Building a Community of Learners

“In the heart of a Special Education teacher”

Charmane Joy Belleza

A teacher by profession, a shepherd by heart

“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” (Kolb, 1984, p. 38).

Hawaii Department of Education’s Framework

The Hawai‘i State Department of Education created the HĀ Nā Hopena A‘o framework to support holistic learning through a foundation of Hawaiian values, language and culture across the Hawai‘iʻs public education system. The HĀ outlines give core competencies intended to support students reaching their fullest potential in academic achievements, character development, and overall well-being. HĀ uses the following core values to guide learning: Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total well - being and Hawai’i (“BREATH”).

General Learner Outcomes

For students to become more engaged, lifelong learners, the HIDOE established general learner outcomes to help build and develop students abilities beyond academic achievement.

These general learner outcomes are as follows:

1. Self-directed Learner (The ability to be responsible for one's own learning)
2. Community Contributor (The understanding that it is essential for human beings to work together)
3. Complex Thinker (The ability to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving)
4. Quality Producer (The ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products)
5. Effective Communicator (The ability to communicate effectively)
6. Effective and Ethical User of Technology (The ability to use a variety of technologies effectively and ethically)

INSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Filled with behavioral issues, diverse socio-economic background, growing, changing adolescents, and below-grade-level performing students, my classroom is sometimes chaotic. I oftentimes feel that I am not an effective teacher. I often think that this job is nonetheless, frustrating, exhausting and can be mind-debilitating. However, as a shepherd of the flock, I always am integrating and finding ways to develop a better, safer classroom environment.

Here are some ways I develop a community of learners inside the classroom.

Create a Deeper Sense of Belongingness

“Classrooms should be built on the philosophy that everyone is equal and everyone belongs. This includes caring for one another, implementing safe behavior and actions toward one another, supporting one another, helping one another, and tolerating one another. By encouraging your students to treat others the way they would like to be treated, your classroom can be transformed into a cooperative and honest environment, suitable for learning. By creating an inclusive classroom that fosters great morals and a sense of belonging, students can find confidence in themselves and, in turn, have a healthier learning experience.” (Brownlie, King, 2011)

Communicate regularly with students.
Knowing my students on a more personal level enables me to show how much they belong in my classroom
I use a variety of strategies to get to know my students, (bell work, journals, etc)

2. Accept their differences, acknowledge their interests and empower their choices

John McCarthy states, “Give students choices based on a variety of interests. Many students may share common ground, which means that there's often something for everyone.” Differentiating products are commonplace to embed interests.” Mccarthy, 2014)

Create opportunities for students to present their own ideas and perspectives
Provide meaningful activities that exhibit their interests and passion, as well as to express their thoughts and emotions
Get to know students as individuals with varying identities and disabilities. Develop individualized and differentiated instructions
Make ways to turn their disabilities into abilities
Provide opportunities for the students and their peers to communicate and develop friendship and citizenship
Treat all students equally

3. Provide a safe learning environment

“Before any learning can take place, students need to feel safe and feel like they are seen and cared about,” said Valerie Gallagher, a first-grade teacher at the school. “The real impact of morning meeting is that classes [become] true communities, where we’re learning from each other’s strengths and we’re helping each other.” (Boss, 2017)

Make them aware of Chapter 19, implement accordingly
Set boundaries and make them know that you are their teacher and they are your students
Remind them that you want them to be successful
Encourage participation and engagement
Provide opportunities for student leadership (this really work in my classroom)
Develop problem-solving strategies
Be a positive role model
Seek feedback from each one in the class
Show that you care about them and their future

This is an example of how I get to know my student on a more personal level. I let them write anything. I don’t mind the errors on writing mechanics. The thought is what counts.

These are some simple ways I get to acknowledge my students. We write simple, positive notes to each other.

OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

The HIDOE is also integrating sustainability education into curriculum extends beyond the four walls of the classroom and provides students with experiential learning opportunities on sustainability in practice. As education evolves to adapt to new technology and transformative educational practices, learning environments also need to adapt accordingly. (HIDOE)

Here are some ways we do this in our class and in school:

Practice “KUPONO” (righteousness) daily. Each student is expected to show respect, exercise responsibility, honesty and caring beyond their classrooms.
Career Fair - Each year, our school invite different speakers from all kinds of jobs for students to see how the real world look and feel like.
Sports - Our school has a wide variety of sports games for students to develop not only the value of their health, mind, and body but also to develop sportsmanship and teamwork.

Connection to Kolb’s Learning Style

With all of these strategies and practices in building a community of learners, it is evident that we learn in a wide array of experiments and experiences. As Kolb’s learning style states, “Effective learning is seen when a person progresses through a cycle of four stages: of (1) having a concrete experience followed by (2) observation of and reflection on that experience which leads to (3) the formation of abstract concepts (analysis) and generalizations (conclusions) which are then (4) used to test hypothesis in future situations, resulting in new experiences.”

In an article written by Saul Mcleod (2017), he states that both Kolb's (1984) learning stages and cycle could be used by teachers to critically evaluate the learning provision typically available to students and to develop more appropriate learning opportunities.

Mcleod also added that educators should ensure that activities are designed and carried out in ways that offer each learner the chance to engage in the manner that suits them best. Also, individuals can be helped to learn more effectively by the identification of their lesser preferred learning styles and the strengthening of these through the application of the experiential learning cycle.
Lastly, ideally, activities and material should be developed in ways that draw on abilities from each stage of the experiential learning cycle and take the students through the whole process in sequence. (Mcleod, 2017)

Therefore, we as educators are harnessed with plenty of challenges worthy in changing our own lives, our students’ lives and the well-being of our community not only as learners but as valuable resources of a fruitful future.