Classroom Community Research Articles

The Decline in Mastery Goal Orientation and Person-Environment Fit and the Preventive Effect of Classroom Community: Examining Transitions Using Latent Growth Curve Modelling

<p style="text-align:justify">Students’ mastery goal orientation tends to decline over the course of compulsory school, especially after the transition to lower secondary school. According to stage-environment fit theory, secondary school is less accommodating to students' needs, interests, and abilities than primary school. In consequence, the perceived person-environment fit declines as well. It is assumed that a strong sense of classroom community in primary school can counteract a potential decline in both of these important individual aspects. Using data from the Swiss longitudinal research project WiSel (“Wirkungen der Selektion”; “Effects of Tracking”), we conducted a latent growth curve model (LGCM) to examine the correlation between the development of students' mastery goal orientation and the development of their person-environment fit during the transition from primary school to lower secondary school. Perceived classroom community was assumed to benefit from these developments. The results show that both mastery goal orientation and person-environment fit decrease during the transition to lower secondary school. A strong sense of classroom community in fifth grade leads to a smaller decline in both constructs. Implications for educational practice are discussed.</p>

The Teacher as Listener: A Theory of Pedagogical Listening in the Literature Classroom

ABSTRACT Getting students talking about a work of literature — sharing and interrogating their own and each other’s textual interpretations and responses — is vital for the teaching and learning of literature. If a classroom community of readers is constituted by such talking, then responsive teaching involves a lot of listening. What, precisely, might be the role(s) of the teacher as listener? Beginning with three classroom vignettes, and then drawing from psychoanalytic theory, pragmatist aesthetics, and philosophy of dialogue, this article theorises a distinctly pedagogical listening. One role of the teacher as a listener in the literature classroom can be interpreting and intervening in ‘textual problems’ that typically arise in moments of confusion or surprise — students’ and/or their teacher’s — throughout interpretive discussion. Such pedagogical listening can instantiate, among other qualities discussed in this article, a double consciousness or divided attention. This article concludes by suggesting specific classroom practices and conditions for pedagogical listening.

Building Classroom Community Using a Whole-Child Approach

Building Classroom Community Using a Whole-Child Approach

Held Captive and Told to Play

Research has demonstrated the need to prepare higher education faculty for transitioning from in-person to online modality. Researchers note the need to train faculty in course design, building classroom community, and establishing a teaching presence, among other things. This paper describes a professor’s participation in a university-funded professional development programme that aimed to boost quality in instructional design and result in rapid deployment of online courses. The programme required the professor to enrol in a foundation course in online teaching during the Summer 2023 semester and to transition two doctoral courses to online modality in time for the Fall 2023 semester. The foundation course focused on course design, accessibility, instructional roles, community, and more. Keys to the successful transition were the incentive offered by the university, one-on-one support for assisting with building the course in the learning management system, the 10-week immersion with a focus on course design, and being given time to play with new technologies. Other important takeaways from the summer experience are described. These meaningful practices for professional development may be useful to universities as they consider how best to enhance online teaching and learning, especially faculty motivation and training.

Negotiating quotidian justice in the science classroom

ABSTRACT In this conceptual paper, we explore how science teachers might enact social justice through their everyday science instruction. Drawing on empirical literature and our own K-12 teaching experience, we develop a heuristic for mapping classroom discourses to engage in action and reflection to change both the world of the classroom community, and the world beyond the school. We suggest how this heuristic can be used for justice-oriented science teaching independently of (or as a supplement to) any existing frameworks for science teaching to promote social justice. Our proposed model for social justice through disciplinary science teaching frames justice not as an abstract goal, but as the act of iterating ‘quotidian justices’ achievable in moment-to-moment pedagogical choices. We contend that this approach allows teachers to resist systemic injustices while also navigating institutional constraints.

