Brookes Publishing | 2018
Creating a classroom community involves putting in place supports for DLLs as well as for all children in the classroom. Involving all children in creating a supportive classroom community is essential to ensuring that all children have the feelings educators would like them to have—feelings that will help children be ready to learn, such as security, support, happiness, excitement, curiosity, and interest. Creating a classroom community goes beyond giving DLLs the support they need to feel like part of the classroom. It also involves helping children develop the skills they need to have access to the same social and educational experiences as other children. Finally, creating a classroom community includes ensuring that all children learn to value their own culture as well as the culture and values of peers from backgrounds that are similar and different, showing genuine curiosity and interest in one another and viewing other beliefs and values with interest and compassion.