Community building homeroom activities and their impact on student behavioral issues and cooperative learning activities.

Ryan Neelon

Fifth Grade Math & Science Berwick Academy South Berwick, Maine April 24th, 2011

Table of Contents
Abstract 4

Introduction Rationale for the Study 5 Problem Statement Research Questions Hypothesis Literature Review Methodology Comprehensive Research Plan Intervention Participants Instruments of Data Collection Data Analysis Procedure Results Data Results Discussion of Findings Limitations of Study Further Research

5 7 7 8 11 11 12 12 13 14 15 15 19 22 22
2

Action Plan Conclusion References Appendices

24 26 27 28

Abstract

This study sought to observe and track student responses to community building activities during their homeroom period over the span of a month. Students were asked to work together to solve difficult problems or challenges each morning. Data was collected through questionnaires that were given to students before these activities started and after, to see if their opinions had changed about the community feeling of their classroom. Teachers took notes in a journal, tracking when students exhibited strong community or respect based behaviors, as well as when they acted out during class time. The amount of time that was lost to disrespectful behavior throughout the day was also logged in the teachers journal to compare after the study had completed. The results demonstrated that students opinions changed over the course of the intervention, while their actions in the classroom remained about the same.

Introduction
4

Rationale for the Study In my short time as an educator at Berwick Academy, I have discovered what I believe to be the most effective teaching practices and also found those which I believe could be improved upon. While training to become a teacher, multiple theories and ideas about how we can best teach our students have been presented to me. However, until these theories are put into practice in a classroom, one cannot be sure that these are the best ways for them to teach their individual classes. If teachers are constantly researching the most current educational theories, discussing their own teaching methods with their peers, and pushing themselves to find solutions to the issues that others ignore because they are too difficult, they will be quality models for their students. The fifth grade at Berwick Academy is a very unique group of students with experiences that range from years spent living abroad in Europe to summer vacations in New Zealand and Africa. While some students have lives of relative luxury, others are not as well off and are attending the school on full financial aid or scholarships. This divide between those students appears to be causing a general rift in the classroom identity.

Statement of the Problem Along with the issue of a class of individuals, rather than a classroom community, comes behavioral issues that disrupt class and demonstrate the lack of respect some have for their peers. Within the past week, issues have arisen with maintenance of common areas and community computers. The entire fifth grade shares a locker and cubby area, which has been consistently dirty and unorganized since the return from the holiday break. When confronted about the
5

problem by homeroom teachers, students did not take responsibility for the mess, but instead started to blame one another for specific incidents. Another issue has been with the fifth grade bank of netbook computers, which they are allowed to use at any time if they have a proper use for the technology. Over $13,000 of equipment is available for them to access at any time, but they have not been treating this privilege at all seriously. Computers have been left behind in classrooms and not properly plugged back into the place where they were taken from. Again, when described the problems that the entire fifth grade had been having with the computers, students started to blame certain individuals instead of accepting their own responsibilities as a member of the class. Having the opportunity to use technology in the classroom is critical for their education. Students also need to be able to respect one another as a peer and member of the fifth grade community, to work in class and in their common time with each other. Students have homeroom for at least 10 minutes each morning with their fellow fifth grade classmates. If students respected one another and their common spaces more, their community would be a more productive learning environment. With morning homerooms spent working on community and team building activities, this respect could be modeled and emphasized on a daily basis. In order for this project to take place, both fifth grade homeroom teachers would need to be directly involved in planning and employing team building activities. All fifth grade teachers would need to be made aware of the emphasis on community building and respect of peers. When teachers see or hear a student modeling proper, respectful behavior or actions, they will be able to point them out as an example to the class. The fifth grade students will be the main learners who will benefit from these actions and be involved in a continued effort to show respect for their learning spaces, materials, and their peers. Administration of the middle school
6

at Berwick Academy has been made aware of the issues that the fifth grade has been dealing with over the past few weeks. Parents will be notified of the idea for team building activities and a committed approach to respect of school materials and classmates. Their help with the process will allow for students to be continually reminded of their actions and how they may affect others around them.

Research Questions -How will students treat one another with consistent emphasis on the classroom as a community? -Will less time be wasted when community building activities are put into action? -How will students views of their role in the classroom and the school community be affected? -Will students work together more efficiently on group activities after community building activities?

Hypothesis Community building activities during homeroom will result in a significant reduction in the amount of time wasted during the school day because of student interruptions, cleaning up community spaces or materials, and conversations unrelated to the subject matter.

