A safe, non-judgemental classroom supports students in communicating their questions, fears and confusions. One of the best ways to teach kindness in the classroom is to model being kind to others. Teach Tolerance, Empathy and Respect. The modern classroom is a diverse environment: so many different personalities, work ethics, cultures, preferences, wants, needs, and interests are contained within it. In my opinion, teachers can be proactive in the process of talking about race and ethnicity in the classroom. I would like to offer the following advice from my experience as a classroom teacher: 1. (February 27, 2020 / JNS) Imagine a teacher assigning a Holocaust-related project to a high school student in the United States, such as the creation of the “ideal concentration camp” or a Nazi cereal box. Games, arts and crafts. Communicating Classroom Standards. There are many strategies that teachers can use to help students learn and develop tolerance for others. Yet misconceptions and misinformation can quickly become the norm if educators do not address differences within a classroom. Interventions . The start of the school year and the days leading up to the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday are excellent times to introduce classroom activities that teach tolerance. Patience is required every day and in every way within any classroom full of youthful minds who will use their ingenuity to test your patience every day and in many ways. The attention-seeking child will always present challenges, and you must deal with them in an even-handed way. Teaching Tolerance describes a variety of strategies for helping to build a positive classroom culture that can include empathy. Cultural diversity in the classroom is on the rise. A post shared by Teaching Tolerance (@teaching_tolerance) on Mar 27, 2020 at 8:03am PDT Learn to listen Learning from a conversation requires truly … Teaching tolerance and compassion for others through contemplative practices helps students "go within," thereby creating a "safe" classroom for all. Fluency is accuracy plus speed and is a must-have when it comes to making the skills we teach functional in the real world. Intrigued, I pondered how a former and familiar pedagogical imperative of teaching tolerance suddenly became an investment in engendering an affective relationship to social justice. Plus, see these posts on related teaching resources and topics: Ideas on teaching religious tolerance to kids; Teaching young children about maps to help their learning development; Teaching students how to navigate without a GPS In 2014, U.S. public schools hit a minority majority milestone with Latino, African-American, and Asian students having surpassed the number of white students. Teaching Tolerance isn’t just a great habit for your classroom, it’s also one of our favorite teaching blogs. 5 Resources For Teaching Empathy In The Classroom 1. Assign your students a project in which they each investigate their own cultural heritage and get an opportunity to share it with the class. ... one of the more fun activities that you can use to teach tolerance and celebrate diversity is a cultural potluck. List things that come from abroad A quick activity you can do at the start of a lesson to introduce the theme of multiculturalism. According to their site, Teaching Tolerance is “dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations, and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation’s children. Tolerance can be part of lesson plans on various cultures or holidays. Model Kindness. Dewey contributed many groundbreaking and significant ideas about the state of education. Teaching Tolerance. The result is a classroom where more learning takes place as students feel safe, motivated and, of course, respected. This presentation covers instructional strategies for both lower level learners and more advanced academic and functional skill sets. Teaching tolerance can take many directions. 4. Creating an atmosphere of tolerance in the classroom is a breath away with practices such as journal writing, yoga, and meditation. 2. We don’t have all the answers, but we can work with our students for a greater understanding of racism and inequality. It is an educator’s responsibility to set the standards for the way a classroom will run, which must be done both very clearly and very early on in the learning process. After reading such stories and understanding the backstories more fully, children will more likely sympathize with others. Or maybe the class spends just a single lesson on the complex subject matter as part of world or European history. The “Jigsaw Method” is a teaching strategy of organizing student group work that helps students collaborate and rely on one another. This project of the Southern Poverty Law Center and has been around since 1991 with a goal to stop hate and to teach children to be “active participants in a diverse democracy.” The project provides a wealth of free resources for K-12 educators to teach tolerance with an emphasis on anti-bias and social justice. 1. Teaching Tolerance isn’t just a great habit for your classroom, it’s also one of our favorite teaching blogs. Achieving this atmosphere takes considerable effort on the part of the teacher as well as the students. Diversity in the classroom may encompass age, learning styles, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and ethnic background. Educating Students About Religion and Tolerance in the Classroom, and How to Accommodate for It Photo Credit: Brainpop.com Religion is a large part of many people’s lives – whether they’re Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or another type of belief. Teach about the work of key organizations (list 2, list 3, list 4) and movements that work to promote tolerance and understanding around the world. In order to promote equity in the classroom, there are a few very specific and significant standards educators should aim to set. Creating an atmosphere of tolerance in the classroom is a breath away with practices such as journal writing, yoga, and meditation. Diversity: classrooms with different backgrounds, nationalities and faiths can lead to great topics and discussions based on tolerance and respect. 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