A Study on Significant Contribution by Edification Institution in Instigating Inclusive Pedagogy among Teachers

Inclusive teaching supports diversity by creating inclusive spaces for sharing cultural views and assigning writing tasks that prompt students to think critically about diversity and equality issues. All learners are supported by inclusive pedagogy. Inclusive pedagogy is a teaching method that addresses the diverse needs of learners without excluding anyone in the Classroom community. Around the globe, schools and classrooms are becoming more varied in termsof their student populations. Educators who are thoughtful understand that when all diverse student populations are taken into account (talented and gifted, multicultural, learning dis ability and speakers of other language) they actually makeup a majority rather than a minority of the students in their classrooms. This paper explored the role of the educational institutions in implementing the Inclusive Pedagogy in Education Industry. Through data collection and observation it is analysed that inclusive pedagogy has to be encouraged and made a course of action in every classroom for which the teachers are to be trained and provided with opportunities to execute the same. The study also provides for the methodologies that can be adopted in this process by the educational institutions and general problems faced by the teaching fraternity in implementing inclusivity in education.

Deciding who we are: A classroom agreement process that cultivates caring relations and dialogic value-orientations

Classroom communities are shared, value-laden, relational time-spaces. One way a classroom community makes explicit and cultivates its values and sought-after ways of interacting is through classroom rules or agreements. What they consist of, and how they are agreed upon, taken up and/or imposed communicates who and what is valued. While some classroom commuities co-author rules, they have typically focused on classroom management and student behaviors. In contrast, we examine the classroom talk of one second-grade classroom community’s process of co-authoring six classroom agreements that focus on valuing self, each other and their classroom. Our sociocultural discourse analysis of whole-class talk provides context for, and explicates ways, this co-­authored classroom agreement process set expectations and obliged commitment to honor these classroom agreements. Findings show ways this process cultivated caring relations and dialogic value-­orientations. This study is significant because it lays out not only the process of agreeing upon and making explicit what matters in a community, but also the values and practices such a process can cultivate.

Dungeons & Dragons in the Literature Classroom

“The Ballad of Proxima-B” is an educational RPG that promotes learning and collaboration. Students contribute to world-building and game mechanics, creating fictional worlds and characters, including a dystopian Earth, the planet Proxima-B, and alien races. The game incorporates constructivist, constructionist, and Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI) principles. The hands-on and collaborative nature facilitates learning, reflection, and a strong classroom community. During gameplay, characters form alliances, encouraging students to reflect on their interactions. Design challenges include workload balance and addressing student anxiety. Game elements emphasize critical thinking and self-reflection, foster collaboration and community, and encourage exploring identity through serious play.

Transitioning to Online Instructions and COVID-19 Response: A View from Mining Emergent College Students Discourse in Online Discussion Forum

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted teaching and learning activities in higher education around the world. As universities shifted to remote instruction in response to the pandemic, it is important to learn how students engaged in learning during this challenging period. In this paper, we examined the changes in learners’ social and cognitive presence in online discussion forums prior and after remote instruction. We also extracted emergent topics during the pandemic as an attempt to explore what students talked about and how they interacted with their peers. We extracted discussion forum posts between 2019 and 2020 from courses that have been offered repeatedly each term at a four-year university in the U.S. Our findings suggest that students exhibited higher social presence through increased social and affective language during remote instructions. We also identified emergent COVID-19 related discourse, which involved sharing personal experience with positive sentiments and expressing opinions on contemporary events. Our qualitative analysis further revealed that students showed rapport and empathy towrads others, and engaged in active sense making of the pandemic through engaging in critical discourse. Our study sheds lights on leveraging discussion forum to facilitate learner experiences and building classroom community in online courses. We further discussed the potential for conducting large-scale computational linguistic modeling on learner discourse and the role of artificial intelligence in deriving insights on learning behavior at scale to support remote teaching and learning.

