Class community

  • 7 minutes

In the primary-age hybrid classroom, team building is essential to create a positive class community. Educators should make it a goal to create a sense of belonging. It is important to use face-to-face time to build a strong class community; then, when virtual, educators can use digital tools to reinforce the connection.

Connectivity is essential in a K-2 hybrid classroom. Primary-age students, educators, parents, caregivers, other classes, school leaders, and community members all contribute to a class community. Conversation and communication should also focus on individual needs. It is important to gain feedback and insight from students, as well as from stakeholders, and act upon this feedback to meet their needs. Involving students, their families, and caregivers in decision-making contributes to a positive class culture and climate by creating relationships and providing a sense of belonging. Educators must support the school and community to build the class community. 

Social emotional learning (SEL) focuses on the well-being and learning of all students. Educators set the tone for the school day by starting class with check-ins. When in school, educators greet children at the door and start with conversations. Online, whether using conversations in Teams or by creating a topic on Flipgrid, educators can still focus on student emotions and well-being. Educator and student communication will develop digital citizenship. Daily morning live meetings in Teams are a way to make sure everyone is ready for the day.

Tools and features for class community

  • Teams for connectivity and collaboration 
  • Post daily announcements and agendas for students and caregivers to build consistency and organization 
  • Manage social-emotional needs of students by scheduling meetings, with live closed captioning, to check in with students and their families or guardians 
  • Create a channel for conversation, fun, celebrations, and a sense of community and encourage students to use the translate feature or immersive reader to help read the messages and lessen communication barriers 
  • Send audio message to educators or peers 
  • Educate students on how to use screen readers, dictation software, eye control (on Windows 10), voice control (on iOS and Android), and screen magnifiers for collaboration and communication 
  • Maintain student safety with controls in meetings and classrooms. Learn more about Creating, attending, and managing meetings in Teams 
  • Download attendance reports after class meetings 
  • Flipgrid 
  • Use social learning to empower and amplify each student's voice 
  • Build a class community by establishing morning meetings where primary-age students feel safe to share, keep connected to each other, and provides a low risk entry point for discussions 
  • Create a daily Flipgrid to start the school day as a check-in and to take attendance; students can use immersive reader to read the topic prompts 
  • Explore Disco Library for quick conversation starters and ice breakers 
  • Wakelet 
  • Easily create a support page for common solutions with shortcuts for the tools used in class. Add this as a Teams tab for easy access and encourage students to use immersive reader when using the resource. 
  • Add sites such as Distance learning with Office 365: Guidance for parents and guardians 
  • Forms
  • Survey students, parents, and guardians to gain feedback 
  • Outlook Exchange 
  • Use email for two-way communication with parents, guardians, and caregivers with email groups