Project Connect Reflections on Engaging the Community by JCULVER https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity Please do the following: - Double click anywhere on the Padlet - Write your name as the title - Provide an example (image, file, etc.) of either: a) student work or b) a teaching resource. - Describe in at least 25 words per post how you would use this. en-us 2017-12-21 21:21:13 UTC 2025-11-14 08:50:20 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Optimplaces.png Nicole Carson https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/224900694 I would describe this picture as a depiction of the funds of knowledge idea. I believe this is a time when teachers become the learners. They make efforts to know their students and the families of their students in new ways. By doing so, teachers can learn family experiences, social practices, and social history. They do so by visiting households or gathering information to understand the knowledge base of students in the household context. It is important to understand student life experiences, and daily practices and routines of families so these teachers can provide culturally responsive and meaningful lessons that can help students ignite their prior knowledge. ]]> 2018-01-25 23:18:43 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/224900694 April https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/224909606 This is one of the examples of how I connect families and Chinese learning together. I'll first teach students how to say the dishes that they would like to have for their birthday party in Chinese, then they will finish this paper and share with each other (in Chinese if possible), at last they are going to bring this paper home and share with their families (in Chinese if possible).]]> 2018-01-26 00:52:03 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/224909606 Chandler Gann https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225328612 Inviting guest speakers is a great way to bring the real world into your classroom. If you have previous knowledge of what your student's parents do for a living, you can ask them to come in to speak to the class when the topic relates to their job. This would be exciting for the students and also allow them to learn about things outside the classroom. It also allows the students to realize that what they are learning inside the classroom is relevant in every day life.]]> 2018-01-27 22:09:14 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225328612 Diana Romero https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225401154 Since we covered quite a few ways to have community and parent involvement, I decided to share the link below with the class since a good amount of us haven't started teaching yet. The link is for first year teachers and gives you 3 simple ways to encourage community involvement in the school. Though they were covered in the module, I believe this article makes it more realistic for those who haven't been teaching yet. The thought of making sure that there is enough community involvement can be intimidating, but this article makes it feasible for us first year teachers. Civic support, parent volunteers, and local business are great ways to start first.  ]]> 2018-01-28 16:42:18 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225401154 Jennifer Bowersock https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225406283 I think parent involvement is critical to the success of our students and plays a large role in our students’ and schools’ academic achievements. Unfortunately, parents and family members are either too afraid to become involved or do not become involved due to cultural misunderstanding, language barriers, and the feeling that their involvement is unwelcome or unnecessary. For this reason, I find it important for teachers to meet with families of diverse backgrounds. By communicating with parents, teachers gain greater insight on the social experiences of the parents and learn about their students’ culture and background. During this time, teachers can also ask parents how their child learns best and ask how they can help to provide a positive learning and school experience for both the student and family. The link below provides additional approaches for promoting the relationship of teachers and families of diverse backgrounds.

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/welcoming-families-of-different-cultures/]]> 2018-01-28 17:23:39 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225406283 Meghan Scott https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225435922 Having parents come into the class to share about their cultural lineage, day to day practices, and overall funds of knowledge is a great way to create a better sense of cultural diversity and understanding in the classroom. This is something I did not think about prior to this module. Combining this practice with a "show and tell" could be a way to get the children involved and interested in learning about others' culture and family, as well as investigate their own family's culture and fund of knowledge. This project is an interesting approach to building a sense of cultural diversity that spans from the home into the school. ]]> 2018-01-28 21:07:11 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225435922 Michelle Simmons https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225448600 Parent and Community involvement consist of many components.  One component I am interested in is from the article on on the Getting Smart website titled 21 Tips for Connectiong Learners to Their  Community. I agree it is important to work with students in becoming responsible ctizens within their school and community.  As the article indicated learners can be encourage to develop links between charities and other community entities where students can have an impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA1e2kz_adc ]]> 2018-01-28 23:12:16 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225448600 Dana Simonton https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225462294 I would use this use by actually implementing it (with the whole school if possible). One of the easiest ways to show you care is to show up. How can we as teachers ask families and the community to be involved and present if we do not model or reciprocate the same thing? If we as a teacher or school go out into the very community that we are trying to be more present and active in our building, then we should first model and demonstrate that. ]]> 2018-01-29 01:23:54 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225462294 Birdie https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225473021 One of the enduring truths about teaching is that to teach children well, we have to know them: what they’re passionate about, what worries them, where they are in their development. So, if the most important adults in a child’s life were on the same page, working together toward the student’s success that would bridge the gap between home and school. Parent Teacher Home Visits build relationships, skills, and engagement for families, educators, and students from pre-K to 12th grade. Real relationships between home and school provides an all in support of our common goal, our scholars’ success.

