Community II Breaking the Boundaries: School as the Village Commons

Jane Addams “ The democratic ideal demands of the school that it shall give the child’s own experience a social value; that it shall teach him to direct his activities and adjust them to those of other people.” (Democracy and Social Ethics, 1907, p. 180)

Teaching Social Values  Whose values do we teach?  What are those values?  How do they change?  Why do they change?

Creating a 21 st C. Global Village Classroom 1. Have a common purpose. 2. Maintain stability. 3. Foster Cooperation. 4. Balance independence and interdependence. (Ricardo L. Garcia, Teaching for Diversity, 2011)

Common Purpose: Learn How to Learn  Academic and Social Development  Learning autonomy  Intellectual effectiveness  Cultural efficacy  Service to the Community  Local  State  National  Global

Stability  Implement simple rules for classroom behavior.  Give students input on rules.  Create a system to integrate transient students into classroom.

Foster Cooperation  Promote genuine interaction.  Create opportunities to balance self- interest with social responsibilities.  Design tasks that draw out individual talents for common ends.

Balance Independence with Interdependence  Motto: Freedom within order.  Maintain balance between individualism and collaboration.  Foster critical and creative thinking.  Provide opportunities to link students to the broader society.

Build Trust Among Students  Cooperative learning activities provide  Individual accountability & positive interdependence  Training in social interaction skills  Implementation and monitoring of social interaction skills  Reflection for effectiveness and improvement of productivity  AND self-reliance, self-efficacy, conflict resolution, sharing, and turn-taking

Schools as Village Commons  Teachers build communities within the building: civil interaction with colleagues, staff, and admin.  Schools build communities within the village: social unity, partnerships, model for adult community life (viable citizens).  Students learn how to engage with issues of diversity from their roles in the school and in the community by exhibiting awareness and sensitivity through “a critical mind and a socially oriented attitude” (Einstein, 1968, p. 310).