In today’s Technology and Innovation class we had a guest speaker, Brittany Johnson, discussed how she manages her kindergarten classroom and create a collaborative learning environment to help her students thrive. This presentation was one that I found really resonated with me. Her focus on not only the collaboration with her student is something that I would love to bring into my classroom in the future.
To start her students day, she has the children place their hands on a ‘How are you feeling’ chart as they walk through the door to help her understand her students emotions starting the day. This is an amazing way to not only help Brittany navigate the day while being mindful of how her students are feeling that day, but also it is a great way for students to begin to recognize their own emotions. I believe that emotional literacy is a skill that should be taught at a young age, and this approach is a great way for students to begin their own inquiry into gaining emotional literacy.
Collaboration in building a classroom is another great way Brittany displays classroom management by ensuring that her students feel a sense of ownership in their learning environment. At the beginning of the school year, Brittany’s classroom is an empty canvas to be designed in tandem with her students. They work together to create the Alphabet and other academic displays. By having her students help her create the classroom displays, she is creating an environment where the students can take pride in their classroom and the learning taking place. This is a lovely way to manage the classroom becuase the students will want to respect the space they have created and will be more passionate about their learning. It would be amazing to see if there are other teachers who also create their classroom in a collaborative way and if they see a change in student engagement compared to when the teacher creates all the displays.