Examining the Mediating Role of Students’ Perception of Mathematics in the Relationship between Teacher Positioning and Mathematics Identity Among Senior High School Students

Mathematics learning involves not only acquiring mathematical concepts and skills but also developing an identity as a member of the mathematics classroom community. This study examined the relationship between teacher positioning and student mathematics identity and the mediating effect of students’ perceptions of mathematics. A survey was conducted among 508 senior high school students, and the research instrument was pilot-tested and validated on 340 students and 238 teachers. Structural equation modeling and mediation analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that teacher positioning had a direct impact on students’ mathematics identity even when students’ perception of mathematics was considered a mediator variable. Mediation analysis showed that students’ perception of mathematics partially mediated the relationship between teacher positioning and students’ mathematics identity, confirming that teacher positioning and students’ perceptions of mathematics are crucial components in the construction of students’ mathematics identity. This research demonstrates the role of teacher positioning and students’ perceptions of mathematics and highlights factors that contribute to the development of mathematics identity and their interactions with teacher positioning and students’ mathematics perception. Further research should investigate other factors that contribute to mathematics identity and their impact on student learning outcomes. Keywords: experience, identity construction, math teaching, position and role

¡Pura Risa! Emergent bilinguals’ perceptions about joviality at home & implications for the classroom

ABSTRACT In this article I examine the perceptions of third grade minoritized emergent bilinguals (Spanish/English) in a US classroom as they articulate how family members serve as a source of jocularity. By taking a sociocultural perspective on humor as a resource, I seek to render visible the relational and linguistic connections between these students and their families while discussing implications for informing culturally sustaining pedagogy. Six findings regarding different genres of humor that students expressed through a class project called ¡Pura Risa! [Pure Laughter!] demonstrate ways they connect with family. These findings are subsequently generalized into two broad categories to discuss portability into bilingual classroom pedagogy: dispositions and iterations. Dispositions refer to the willingness to engage with students brandishing una actitud juegetona [a playful stance] coupled with confianza [relational trust] through communicative competence. Iterations of familial and cultural sustainment are rooted in affiliative exchanges between family members and these students. The unique contribution of this piece is that humor is conceptualized through a lens of linguistic and cultural sustainment, which purports to generate conversations along a continuum of academic theorizing to university bilingual preparation programs to planning lessons and cultivating community in bilingual education classrooms.

The Elementary Classroom as a Site for Creative Ritual, Student Voice, and Meaningful Learning

During my time as an elementary school teacher, the students in the classroom were given a significant degree of agency, autonomy, and voice in how they went about their learning process. In this choice-based democratic learning environment, the students gravitated towards self-initiated creative engagement and chose to employ creativity as a central function of their learning process. The daily creative rituals which the students enacted fostered feelings of wellbeing and at the same time opened up additional creative pathways (Rufo, 2016). These findings reflect the research literature that shows children who feel comfortable and safe in a classroom environment engage more deeply and meaningfully in academic content (Gude, 2010; Nickerson, 1999; Richards, 2010). Furthermore, according to Wright (2015), the affective filter “refers to factors, such as fear, anxiety, shyness, and lack of motivation” (p. 319) that can impede learning, whereas, a “safe and enjoyable classroom environment…helps to lower the affective filter” (p. 61). When students in the author’s classroom engaged in creative rituals of their own choosing, it lowered their affective filters which consequently opened up new channels and entry points into their learning (Rufo, 2017). The ritualized creativity of the students was made manifest in myriad ways that included drawings, paintings, 3D objects, installations, game design, and the production of short films. This narrative demonstrates how student agency allows members of a classroom community to express their individual and collective voices, while providing ample opportunities to learn in creative, meaningful, and relevant ways.

