Creating Welcoming and Affirming Learning Communities

Journal Entry 1: Creating Welcoming and Affirming Learning Communities
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Journal Entry 1: Creating Welcoming and Affirming Learning Communities
Classroom 118 is a First-grade dual language (Chinese-English) classroom containing 11 boys and 13 girls, a total of 24 students who are all English language learners (ELLs), and one teacher. It is located in P.S. 94—The Henry Longfellow. Every student attended P.S. 94 since kindergarten. So, they are similar to the school environment. This group of students has excellent behavior; they can work by themselves in silence. They will help each other when someone has a question. P.S. 94 is committed to providing an excellent standard of education for every child, regardless of their ability or background. It emphasizes the ideology that all children can learn given the appropriate tools, environment, and support of the school.
Environment is the external condition that influences children's learning and is the external factor that enables children to construct the meaning of knowledge. As a location where teachers and students have to function together, the classroom is an important element of the school.
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One of the most important sections is the Classroom door. The door decorations serve as visual cues to create an engaging and stimulating learning environment, fostering students' creativity and enthusiasm. They also reflect themes of study, seasons, celebrations, and community within the classroom. Student’s names could be decorated on the classroom door; this is also one way to let students feel welcome and count themselves as parts of the class, to enhance their belongingness. With a sense of belonging, it is easier for children to know where and how to seek help when they encounter life challenges. I believe that a successful life is only possible when an individual successfully navigates life challenges.
As an educator, I feel accomplished knowing that children can overcome the life challenges they encounter. Class information such as room number, class number, and teacher’s name should also be displayed on the door or the area next to the classroom door. In a positive and healthy environment, there should be a mood meter or emotion chart that can let students check their feelings every day or anytime during the day. It will help students to get more understanding about themselves. Therefore, they can accept all the emotions we as human beings have, comprehend and manage their emotions, demonstrate empathy towards others, and cultivate healthy relationships. This will help them set positive goals and make responsible decisions.
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-80010310959500When students are experiencing a big emotion, there is a cozy corner for students’ social and emotional needs. This corner offers a safe place for children to go where they can calm down and relax when they're feeling angry, sad, nervous, or experiencing an overwhelming emotion. This area can help students learn how to manage their big emotions. There is a calm-down kit in this area. A calm down kit houses sensory items to help children regulate their emotions and calm down. Calm-down kits are a great...