A Classroom Profile

March 26, 2007 in Building Learning Partnerships

Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions

Resilience:

• Understand it as a positive thing
• It is something that they can achieve
• Is talked about a lot in the classroom
• “Are you being resilient” is asked from child to child
• Classroom, teacher lead, conversations have revolved around resilience
• You Can Do It program used in the classroom
• Resilience is known in regard to leaving their parents when they started school
• Coping with change in their families (new babies, parents splits etc.)

Focus Topic (Friendships/Relationships)

• Gabby-get-a-long (You can do it program)
• They have an understanding of what a friend is
• Consider everyone their ‘friend’, but have started to ‘rate’ their friends
• Choose their peers as friends, and possibly slightly older children (siblings and friends of siblings)
• Family members (parents) not seen as ‘friends’, but are seen as positive relationships in their lives
• In the process of developing friendships, switching friends etc.
• Boyfriends/girlfriends
• Learning to be independent and confident with their friends- not NEEDING other people to be their friends, and coping when people don’t want to be their friends
• Not so resilient with learning to be without their parents, but definitely improving

Learning Manager’s (Jenny) Attitudes and Perceptions

Resilience:

•  Considers herself resilient
• Leads by example
• Is a firm believer in resilience- considers it very important for everyone
• Considers it a vital part of life at any age
• Recognises that it can be encouraged in children to a greater extent, and that at some ages (like 4-5 year olds, Preps) they are not as resilient as they will be- they need to be ‘taught’ resilience
• The best way to ‘teach’ it is by example
• Resilience is a term she uses often in the classroom

Friendships/Relationships:

• Enjoys a positive relationship with her students- is ‘friends’ with them, but still keeps her authority
• Believes that students and teachers should be ‘friends’ but you have to be careful how you treat them and let them treat you, because it’s important to maintain the power and authority
• Has a very good repore with parents- prides herself on this
• Encourages students to maintain friendships with their peers and in particular their class
• Values good relationships with everyone
• Uses activities in the class to encourage positive relationships in the class