. Integrate digital collaboration tools in teaching, and you will boost the students' interest in using them.

With the ideas above, you will instill the spirit of teamwork and give students a wholesome learning experience.

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6 Ways to Enhance Collaboration in the Classroom | Prague Post

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Collaboration in the classroom makes the learning experience better for students. It allows them to improve their critical thinking skills. They can question theories and gain a deeper understanding of different phenomena. Collaborative learning goes a long way in boosting an individual's confidence. It creates an environment where everyone can share their ideas freely.

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If you feel stuck and alone, and have no clue how to get out of it, I have great news.

The answer is not as difficult as you think.

You don't have to get through this alone.

But first, you need to be brave enough to ask for help.

I grew up thinking I had to figure everything out on my own. I thought I needed to know all the answers. I wanted others to see me as someone who was competent and smart.

For example, if I was in a conversation and a topic came up that I didn't know anything about, instead of asking for clarification at that time, I would look up the answer myself later. I didn't want people to think I didn't know.

I guess I was a perfectionist in a way.

Even as a corporate professional, I had a hard time asking for help. I didn't really know how to ask for help. I always felt awkward. One part of me felt ashamed that I couldn't figure it out on my own, and the other part of me felt bad to bother someone else to help me.

Looking back, maintaining that façade was so tiring. I didn't have a moment to relax and just be "me."

I wish someone had taught me this lesson earlier in my life, so I'm sharing this with you now so you don't make the same mistakes I made.

It's absolutely okay to ask for help.

You can't figure everything out on your own. No one can. Even the President of the United States has a team of experts to provide him with information so that he can make the best decisions.

Everyone needs a team of supporters.

And so do you.

If you are unsure how to build a support system of your own, try these three simple steps to get started:
Step 1. Get clear on what you want and set some goals.
Take a few minutes to figure out who you'd like on your support team. Do you want a mentor with experience or a peer who is going through the same challenges? Ask yourself what kind of support you need from your support team. What are your goals?
Step 2. List all the resources that are available to you right now.
This is as easy as making a list. Ask yourself: "Who would I want as a member of my team so that I can achieve success? Are you a member of a social group or networking organization? Do you have contacts from your college career office? Do you know a colleague at work you could ask for support? You have many more resources available to you than you realize.
Step 3. Write a list of resources you would like to have access to.
Do you want to join a gym? Could you become a member of a networking group? Do you want a mentor in your field? Can you take a course or seminar?

Here's how my support team works for me: My goal is to build my business globally so that I can touch more professional women's lives. I want to help them avoid burnout, be happy, succeed, and shine.

My husband and my mother are my mental supporters. I know they will both always be there for me. And even though I live thousands of miles away from my mother, I can feel her unconditional love all the time.

I have a mentor and coach who I look up to and model my business and lifestyle after. I also have a team of coaches who help me grow my business and support my personal development.

I have accountability buddies who help me stay on course to my goals.

I have an editor who helps me with my writing projects so they are top notch.

I have an assistant who handles any technical work in my business that I'm not cut out to do.

To stay healthy, I work with a personal trainer and have workout buddies so that I can fight
the demons when I want to skip a workout.

I recently added a stylist to my team, as opportunities to speak in front of people have increased and will become a bigger part of my business.

Yes, I guess it really does take a village.

With the team I've formed, I have created a support system that I know will help me to succeed and achieve my vision of life.

My support system guides, teaches or coaches me to help me get where I want to go.

I'm investing in myself and my future.
Are you looking for a support team to help you hold yourself accountable to your goals? Nozomi Morgan, MBA, is a certified Executive Coach and the Founder and President of Michiki Morgan Worldwide LLC. Addition to coaching, she speaks and trains on leadership, career, professional development and cross-cultural business communication.
Visit www.nozomimorgan.com to learn more about Nozomi . There, you can download the free Leadership Discovery Tool. Follow Nozomi on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.

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How to Build Your Support System in 3 Easy Steps

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If you feel stuck and alone, and have no clue how to get out of it, I have great news. The answer is not as difficult as you think. You don't have to get through this alone. But first, you need to be brave enough to ask for help.

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Balancing the Classroom: Strategies for Sharing Responsibility | Edutopia

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How do educators balance the desire for classroom structure with the necessity of giving students freedom?