]]> 2018-01-29 03:01:32 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225473021 Alexa Coman https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225477010 I recently read this article for another course and it really opened my eyes on how to engage in the classroom community. The acronym for civics has six values that affect anyone in a school environment from administrators, teachers, students, parents, and so on. By focusing on courage, inclusion, value, integrity, cooperation, and safety, teachers can bring people together. ]]> 2018-01-29 03:40:54 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225477010 Jaeyoung Louis No https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225562365 One of the suggested projects within the anti-bias education was a family engagement strategy called home visits. I have been part of a home visits in my school where I teach ( a Title I school) and I have seen first-hand how effective this can be. You would typically pair up with another teacher and visit the home of a student. On most instances, parents are very welcoming and you will end up having a very pleasant conversation where much of the talk is done by the parent ( not the teacher). We do not discuss test scores or any of the student's behavior issues but we have a chat about the family's backgrounds, what their hopes are for the child; the type of achievements that mom and dads are proud of, etc. I found this to be a very effective way to engage families. ]]> 2018-01-29 11:19:44 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225562365 Emily Ng https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225722661 I love some of the strategies outlined by this "92 Ways to Involve Families and the Community in Education" link.  3 strategies that stood out the most to me were: 
1) Develop parent/student journals to involve parental feedback.
2) Develop a two-way plan for communicating student progress
3) Involved students in community service projects, under the guidance of parnets and community leaders (United Way, Habitat for Humaniy,  etc.)]]> 2018-01-29 16:44:15 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225722661 Whitney Spears https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225764837 This is a video based out of Australia, but it discusses what a positive school community looks like. The most challenging thing about building community is scheduling and not being forceful in making the parents actively participate. It is helpful at the beginning of the year to hold a parent education night or day with some type of volunteer child care. This gets more parents to come. I have experienced that positive admin. makes all of the difference. The positivity begins with them. I found this video helpful in showing how positive community among teachers and students can be very impactful in a child's academic success.]]> 2018-01-29 17:57:37 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225764837 Nikki Hezar nhezar https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225780166 I chose this picture because it shows the framework for anti-bias teaching. I thought that was something that was very important that teachers need to be aware of and it could allow the student to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom. The photo has ways that teachers can consider planning in order to make sure they are teaching an anti-bias education. An anti-bias education is a way of teaching in order to support the child and their families and be proud of who they are. Teachers should be intentional about anti-bias teaching.]]> 2018-01-29 18:23:02 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225780166 Igone Moreno https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225894541 In this module I have learnt about the importance of having as much  information as we can about  students' community and their families. That is why I found  this activity interesting to work with students, in order to know more about their family's environment. Sometimes we know that it is not easy to meet some parents to talk about their children so I guess that this quick activity can help us to know more about our scholars community and parents implication in their children education.]]> 2018-01-29 23:32:45 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225894541 Pam Plummer https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225916936  
Parent involvement is the most important link to student learning. If the parents feel safe and assured about their child learning then the teacher will you have their support, which may lead to parent support with homework the behavior and support in the classroom.  Which helps create a positive classroom community.   I like to get to know how my students are doing before I start teaching, so we follow the Restorative Practice circle community twice a week. A circle group with rules and open communication about concerns/feelings and how to treat people. The students share with the parents what we discuss in class too. This video is an example of our Restorative Practice circle. 
]]> 2018-01-30 02:12:36 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225916936 Nina Amedin https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225919976 https://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/post/2010/08/16/9-tips-for-first-year-teachers

I found this little article on first year teaching tips. I thought this would be a good resource for those who are just starting out. I just started teaching AVID to juniors at Richland Collegiate High School and I feel like I'm constantly making mistakes, or even asking them for help because I'm so new to the program- which a teach shouldn't be doing. I've learned to take a step back, breathe and follow some of these tips. For example, I find that having constant routine works best for my students. If we don't follow that path, all hell breaks loose. Try and follow some of these tips!]]> 2018-01-30 02:35:54 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225919976 Shante Schuler sschuler3 https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225994292 I agree with involving yourself in community activities as well as creating a parent invited community creates an excellent environment for teachers and students to enhance their classroom community.
I would want to explore more family projects as well as getting families to also incorporate what they do for a living and bring those skills into lesson within the classroom. I was fortunate enough to get parents involved in this way in my first year if teaching and I felt that parents felt the connection and were surprised at how important their skills helped students within the classroom.
I aspire to continue to build relationships with my children by getting to know who they are as well as how they see their lives within their own community by creating lessons that involve them being able to speak about themselves and express who they are and where they come from in a positive and creative manor.
The assumption is that this could only be used for ESL students, however, this can be used for all students. Listen to learn how Black American families are now homeschooling children because of daily biases given to them by schools. https://youtu.be/sgtinODaW78
The other assumption is that if is is not done then the school will fail. Some of these aspects are already done within schools and are not always labeled or recognized. 

WOW! What if this was really implemented? I wonder. 

