As we head into back to school once again, remember that the first step in building community is getting to know one another.
For Critical Skills teachers, back-to-school is about more than organizing materials and planning lessons- it’s also about figuring out the best ways to help kids get to know each other well, whether they’ve been in school together for one day or a decade. Building the Collaborative Learning Community is the first and most important job the teacher has. We know that collaboration (not just cooperation) is the goal, that getting to collaboration requires trust and that trust is predicated on knowledge. If we know each other well, we can plan together to best build on our individual gifts and to compensate for our challenges. We can solve problems- both curricular and social- by bringing our collective best selves to them. Who wouldn’t want that?
So we think…
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The Critical Skills Classroom 