Students in my classroom can expect to spend the majority of their time working with partners or in small groups on key activities to build critical knowledge and skills. Students work with diverse materials to explore the history of the United States and the world.
Our school is an urban high school known for its academic rigor and above average socioeconomic status.
Nevertheless, our school educates a wide diversity of students, many of whom need support structures provided by our staff and community to promote student achievement.
Some of my students are in an IB-level senior history course, and are experiencing one of the most stressful years of their young lives. Although driven and engaged, they need the support of a classroom learning community as much as any student. The rest of my students run the gamut in terms of demographics and daily motivation, and would benefit just as much from a classroom learning community.
My Project
Furnishing my room with tables and chairs will allow for greater flexibility in student grouping for cooperative learning activities. Instead of being boxed in by chairs attached to desks, students will group around tables to share materials and learning. In their groups, they will examine primary and secondary sources, debate controversial issues, and engage in academic discussion of key events in US and world history. Students will also work on larger scale creative activities that they would otherwise be doing on a small desk or on the floor.
All of my students want to learn.
Most of them walk into the classroom ready to learn. By having tables and chairs instead of outdated desks attached to chairs, I will be able to provide the infrastructure necessary to promote cooperative learning and generate quality academic discussion with greater ease. Students will leave my class at the end of the year not only more academically successful, but more able to cooperate productively with each other.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Sudermann and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.