The flourishing classroom: lessons from improvisational theater

PurposeThis essay articulates the vision of a flourishing classroom, which arguably is the ultimate goal of a positive approach to management education. By demonstrating how improvisational theater is the epitome of a flourishing ensemble, this essay proposes that there are some lessons educators can glean from improvisational theater in order to achieve a flourishing classroom. The applications, benefits and challenges of applying improvisational theater in the classroom are also discussed.Design/methodology/approachThis essay articulates the vision of a flourishing classroom, which arguably is the ultimate goal of a positive approach to management education. By demonstrating how improvisational theater is the epitome of a flourishing ensemble, this essay proposes that there are some lessons educators can glean from improvisational theater in order to achieve a flourishing classroom. The applications, benefits and challenges of applying improvisational theater in the classroom are also discussed.FindingsImprovisational theatre can shed some light on teaching pedagogies within the classroom. Building trust in the classroom community, framing failure as learning opportunities, and promoting the improvisational mindset can enable students to learn better.Originality/valueThis essay articulates the vision of a flourishing management classroom, which arguably is the ultimate goal of a positive approach to management education. By demonstrating how improvisational theater is the epitome of a flourishing ensemble, this essay proposes that there are some lessons management educators can glean from improvisational theater in order to achieve a flourishing management classroom. The applications, benefits and challenges of applying improvisational theater in the classroom are also discussed.

Constructing expertise: reframing intelligence with preservice teachers

ABSTRACT We argue that part of inclusive teacher preparation is building a mindset that positions all learners as valuable and capable members of the classroom community. A key piece of developing this mindset is engaging pre-service teachers in authentically rethinking their understanding of intelligence and expertise. This article is a descriptive piece of an inclusive education teacher preparation programme making changes to construct teachers and peers with intellectual disability as experts to help develop future teachers. We describe the programme and two features that position people with intellectual disability as experts: hiring a teaching assistant with an intellectual disability for an introductory special education course and embedding a semester-long experience that pairs pre-service teachers with college students with intellectual disability. We describe these experiences and what preservice teachers shared about them. Implications for teacher education and future research are discussed.

Cultivating a higher level of student agency in collective discussion: teacher strategies to navigate student scientific uncertainty to develop a trajectory of sensemaking

ABSTRACT In a traditional lecturing environment, students possess limited agency in accepting or rejecting information provided by teachers. A higher level of student agency involves opportunities and actively identifying uncertainties and collaborating with peers to deepen understanding within the classroom community. Teachers play a crucial role in guiding students through sensemaking by addressing uncertainties and assisting in solution development. Student uncertainty is recognized as a pedagogical resource, engaging them in sensemaking and enhancing agency levels. This study analyzed 28 whole-class discussions led by seven science teachers, identifying three phases: problematization, coherence negotiation, and new understanding enactment. The teachers employed eight strategies leveraging student scientific uncertainty as pedagogical resources within three sequential methods: eliciting awareness of uncertainty (e.g., creating hybrid, ambiguous, and problem-solving spaces), seeking a coherent understanding (e.g., connecting students' lived experiences to empirical data for coherence, juxtaposing different interpretations to build consensus, and weaving together student ideas for coherence), and demonstrating new understanding (e.g., transference, translation). By embracing uncertainty, students become agents of sensemaking, contributing to a collaborative learning environment.

Developing Classroom Community Agreements to Cultivate a Critically Compassionate Learning Community

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.

The Perspectives On Piano Teaching Strategies At Qingdao Art School in Shandong Province

Background and Aim: Qingdao Art School is implementing a holistic piano education approach, combining traditional and modern techniques to prepare students for the evolving musical world and develop diverse skills. Materials and Methods: This study aimed to survey teacher’s perspectives on piano teaching strategies at Qingdao Art School. This study used qualitative research methodology, including semi-structured interviews with piano teachers at Qingdao Art School, to understand their teaching methods. Key areas of focus included pedagogical approaches, experiences with different strategies, challenges faced, and perspectives on effectiveness. The interview guideline was used to gather in-depth insights, with eight questions posed to experts. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, with essential analysis steps including thematic coding, theme grouping, direct interpretation, and data presentation. Results: The text provides a comprehensive guide to teaching music theory, focusing on various pedagogical approaches. It suggests blended learning, collaborative projects, improvisational techniques, diverse musical genres, and gamification for accessibility. Challenges in teaching include adaptive teaching strategies, personalized music selection, practice routines, classroom community building, and integrating new technologies. Methods are promoted through active learning, digital resources, and flexible scheduling. Technology integration is highlighted, with music software, virtual performances, and AR/VR tools. Professional development opportunities are discussed, and student engagement and motivation are discussed. Evaluation and feedback are also discussed, considering technical skills and musical expression. Conclusion: The text offers a comprehensive guide to teaching music theory, highlighting various pedagogical approaches and challenges, while promoting active learning, digital resources, and technology integration.

