Building Classroom Communities: Strategies for Developing a Culture of Caring

Building Classroom Communities: Strategies for Developing a Culture of Caring is the third installment in our Solutions Series. The goal of the series is to address issues in education with specific strategies that can be applied in the classroom. The resources in this series are short in length, direct, and easy-to-read the perfect tools for busy teachers and administrators. Building Classroom Communities brings theory and practice together to guide the reader in creating unified and caring classrooms where all students feel a sense of belonging. Developed from the author s experiences in a variety of school settings, this resource provides specific strategies for: · Creating emotionally safe classrooms · Encouraging honor and respect · Facilitating a sense of interdependence and generosity · Teaching empathy as a primary social skill The book is divided into four sections: The Classroom Community, A Culture of Caring, Working With Your Community, and Teaching Empathy. In the first section, the author introduces the concept of a classroom community and discusses how to transform a group of students into a true community of learners. In section two, A Culture of Caring, the author presents twelve essential culture of caring skills and eight steps to a culture of caring. Section three, Working With Your Classroom Community, provides specific lessons and learning exercises that can be incorporated into the classroom to promote community building and maintenance. In the fourth section, Teaching Empathy, the author presents a process for teaching empathy a crucial social skill and component of any classroom community. The process, the Event Empathy Action (EEA) method, is a three-step advanced listening approach that teaches students how to respond to others empathetically. The appendix section includes fifty social skills to consider when building your classroom community, a social skills audit for teachers to use when determining which skills students may

Allen N. Mendler Ph.D., is an educator and psycologist who has worked extensively with children of all ages. As one of the internationally recognized authors of Discipline with Dignity, Dr. Mendler has worked to develop effective strategies for educators and youth professionals to help challenging students succeed.