It’s a beautiful thing, the excitement of learning alongside a peer. The trust and community that develops by believing in one another. True for adults and children, staff and students.
Shared learning experiences build community and relationships. The beginning of Regie Routman’s Literacy Essentials focuses on developing trust, “Get to know students, and help them get to know each other” (p. 14). Without prioritizing the establishment of trusting relationships, teaching efforts are likely to fail. Not only on the first day of school, or when welcoming a new student into the room- throughout the year, trust matters. By creating opportunities for students to work collaboratively together, they will support one another as learners, help one another as friends, and respect one another in the community. There are many names for the topic of this post: Peer learning, collaborative learning, cooperative groups, shared learning, buddies, partner work. Whatever you call it, I hope it fosters joy, trust, and engagement in your classroom. Continue reading “Encourage collaboration.”
Reading By Example 