Literature Review
7

It is critical that a teacher sets up strong class foundations to start the school year. A teacher needs to set the tone of the classroom community from the beginning, so students clearly understand the expectations for them and can understand their roles within this community. The atmosphere that a teacher creates in their classrooms should let students know that it is a safe place where everyone should feel free to share their opinions and thoughts (Anderson, 2010). If students do not feel comfortable in a new place, they will be less likely to engage with their classmates and push themselves towards a higher academic ability. While teachers cannot expect that all students will understand their exact roles and instantly become comfortable in a new classroom, Anderson explains that, A teachers tone can dramatically influence the mood and atmosphere of the classroom, so its important to convey a sense of purpose and optimism (Anderson, 2010). His article connects the routines and feel of the classroom with students feeling less stressed out when it comes time for high stakes testing. If students already understand where they stand within the classroom, they will be more trusting of their instructor and the information they are given about the many tests that they will face throughout the year. Teachers can take Andersons advice to project a positive, matter-of-fact attitude about testing that will allow their students to reflect the same attitude and not become overwhelmed by a new situation (Anderson, 2010). Ross, Bondy, Gallingane, and Hambacher share Andersons sentiments in an article that explains the atmosphere of a classroom in a psychologically supportive manner (Ross, Bondy, Gallingane, and Hambacher , 2007). They completed a study that focused on the developing relationships and culturally responsive communication between teachers and students. Teachers need to convey to their students that they hold each student in their classroom to high expectations. If this expectation is not clear, students will not feel a purpose in the classroom and

could disconnect themselves from the classroom community. Teachers who were represented in the study insisted on respectful behavior from every student and worked hard to establish a caring, task-focused community (Ross, Bondy, Gallingane, and Hambacher, 2007). These are some of the same goals that the Responsive Classroom style of classroom management attempts to address through activities and deliberate, focused communication with students. Teachers who employ this style teach their students to be responsible for their own behavior and actions within the classroom. By doing this, teachers are not taking on the role of constantly managing others behaviors and can be more focused on instruction (Charney, 1992). It is of essential importance that teachers set up a community in their classrooms, instead of seeing their classes as groups of individuals. Students also need to view their classes in the same manner and respect each member of this community enough to be responsible for their behavior, actions, words, and school work. A school in Chicago documented how well the Responsive Classroom approach worked in their classrooms, via morning meetings, rules and logical consequences, guided discovery, classroom organization, and reports to parents (Horsch and Nelson, 1999). Students there were able to view their teacher and classmates in new ways thanks to Responsive Classroom techniques, and the school recorded significant reductions in the number of behavioral issues throughout the day. While these techniques may not work perfectly in every classroom or for every teacher, they represent a strong method of establishing the classroom as a safe, task-focused community for students (Ross, Bondy, Gallingane, and Hambacher, 2007). This study looked at the research that had already taken place concerning community and teamwork building activities to start the day. The intention was to take the data from this previous research and apply the techniques that appeared to be most successful in the fifth grade classroom at Berwick Academy. The Responsive Classroom was a very important piece of the

study, as students had previously experienced this type of classroom management in the Lower School and were familiar with the expectations. The research suggested that once students participate in challenging, teambuilding homeroom activities, they will be more likely to see the classroom as a community, rather than a collection of many individuals. By establishing strong expectations and allowing students to work together towards a common goal, the hope was to increase respect among the students and reduce the amount of time that was lost each day to behavioral issues.

Methodology

10

Comprehensive Research Plan The data that has been obtained for the purposes of this study was collected in a number of different ways. It was vital that students opinions were carefully monitored throughout the intervention, to see if there were any changes over time. The views of the teacher were also important to the analysis of the intervention and were taken into account in the data collection matrix. These two elements show whether or not students have been more respectful of the classroom as a community and how they viewed their peers. Student opinion was tracked through questionnaires and interviews, as well as detailed in notes within the teacher journal. The teacher engaged students in discussions about community and respect within the classroom throughout the duration of the study.

Intervention For this project, students participated in community building activities during the morning homeroom period to start the school day. More specifically, Responsive Classroom techniques were employed to draw attention to the importance of respecting each member of the classroom and the role of each individual to the classroom community. Students have homeroom for at least 10 minutes each morning with their fellow fifth grade classmates. If students respected one another and their common spaces more, their community could be a more productive learning environment and wasted time could be reduced. With morning homerooms spent working on community and team building activities, this respect could be modeled and emphasized on a daily basis.