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Written by Alison Smith

Oh my goodness!! Are you feeling trapped in an endless cycle of tidying your classroom, sorting stationery, fixing up piles of books and completing other relentless classroom management jobs?
Make your classroom buzz! Subscribe to Teach Starter and access thousands of curriculum-aligned resources and digital learning tools. Get Started
If you are, then this has been written with you in mind. I am going to share with you my six fabulous steps for successfully assigning classroom jobs and taking a load off you.

Let's kick this off with a little bit of Rhumba!

My Aha Moment

Let me invite you into my home on a Sunday afternoon. I'm vacuuming again, picking up toys and crayons again, tidying the book corner and sorting the lego from the blocks, again. To cut the story short, I figured that something had to change because too much of my precious time was being taken up with never-ending organizational tasks.

In a moment of frustration, I put on my teacher hat and remembered that the only way to manage these jobs, is to get everyone involved and to dish out some responsibility. So, a pack up and clean up party was declared! Before I knew it, my son was vacuuming vehemently, behind the couch (excited to find multiple misplaced items) while my daughter was happily dusting! We sorted and packed away the toys and took a collective sigh of relief that our belongings were in order.

The bottom line is that my young children, like the majority of students, love responsibility and thrive on being trusted to do jobs.

Responsibility

If we want to teach students to be accountable for themselves, their belongings and their learning environment, we have to trust them with responsibility. Students feel capable when they have a sense of power and control over their learning environment and when they are making a contribution to the smooth running of their classroom.

Our job is to nurture self-worth and self-esteem by giving our students responsibility and the opportunity to feel pride in their accomplishments. Read on to find out how to transform your classroom through trust.

Pitch Your Idea and Advertise the Roles

Tell the students you have noticed that there are lots of jobs that need to be done in the classroom to keep it an organized, safe and effective learning environment. Ask the students to think of other reasons why it is helpful to keep a tidy and organized classroom.

Draw out from your discussion that it helps us to look after our belongings, find the things that we need and to focus on our learning.

Decide on the Duties

Make a class list of classroom jobs that need to be completed. It is a good idea to think of enough jobs to assign one duty per student. Your job list will be unique and vary over the years, but here are a few of my favorites:

Librarian

Messenger

Calendar Helper

Chair Monitor

Gardening Assistant

Equipment Helper

Line Leaders

Bag Monitor

Rubbish Monitor

Technology Helper

Window/Door Monitor

Teacher's Assistant

Job Applications

I love the idea of asking your students to apply for classroom jobs because it ups the ante of accountability.

Download our new Classroom Job Application Template and see the job applications fly in. The key thing to focus on during this step is the students' understanding and appreciation of why each job is important and what valuable skills they will be demonstrating while completing them.

Allocate Classroom Duties

Before you announce the jobs in your classroom, hold a formal class meeting to describe each job and reinforce the values of responsibility, accountability and trust.

Remember to explain to your class that you will do your best to match their first or second job choice. However, in cases where this isn't possible, the jobs will be assigned on a rotational basis and they are sure to do their preferred job soon!

Create a Classroom Display Make your Students Accountable

Choose from our colorful Classroom Jobs Teaching Resources Collection to create a display that is sure to keep your students on their toes.

I love our editable Tranquil Watercolour - Job Chart designed by our amazing designer, Fleur.

Performance Reviews

Hold regular performance reviews sooner rather than later. Observe your students closely and praise them for doing their job well. If a student is struggling to perform their job well, ask them if they need support and offer guidance.

Teaching responsibility and trusting our students with classroom jobs is all part of our leadership role as a teacher. I can guarantee that if you successfully implement a classroom job system, you will not only reduce your workload but also experience an almost instant shift in the classroom atmosphere, as your students rise to the challenge and enjoy a feeling of importance.

If you haven't already set up a classroom job system, it's time to get on board. If you already have one, but it's not effective, have a reboot and a refresh.

Sometimes, a relaunch is all that is needed. If you have an amazingly effective system share it with us!!!! Go forth and delegate!
Make your classroom buzz! Subscribe to Teach Starter and access thousands of curriculum-aligned resources and digital learning tools. Get Started

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Sharing Responsibility in the Classroom | Classroom Jobs | Teach Starter

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Written by Alison Smith Oh my goodness!! Are you feeling trapped in an endless cycle of tidying your classroom, sorting stationery, fixing up piles of books and completing other relentless classroom management jobs? Make your classroom buzz! Subscribe to Teach Starter and access thousands of curriculum-aligned resources and digital learning tools.