Healing Classrooms:

Research has identified techniques that can help teachers create healing classrooms where student well-being is ensured. These techniques support certain elements which have been found to increase children’s well-being. These Healing Classrooms Elements (below) are important for helping children be well and build resilience.

HEALING CLASSROOM ELEMENTS
Sense of Safety
Sense of Control
Sense of Belonging
Relationships with Peers
Feelings of Self Confidence
Personnel Attachments
Intellectual Stimulation

Print rich classrooms

Teachers should display student-generated print: dictations, original stories, labeled pictures or photos, class posters. Teachers should also display functional print: charts for daily activities, routines, and schedules that make use of color coding to highlight phonics and pictures to support comprehension. As much as possible environmental print should also be part of the classroom: print students can find in their communities: on a box of food, on signs, or advertisements. It goes without saying that one of the most important components of a print-rich environment is having books available for students to read-for pleasure and for reference. Books displayed at eye level in an attractive and engaging manner will the draw attention of students, and help them enter into the process of selecting what to read. Additionally, materials for writing should be displayed to meet the authentic needs of students.

Literacy and the family

Learning to read within the context of the classroom alone is not enough. Both the family and school community play a vital role in creating the necessary learning environment and supportive culture of reading that encourages a child's interest and desire to read. Often though, the home environment may not encourage basic reading readiness and development. Parents may be illiterate and thus perceived to be handicapped in their ability to help their children read. Even parents who are literate may limit their verbal and emotional interaction with the child. Their role as supportive learning agent goes unrealized. Additionally, children may have limited opportunity to read. Children may have little free time to read because of home responsibilities, have few chances for extracurricular reading activities, lack access to language and age-appropriate reading materials, and have limited or non-existent access to school or community libraries.

Research has shown that the role that families play in the development of student literacy is second only to that of school, and can either greatly enhance the development of the child's literacy skills or hold a child back from reaching their full potential. For this reason, it is essential that there be a school-wide campaign to promote family involvement in literacy development. Such a campaign would involve educating parents on the importance of supporting the reading skills of their child at home, and in celebrating their literacy successes at school.

Literacy and the school community

Communities need to believe that they (1) have the capacity for making change; (2) are the owners of the change; and (3) have the capacity to transfer that change to other communities. Formal community-based and school-based mechanisms can strengthen participation, and build respect for others' opinions and concerns. Importantly, given the often times limited role of women in decisions about their children's school life, such efforts can serve as opportunities for developing women's increased participation.