11

Participants The fifth grade students at Berwick Academy were the main learners who benefitted from these actions and were involved in a continued effort to show respect for their learning spaces, materials, and their peers. All fifth grade teachers were made aware of the emphasis on community building and respect of peers. Teachers have kept a journal of their observations of the classroom and how they interact with one another, as well as a log of the number of minutes wasted during the school day because of avoidable distractions. Administration of the middle school at Berwick Academy was made aware of these efforts as well. Parents were notified of the idea for community building activities and a committed approach to respect of school materials and classmates.

Instruments of Data Collection Teacher Journal All teachers involved in this project kept a running journal of their classroom observations, before and after an intervention was put into place. There has been an emphasis on certain individuals who may have responded more or less to the community building activities and students who were continually disrespectful of their peers or community.

Student Questionnaire Students in both sections of fifth grade filled out a questionnaire about the amount of respect in the classroom and how they felt about their individual responsibilities to the fifth grade
12

classroom. They noted their gender and answered three multiple choice questions before a final open ended question that asked them to describe the members of their classroom in their own words. This questionnaire was presented before the community building activities start taking place to observe what initial opinions were about respect. After a few weeks of homeroom activities, the questionnaire was given again to all students to see if their opinions and feelings about one another changed at all.

Student Interviews Certain individuals from the fifth grade were chosen to be interviewed for this project, answering a series of questions about what they thought respect looked like in the classroom. They were asked if they thought the fifth grade was a strong community or not and what could be done to help change the individual mentality that appeared to be in place. Those interviews took place before and after the intervention to gauge student reaction to the planned activities.

Data Analysis Procedure The data that was collected from this project was analyzed in a number of different ways. First, the numerical data from the number of minutes wasted per day in the teacher journals was calculated and averaged. They were compared before and after the intervention. The student interviews have been broken down statistically for the multiple choice questions and compared before and after. For the final question on the questionnaire, the responses were be recorded based on favorable or unfavorable descriptions. The descriptions from the initial questionnaire

13

were contrasted with those from the final questionnaire. Their opinions were then compared to the findings of the teachers and the data from wasted time.

Results
Data Results

14

The fifth graders at Berwick Academy have been working on improving their efforts for their learning spaces, materials, and their peers. Fifth grade teachers have been observing and noting how students are responding to the increased emphasis on community building within the classrooms. Students opinions have been tracked along the way as well, as their opinions and thoughts are what is going to be changing the dynamic of the classroom over the course of this study. It was difficult at first to convince students that this project was worthwhile and did not need to be taken lightly, as many of them were showing signs of through their questionnaires and comments in class.

Student Questionnaire Data (Pre-Intervention) The questionnaire that was handed out to a homeroom class of 17 at the onset of the study showed that students knew what they were expected to answer, as only 2 of these students answered NO to question 2 (Figure 1-1). This question asked them if they felt like a member of a community in their classrooms and the overall response from a majority of the class was YES. Following students completion of this questionnaire, the homeroom class participated in a discussion about what it meant to be a member of the community and what words they associated with a community. From a running journal kept throughout this project, this discussion was documented and the words togetherness, respect, helping, and friendly were the most agreed upon by members of the fifth grade class. There was an effort made to put these words up on the board, so students could see what each other expected of the community they felt a part of. When students acted in a way that was not in line with a proper community member, students were referenced to the words on the board to reflect on how they could change their behavior.
15

The third question that students were asked on their questionnaire required students to think about whether or not they felt like they were more important than other students in the classroom (Figure 1-2). 5 students, three males and two females, answered yes to this question out of a homeroom of 17. All but 1 of these students answered that they enjoyed individual activities over group activities in the following question (Question #4). The questionnaires were not reviewed before the initial class discussion on what it means to be a community member, so it could not be determined the reasoning why these students felt like they were more important than their classmates. The results for question four were varied, with 10 students siding with group activities and 7 responding that they enjoyed individual activities more (Figure 1- 3). The gender splits were also fairly evenly split, with no larger percentages of males or females preferring one type of activity over another. Of those 7 students who chose that they preferred individual activities, 4 of them or 57%, responded that they also felt like they were more important than other students in their classroom. The final question that students were asked to answer was open ended and allowed them space to write words that they would use to describe other students in the classroom. Results from this question were relatively sparse, with most students only writing a word or two and sticking to very general statements about their classmates. The word nice appeared on nine of the questionnaires and fun appeared on 8 of them, leading to some speculation about students looking at what others were writing at their table groups. The way that the fifth grade classroom is set up allows for 3 students to share a table with one another, rotating who they are seating with every few weeks. It makes working on group activities easy and lets students get to know every one of their classmates by the end of the year because they will have sat with them all at
16

