A classroom is built a lot like a person. It has memories, it has heart, and it has an identity. What is your classroom identity? What does your class represent?

BUFU: THE SETUP

During the summer, we see a lot of students come in and out because of vacations and trips. A lot of students either have too much time, or not enough. So as a teacher, I took a moment for us to pause and think about our class and what it represents. I believe creating a classroom identity is very important for students. Students can be strange creatures, they don’t like the unfamiliar, but they are very curious as well. Once they understand something and are able to narrow it down to the fundamentals, they start to build trust. And once that trust is built, then you can build a real habitat for learning.

I asked the students to really reflect about their classes. They were instructed to think about how the year has gone by and write down on paper their thoughts about a class identity.

I. BRAINSTORMING

As a class, we would discuss the overall meaning of an identity in the classroom. What does it mean for all of us to be in here? What does each person contribute to the class?

II. MINDMAP AND WRITING

We then wrote down our thoughts in an outline format to express how we felt. Students were put into groups to pin down at least two major themes of each class.

III. PHOTO-CAPTURE and SKETCH

Each student would formally write their thoughts about their PEAI class. Then they sketched preview photos that we would try to capture in the form of a photo.

IV. PHOTO SHOOT

This is the fun part. The students get some major laughs at seeing their individual and group photos.

V. CONCLUSION

Although this was an exercise to build up class morale, the truth is it took a lot of work and planning. Students don't usually put their thoughts in words right away. They need time to pin down what a classroom really is. But more importantly, the students came away understanding who they are as a part of PEAI. It was a fun and creative way for the class to discuss their own identity as English language learners.

BUFU: By us, For us