Knowing Your Kids & Building Community – Resource Edition

Lisa Wells has taught for 20 years in independent schools in MA, NY and MD. She currently writes a blog on child development, teaches yoga and tries to spend as much time with her two high schoolers as they will allow. Lisa’s committed to knowing each learner as an individual, creating a classroom community where the social curriculum is interwoven with the academic fabric and sharing her work with yoga and meditation with teachers and students. As a consulting teacher for the Northeast Foundation for Children’s Responsive Classroom, Lisa facilitates training on this teaching approach, as well as presents on constructivist learning, research workshop, yoga/meditation in the classroom the and reflective teaching practices. Her blog, Wonder of Children, is a Teach 100 blog.

As a follow up to the last post, this series continues with resources to help you know your students and develop a sense of community in your classroom.

Knowing your children individually, developmentally and culturally is key to developing a community of learners. This allows for a sense of community and significance and some good old-fashion fun. In turn, this makes everyone -- students and teachers -- more willing to take risks that deepen both relationships and learning. It's also essential for you to keep both the chronological and developmental ages of your students in mind when implementing curriculum.

Here are some fantastic resources to keep these factors in mind:

• Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14 -- offers a general overview of child development. Great for both teachers and parents. Don't forget to check out Chip Wood's blog, too.

• The Birthday Cluster - an exercise recommended by Chip Wood for understanding the difference between the chronological and developmental ages of your class.

• Ask Your Self Why? -- Responsive Classroom consulting teacher Candace Roberts reflects on her vision for the school year and how the physical environment sets that stage. She also writes about Envisioning Your Classroom.

• Remake Your Classroom -- Edudemic shares video from the folks The Third Teacher Plus shows how teacher's have enhance their classroom space to invite collaboration and deep learning in cramped spaces. It's sort of like the old HGTV "While You Were Out" show meets 21st century learning.

What resources do you use in understanding child development and building community? Share in the comments section below!

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