least once. Other results from this final question demonstrated that students in the fifth grade had very positive views of one another, using the words helpful, funny, and smart in more than one instance. Along with the overall positive views, a couple of male students took this question and answered inappropriately with words like smelly and annoying. Students were made aware that these questionnaires would be anonymous, however, it would reflect on them as a class if there were silly answers to any of the questions. This responsibility could not be handled by two students in particular and their data is not of much use because of this.

Student Questionnaire Data (Pre-Intervention) The same questionnaire that students filled out for the pre-intervention phase of this action research plan was also handed out for students to complete after two weeks of community building activities (Figure 1-4). When compiling data for this questionnaire, it appeared that some numbers had changed quite dramatically since the beginning of the action plan being implemented. For Question 2, every student, or 100% of the class, responded that they did feel like they were a member of a community in the classroom, compared to only 88% answering yes in the first survey. Student opinion over the course of the intervention did appear to favor the idea of the classroom as a community, especially during class discussions following homeroom activities. For Question 3, which asked if students felt like they were more important than the other students in their classroom, only 2 students, or 12% of the class answered yes (Figure 1-5). This percentage had decreased from the 29% or 5 students that answered yes on this question before the intervention took place in their classroom. The gender split between this post-intervention

17

data showed that one male and one female answered yes to question 3. There was no correlation between their answers to question 3 and the answers to question 4, like there had been for the pre-intervention data. The data for Question 4 demonstrated that students preferred group activities to individual activities 12 to 5. The percentage that answered Group Activities numbered 71%, which was a 12% increase from the 59% that chose the same answer in pre-intervention surveys. 4 female students recorded that they preferred group activities over individual, while only 1 male chose individual over group activities.

Teacher Journal One of the most important aspects of this project required that teacher observations were constantly recorded to track any changes that may have occurred. There was also data kept in this journal that tracked the amount of time that students were unfocused enough to interrupt instruction or group work. Some days students settled down very quickly and less than 90 seconds total were lost during the days lesson. Other days this number was much higher, a few times over 400 seconds, and students needed many reminders to focus their attention in order for instruction to being again . When there were days that it took a substantial amount of time to bring the class to attention, the class would have a brief discussion about what could have been done that would make that class more of a proper learning community that had been defined in previous weeks. The average amount of time lost due to classroom behavior issues before the intervention took place was 224.5 seconds for the first section of fifth grade or 501 and 290.5 seconds for the second section or 502 (Figure 2-1). This demonstrated that 502 typically lost more class time per day than 501 and had more issues staying focused during class time
18

according to the descriptions in the teacher journal. After the intervention took place, the average amount of time that was lost in 501 dropped to 182.2 seconds per day, while 502s average increased to 291.1 seconds per day (Figure 2-2). One class showed a significant decrease in their daily loss of time, while the other showed little to no change at all.

Discussion of Findings Based on the data that has been collected to this point, it appears that the correct variables have been selected and is able to be represented quite clearly in graphic form. The questionnaire data is critical to the intervention because it is one of the only ways that students opinions will be able to be tracked along the way for significant changes. It is quite interesting to note the initial opinions of the fifth grade students, who a strong majority of claim that they feel like a member of a community despite their issues over the school year with community based issues. This question alone made for a great initial discussion point with students, as the importance of community was stressed in a homeroom group activity. A surprisingly high number of students, 5, claimed that they felt like they were more important than their classmates. This fact will be of particular interest during team building activities and in the post-intervention data, to see if any of these students had a change of opinion based on the community building that took place. Of all the questions that were asked on the questionnaire, the final question, which asks students if they prefer individual or group work will provide the strongest indication of whether or not the intervention was successful. Seven students or 41% of the class claimed that they prefer to work alone than work with the other members of their class. Based on this data, it may be difficult to allow students to understand that working in a group can be beneficial for the