Dialogic space: An introduction

ABSTRACT Communicating in dialogic space in our classrooms prepares us to participate in a democratic, inclusive, and civil society. Dialogic space is that elusive shared space of possibilities that exists among participants as we commit to engaging in ways that new knowledge can be created, presented, questioned, and developed as interpretations of our realities are in conversation with those of others. We agree to be open, yet remain in dialogue, and to welcome different and conflicting ideas and perspectives. In other words, dialogic space carries a particular set of values about how differences are brought into relationship, how people are addressed, and who we can become. Teachers can communicate that dialogic space is an achievable communal aspiration, but it is up to students to participate. In this introduction to a special issue on dialogic space, we discuss challenges as well as discourse conditions and practices that signal investment in the project of dialogic space. In dialogic space, a classroom community embraces its potential as an environment for intellectual curiosity that invites courage and patience in students.

The role of equitable classroom cultures for supporting interest in science

AbstractSupporting student interest in science is critical for broadening participation in the field because interest, even more than achievement, is associated with pursuing future science education and careers. In this study, we explore the conjecture that equitable classroom cultures can support interest in science. Specifically, we examine the idea that science classroom cultures that equitably reflect collective enterprise (where students engage collaboratively in scientific sensemaking) and care (where students believe that they are valued and respected members of the classroom community) support students, particularly those from historically marginalized populations, to develop interest in science. The study is part of a field test of a new middle school science curriculum called OpenSciEd. Data consist of survey responses from 847 students across 34 teachers located in nine states. Our analysis employed mixed‐effects models to accommodate the nested structure of the data. We found that classrooms vary substantially in the degree to which they reflect collective enterprise and care, indicating that classroom culture is a perceptible and consequential feature of the shared classroom environment. Student background did not predict reports of collective enterprise or care, providing evidence that classrooms in our sample were equitable along these dimensions. Critically, collective enterprise and care are both strongly associated with student‐reported interest in science. These findings underscore the importance of attending to classroom culture and the relational aspects of science learning as we seek to expand interest in science, particularly for students from historically marginalized populations.

ANALYSIS OF SCHOOL CURRICULA IN TERMS OF REFLECTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-CARE SKILLS TO MENTALLY RETARDED SCHOOL CHILDREN

A focus on self-care skills fosters an environment where all children, regardless of ability, can participate and contribute to the classroom community. The formation and development of self-care skills for children with mental retardation during school years is an important and integral part of the overall system of preparing them for study in inclusive settings, independent life and work to the possible extent.
 At the same time, literature data, work experience of teachers and special educators working in inclusive schools, as well as our observations show that for children with mental retardation, especially in the lower grades, the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and practical skills and self-care skills in various types of daily activities (game, educational, work, etc.) presents significant difficulties. The possession of these skills is important for these children not only during school but also after graduation.
 The significance of the problem under study also increases because today in Armenia the shift to inclusive education is a reality and children with various needs study together. This requires children's independence, sufficient social behavior skills, spatial orientation skills, high-quality performance and many other self-care skills in a wide variety of areas of activity. The level of development of these skills largely determines the success of inclusion and adaptation of these children among their classmates.
 Considering the above mentioned, it becomes important to study and analyze school curricula for various disciplines in grades I-IV in terms of how they reflect issues of education and the development of self-care skills for children with mild and moderate mental retardation. This will help to clarify the positive and negative aspects of these programs, the degree of their direct or indirect connection with the issues of developing self-service skills in these children, and to develop appropriate proposals for their improvement.