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Benefits of Building a Communal Classroom

Speaker: Caitlin Gilman, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Classrooms thrive when students feel they are part of a supportive and inclusive community. This session explores how fostering a communal classroom—one that emphasizes shared responsibility, emotional safety, and collaboration—can enhance student well-being and promote a more engaging learning environment. Drawing from classroom experiences and educational research, Caitlin shares practical strategies to help students feel seen, heard, and valued, including collaborative assessments, reflective group work, and problem-solving tasks that encourage multiple perspectives.

Grounded in sociocultural and constructivist theories, this talk offers actionable ways to shift classroom culture from individual competition to collective growth.