]]> 2018-01-30 09:52:45 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/225994292 Sarah McMichael https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226143285 https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/welcoming-families-of-different-cultures/

I found this article while doing a bit of research about how to incorporate and welcome families of different cultures into a cohesive classroom. I think it's really worth the read, and a few of the points that I wanted to point out to the class include: 
-Students learn through their peers and their peers' experiences and families. Learning about other cultures can bring in an entirely new lesson dimension to the classroom; one that most students will learn tremendously from.
-It is crucial for teachers to model that different cultures within the same community include differences, not deficits. Engaging families and a variety of family cultures teaches students tolerance and promotes a warm, welcoming environment to all students and families. This article was beneficial to me because it showcases the ways in which students can benefit from other cultures and family backgrounds. ]]> 2018-01-30 15:44:12 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226143285 Christina Papatonis https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226277375 1. Express interest in the ethnic background of your students.
-I come from a Greek family who is in touch with our Greek culture. I am very interested in learning about different cultures, but I also love telling people about mine! I will encourage my "students to research and share information about their own ethnic background as a means of fostering a trusting relationship with fellow classmates."
2. Redirect your role in the classroom from instructor to facilitator.
-It is important for teachers to enquire students about what they are interested in. The students will be more engaged with the information being relayed to them because they feel like they get a say in what they get to learn and it is in line with what their interests are.
3. Maintain a strict level of sensitivity to language concerns.
-Teachers should provide a culturally responsive classroom where "diversity of language is celebrated and the level of instructional materials provided to non-native speakers are tailored to their level of English fluency."
4. Maintain high expectations for student performance.
-All students have different learning goals. Therefore, the "expectations for achievement should be determined and assigned individually for each student."
5. Incorporate methods for self-testing.
-Teachers should have give "frequent non-graded tests that can be used to provide progress checks and ensure that students don’t fall behind on required material." Students will be able to see how well they have been learning the material and what they may need to study up on.
6. Maintain an “inclusive” curriculum that remains respectful of differences.
-This means that "all students are included within all aspects of the school and it acknowledges the unique differences students may possess." This is important to include in the curriculum, so everyone can embrace each other's cultures.]]> 2018-01-30 19:09:46 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226277375 Krystal Bennett https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226322854 This website has all of these fun ideas for school activities. Sometimes these types of events can seem like additional chores for parents and teachers. But these events are necessary for parental and community involvement. If parents and teachers can work together and help students develop positive images of their school, it can make all the difference. And a successful event can pull teachers and parents together as well. I believe that everyone has forgotten how to have fun in the classroom and at schools. With so much emphasis on testing, there is very little room for students, teachers, and parents to simply enjoy each other.]]> 2018-01-30 20:19:13 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226322854 Travis Gilmore https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226364374 Cell phone use in the classroom is mostly issue for secondary teachers (though it has been reported that students as young as sixth grade use cell phones in the classroom); however, it is a problem that becomes a huge obstacle with regards real and authentic interaction between teachers and students. It is true that cell phones can provide a wonderful opportunity for technology use in the classroom (if and only if every student has equitable and consistent access to a cell phone—which raises another issue). Notwithstanding this point, cell phones also become an enormous distraction for students. The question remains: how do we as teachers eliminate the wrong kind of cell phone use in the classroom while retaining the correct kind of cell phone use? I believe the article I listed below provides a nice insight into this dilemma.]]> 2018-01-30 22:29:00 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226364374 Imelda Pacheco imelda_pacheco https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226371799 I use Bloomz.net to communicate with my parents. This gives instant feedback to both parents and students. I like using this because I get to share things that happen daily or weekly. I am able to maintain some parent involvement by sharing pictures and tips from the classroom. I have uploaded videos that students have made as well as set up conferences. My parents use these to check up on their kids, but also to answer last minute questions.

]]> 2018-01-30 23:05:45 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/226371799 Krystal Bennett https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/231163485 I read an article about schools meditation as a behavior modification for elementary students. It seemed particularly effective for African American students. Students learned self-management and were more focused in the classroom. With the focus on content, teachers have very little time to model SEL as well.]]> 2018-02-13 17:25:17 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/231163485 Jackie Jorns https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/250520921 This is a great resource for teachers to collect questions for students to use when interviewing their parents. This would be a fun activity for students and a way for the teacher to learn more about students' home life and culture.
https://rulethisroost.com/65-interview-questions-ask-parents/]]> 2018-04-11 00:09:42 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/250520921 Brook Bowman https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/436225854 Being involved in Real School Gardens has been amazing for our school because it brought resources and community members together and gave our students a learning opportunity that many inner-city children do not get. The lessons, nature, and service projects have been so beneficial for our students.]]> 2020-01-27 02:11:16 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/436225854 Griselda Reyes https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/436232777 Family and community engagement are important. And connecting  learners with  their community is also important. I enjoyed reading the article 21 Tips for Connecting Learners to Their Community. I agreed on the pointer that explain Learning and Caring About Place. They mentioned some points but the one that I strongly agreed with is: Give teachers adequate support, resources, planning time, training and flexibility to develop their own teaching practices around Place. This  way teachers can be creative and really connect with students and  their community.
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/01/21-tips-connecting-learners-to-community/
As teachers we can start by providing students with learning opportunities that help them develop skills they will use during their whole life. We can begin by offering Project Base Learning Experiences and let the students decide what topic they feel more comfortable with  and create that lesson that students will enjoy working on and most important learn from it. And most important that creates an impact in the community.
I found this link to get started with PBL:
https://performingineducation.com/plan-project-based-learning/

]]> 2020-01-27 03:00:56 UTC https://padlet.com/JenniferLCulver/EngageCommunity/wish/436232777