Developing Classroom Community Agreements to Cultivate a Critically Compassionate Learning Community

Abstract

A classroom community agreements activity is described to cultivate a critically compassionate learning community. Reflections on co-developing and implementing these agreements in collaboration with college students are described. By facilitating opportunities for critically reflexive dialogues with students, a set of agreements are developed and incorporated into the learning environment. Thus, the agreements can help inform values and practices for critical consciousness learning among students, and can help educators engage inclusive teaching practices. When developed with students, these agreements can support the diverse, equitable, and humanizing learning spaces that are necessary to support student academic thriving.