How To Hold Class Meetings

Have a daily meeting. Some teachers prefer to have a daily meeting with their students. This usually happens at the same time and follows the same routine. Your daily meeting might include a daily message about what will happen that day, as well as a ‘Breaking News' segment where you or students get a chance to discuss exciting things that have happened or are going to happen. (This is also a great opportunity for building student confidence when speaking in large groups - have news reporters come to the front of the class to report on recent events.)

You might also want to review concepts you learned yesterday by doing a 5-minute ‘Mind Jog' every morning. And you can also take time during the morning meeting to remind students of administrative tasks that are listed on the board as well, such as the need to return book orders by the end of the week, the need to bring in money for the upcoming field trip, or the need to finish the animal project by a certain date. Your class meeting can take any form you like it to. But ensure you demand respect and good listening skills as students take turns contributing to the class meeting. Having the students involved in how the meeting is run will give them skills to work as part of a team as well as build respect for classmates.

Hold weekly meetings. If you don't have time for a daily meeting, try to fit in a weekly meeting. Older students will probably do better with weekly class meetings anyway, especially when rotary class times are strict. During a weekly class meeting, ask students to bring up any issues they would like to discuss. You can use an anonymous meeting suggestion box and have students contribute thoughts this way, if you find that students are too embarrassed to speak out loud. As a teacher, your students want to know that you are available to them to help them solve problems. So use this weekly meeting time to allow students to bring up whatever they'd like to discuss. (You might want to put a few things on the agenda in case students have nothing to discuss.)

Hold impromptu meetings. Sometimes it is important to hold a class meeting when a problem arises or something out of the ordinary takes place. Many teachers like to hold class meetings after safety presentations or guest speakers have been to visit. Holding a class meeting before a field trip is also important for discussing your expectations for the day. Others prefer to hold a class meeting when something in the community has happened, such as a kidnapping, house fire, or student death. Students need an outlet to talk about their concerns, and they often feel most comfortable discussing these concerns with their teachers at school. Hold class meetings whenever you feel that recent events necessitate an important discussion with your students.