19

entire class and not just themselves. Working as a team is a critical life skill that these students will need to adapt to at one point or another in their lives and this intervention serves to help them make any necessary adaptations while they are young enough to form quality learning habits. The teacher journal has demonstrated that students have been indifferent in their acceptance of a new routine during their homeroom period. Before this action plan was put into place, students spent their homeroom time playing games like Pictionary, charades, or the corner game, which had students choose a corner of the room to run to and wait for an individual student to call a certain corner out. While these games allowed students to move about the room, engage in some thought provoking activities, and interact with one another, there was no specific emphasis placed on teamwork or acceptance of each other. Students explained that they enjoyed these activities and were disappointed when it was explained that the class would be moving away from that type of homeroom activity. Instead, students were told that homeroom would start with activities that were meant to allow all members of the classroom community to work with one another to solve a common problem. A few of the outspoken students complained about having to complete these activities and asked if they could just have fun instead. Notes from the journal recorded student reaction during the first week of these new activities, explaining that students [were] initially hesitant and failed to engage fully during homeroom. By the end of the first week, student opinion and reaction began to change, as students slowly adapted to community problem solving activities. During the second week, the homeroom discussed what they thought it meant to be a community based on our last week of community building problems. Students did not speak out at first, but a couple of students stated that they liked working with their friends, but had to get used to working with people they

20

werent close friends with. This led the class into a discussion about if we need to be close friends with someone to be able to work with them effectively in the classroom. General opinion from the discussion was that all students should be able to work with each other even if they are not friends. The tracking of the amount of time lost per day in each section of the fifth grade class demonstrated that one class tended to lose more time than the other. Comparing the pre and post intervention data showed that one class had a 42.3 second drop in the amount of time they lost per day, which was quite significant. However, the other section, 502, actually showed an increase in their amount of time lost during class. It was interesting to look at the two classes individually to note how significantly 501 responded to the intervention, while 502 did not respond in a positive manner at all to the intervention. From the data that has been compiled to this point, it is becoming evident that students in the fifth grade at Berwick Academy are having troubles focusing their attention at the beginning of class and, perhaps more troubling, issues with respected each other as individuals in the classroom. The questionnaires returned valuable feedback about the opinions and feelings of these students, demonstrating that most felt like part of a community and did not put themselves before their classmates. However, there were a number of students that answered that they believe that they are more important to the classroom than their peers. This opinion has been reflected in the actions of some students, who find it appropriate to leave community materials for others to pick up and showing little interest in keeping community areas clean. Another issue that arises from this type of thinking is students unwillingness to participate fully in group work or group activities. There was a fairly even, 7 to 10, split of students answering that they either preferred group work or individual work, with group work receiving 3 more preferred responses in the pre-intervention questionnaire. The results of both the questionnaire and teacher journal

21

have demonstrated that some action needed to be taken to ensure that the classroom and community spaces were productive and safe areas for all students.

Limitation of Study There are some limitations to the findings, including a limited amount of time with students in homeroom and the ability to track students actions in other classes throughout the day. It was the intention to have another fifth grade teacher keep track of similar details in their classroom to observe what changes may occur from class to class, however, this has not happened because of time constraints. Berwick Academy has had to cancel school because of snow 7 times so far this year, which has lead to extreme time and curriculum restraints. This issue has resulted in some unexpected changes for this action research project. Further Research To gain a complete understanding about the function of the fifth grade classroom as a community, a researcher would have to examine the atmosphere of the same class in both the fourth grade and sixth grade. A longer term study would provide a better understanding of the difficult transition that students in the fifth grade make from the Lower School to the Middle School. This transition could be the root cause of many of the behavioral issues that are observed, as well as the disconnect that is seen amongst students in the classroom. Students may be still adjusting to a completely new environment that challenges them on a daily basis and creates opportunities to act out in disrespectful manners without significant repercussions. Poor student behavior is not punished as it often is in the Lower School and students are not sent to talk to the Dean, but instead are reprimanded within the classroom. The way which students are
22

reprimanded could be the basis of another study, to see if students are responding to the attention that they receive from action out or if they are acting out because they are in an uncomfortable situation or environment. With a longer time of implementation, observations outside of the homeroom classes, and a dedicated approach to community building in all classes in the middle school, there could be a reduction in time lost during class and an increased student appreciation for the opportunity to work cooperatively with their peers.

Action Plan
Summary Based on the initial data that was collected, it is clear that some students are not taking the intervention seriously and are more concerned about being funny with their classmates than engaging in teambuilding activities. To account for this factor, the entire fifth grade will be addressed about the seriousness of the project and anyone who does not take it seriously will be
23

asked to leave the classroom. This will eliminate other students following their classmates poor behavior and any feelings of distrust amongst one another.

