Classroom Activities

We all know that good communication among people is
important in the building of relationships. In my
class I have praticed a "Class Council" with good results.

The Class Council
The actual meeting takes place in a circle in our classroom. The first thing we do is to find places for everyone in the circle, both students and teachers. (It is a good idea to be two teachers/adults in this group - one to lead the meeting and one to observe..) This forum is perfect for the assignments in the "Who-Am-I" project.......

Council Rules
There are several rules needed to make this meeting work. These can be related to rules of the school or rules made by the students for their own class.

But this rule is the most important: What is said during the meetings in the Class Council is kept in this room. What ever we decide to talk about here, stays in the group. If someone gets angry about things that are said, this has to be settled in the group during the Class Council. Other Council rules:

1. One person speaks at the time.
2. Don't laugh at others if it hurts them.
3. Keep to the subject.

It is very important to keep these rules during the first meetings. If, or perhaps more likely, when a violation occurs, stop the meeting and deal with the matter at once. Some teachers use an object which is passed around in the circle. The person holding the object is the only one allowed to speak.
If someone laughs at another and it hurts them, deal with it in order to prevent it from happening again. The person hurt can be asked to tell the group how it felt to be laughed at, if he/she wants to.

Continue: Starting up the Class Council