Action Plan The action plan requires that the homeroom teacher presents a new, team building challenge for students to work through each morning. These challenges have included Odyssey of the Mind Spontaneous challenges that require students to work together as an entire group to find creative solutions to a proposed issue, to physical activities that have students line up in birth order without speaking, to simply getting to know one another in ways that they have not before by completing surveys about their classmates interests and favorites. To this point, students have received these challenges very well and have been slowly working outside of their normal comfort zones in an effort to work through the activities. It has been quite challenging to help students understand how these challenges will be beneficial to them in the classroom, but group discussions have been becoming more and more productive. After each activity and discussion, notes are recorded about the successes or failures of that days challenge and if there is any observable change that day during class time. Just as students were interviewed to begin the project, they will also be given a follow-up interview that will ask them the same questions. The hope is that there will be significantly more students who respond favorably to the idea of working together as a group and viewing their fifth grade class as an important community for learning. This plan requires that the students put in a substantial effort, but will see a meaningful benefit for the work along the way. While it is the measureable goal of the action plan to reduce

24

wasted class time and increase the productiveness of group work, students appreciating their peers and community spaces is the underlying goal behind the data. It will be difficult to prove that such a change has occurred in students, but observations from the teacher journal should provide a narrative for the project. It is unclear if this action plan will accomplish what it is intended from the limited data to this point, but there have already been instances of greater appreciation of community after only a week. A small group of students now takes it upon themselves to clean the tables after their classmates have left, not showing much concern about who left what material on their table, but caring more about the view of the entire class by the teacher. If only a few students take away the principles that these students have, this action plan will have been a success.

Conclusion
Although the data has not demonstrated a significant change in the behavior of the fifth graders at Berwick Academy, with a longer period of implementation, the intervention could accomplish the desired intentions. Student opinion in the fifth grade did have a measurable change throughout the course of the study, demonstrating that their feelings about the classroom
25

as a community had changed. By the end of the intervention, students were more willing to work with a student whom they were not close friends with on a group activity and their preference to engage in group activities over individual activities increased. Students still took great amount of time away from classroom instruction through their disrespectful behavior, but their opinions of themselves as member of a community and the respect that the classroom needs were clearly reflected in the data. If students are not respectful of one another and their successes learning as a group, the classroom is certain to experience behavioral distractions and a preference of students to work independently rather than cooperatively. Overall, the research has improved student opinion of group work, their roles in the classroom, and their willingness to work outside of their normal comfort zones.

References
Anderson, M. (2010). Start the school year with community building and testingprep. Education Digest: Essential readings condensed for quick review, 76(1), 4548. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Bondy, E., Ross, D. D., Gallingane, C., & Hambacher, E. (2007). Creating environments of success and resilience: culturally responsive classroom management and more. Urban Education, 42(4), 326348. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

26

Charney, R. (1992). Teaching children to care: management in the responsive classroom. Responsive Classroom Program. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from http://www.responsiveclassroom.org. Crawford, L, & Hagedorn, C. (2009). Classroom discipline: guiding adolescents to responsible independence. Origins Program. Denton, P. (2007). The power of our words: teacher language that helps children learn. Northeast Foundation for Children. Elliott, S. N., Malecki, C. K., & Demaray, M. K. (2001). New directions in social skills assessment and intervention for elementary and middle school students. Exceptionality, 9(1-2), 19-32. Horsch, P., Chen, J., & Nelson, D. (1999). Rules and rituals: tools for creating a respectful, caring learning community. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(3), 223-27. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Kriete, R, & Bechtel, L. (2002). The morning meeting book. Northeast Foundation for Children.

Appendices
Figure 1 Student Questionnaire for pre and post- intervention data collection

27

Student Questionnaire

1) Gender:

FEMALE

MALE

2) Do you feel like you are a member of a community in your classroom? YES NO

3) Do you feel like you are more important than other people in your classes? YES NO

4) Which types of activities do you enjoy most during the school day? GROUP ACTIVITIES INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES

5) What words would you use to describe the other students in your classroom? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 1-1 Pre-Intervention student questionnaire data for question #2

28

Figure 1-2 Pre-Intervention student questionnaire data for question #3

Figure 1-3 Pre-Intervention student questionnaire data for question #4

29

Figure 1-4 Post-Intervention data from Question #2

30

Figure 1-5 Post-Intervention data for Question #4

Figure 2-1 - Time Lost Per Class (Pre-Intervention)

Figure 2-2 - Time Lost Per Class (Post-Intervention)

31