One day, I walked into my family literacy ESL class, and it was quieter than usual. Delia, who had almost never missed a class, was absent. After I asked if anyone had any problems over the weekend, the students reported that Delia’s 5-year-old daughter had fallen and suffered a brain injury and was in intensive care at the hospital. Within minutes, the students took up a collection to help Delia in the weeks ahead, since she would not be able to work. Among a class of low-income students, $300 was raised in 15 minutes to help out a fellow classmate. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the students in that class and their networking to help out a fellow student. The incident exemplified the strong sense of community that existed in that class. This sense of community provided an atmosphere that also facilitated learning and persistence at a higher level than I had seen in previous classes. When students get to know each other like a family, they depend on each other for moral support and continue to come to school, even when times are difficult. When students know that they will be missed if they don’t come to class, they are more likely to come to school than stay home. The result is learner persistence and higher learning gains.

In his studies on learner persistence, John P. Comings says that “the most important support to persistence is management of the positive and negative forces that influence persistence. The strongest positive force mentioned by adult students was the support of other people, particularly that of their families, friends, teachers, and fellow students.”

The example above reflects the strong community support that can develop in a classroom, but how do we help bring about that community feeling in a classroom, which we know leads to more learner persistence? How do we do this, especially when we teach in an open-entry–open-exit system where students enroll at any time and can leave at any time?

Realizing the important role of community building in encouraging learner persistence, the teachers at my school, the Continuing Education Program in the San Diego Community College District, brainstormed strategies that help build community in the classroom. Here are their ideas.

Perhaps the most important strategy is welcoming new students to the class, especially when the class is an open-entry–open-exit class, and new students may arrive each day or week.

1. Plan a procedure to welcome new students to the class without putting the students on the spot or embarrassing them.  Be careful about personal questions. A good rule of thumb is never to ask students questions about their lives that we are not willing to answer ourselves.


2. Assign a student to welcome a new student to class. These are some possible tasks for the student:
1. Show the new student how to make a nametag.
2. Show the new student where to sign.
3. Explain the class schedule and class rules to the student.
4. Show the news student where the restroom is.
5. Introduce the student to the class.
6. Sit next to the new student during the class.


3. Periodically ask the whole class to recall the names of the new students. (“Where is our new student Maria?” “She is over there, next to Ana.")


4. Assign class jobs to students, e.g., managing attendance, distributing handouts, passing out books, lending supplies, or welcoming new students. Number your books. Hand them out in order. Make this a job in the class.  This encourages student-to-student interaction.


5. Use grouping strategies that allow students to practice with different students every day. Number heads or pass out colored paper and group accordingly. Use decks of cards with four of each type (four kings, etc.) to group students. If you have 24 students, pass out six sets of four similar cards, mixed up. The class then does a group activity with the students having the same cards. Spend the beginning of the activity having students ask each other informational questions, such as names, where they are from, where they live, who they live with, etc.  They’ll get to know each other and bond.


6. Get to class before the students and greet them as they arrive.  Learn their names quickly. Before class, when only a few students are there, get to know them. Inquire about their families and share information about your own family. Make time after class to follow up with individuals about personal situations that may be affecting their attendance.


7. Bring in a cake at the end of the month for all students who had birthdays that month. Also, sing "Happy Birthday" when birthdays come up. Post birthdays on a class calendar.


8. Rearrange desks so that they face each other.


9. Treat students like adults.  Let them be with their friends, but provide opportunities for students to mix with other groups.


10. Periodically check to see that students know each other’s names. Put up questions at the beginning of class about students’ names, e.g., "Name 4 students from Somalia."


11. For team-or class-builder activities, choose a familiar topic (e.g., "food") at the beginning of class. Use “tell me about” questions.


12. Teach language associated with social skills and group work, e.g., "It’s your turn," "Please share," "Sorry to interrupt," "Can you please repeat?," etc.


13. Find out why students are in class and what they expect to learn.  Regularly ask students if the lessons are still meeting their needs.


14. Challenge the students with high expectations.  Set rules for the class. We have learned that students respect this kind of structured atmosphere in the classroom.


15. Do a lot of interactive group work.  Do jigsaw reading exercises: In a group of four, each student is responsible for a part of a reading or a portion of the questions about a reading. Do group work that involves critical thinking and problem solving.


16. Work on setting a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Have a positive attitude. The teacher sets the tone of a class.


17. Involve students in problem-solving exercises.


18. Encourage students to exchange phone numbers when appropriate; create a buddy system.


19. Facilitate team projects (class potlucks, a talent show, class presentations).


20. In Citizenship classes, take pictures when students pass the exam. Put them on the wall.


21. Use a digital camera for class projects. Make a class collage of pictures of students and their interests. Post students’ pictures and autobiographies on the wall.  Provide opportunities at the higher levels for students to share information about their countries and cultures. The more students learn about other cultures, the more tolerant they will be.


22. Bring counselors, administrators, and custodians into the classroom to interview so that the students become more aware of their school community.


23. If there is a “loner” student who isn’t inclined to partner up, sit and practice with that student yourself, giving a little extra attention; then match that person with a compatible partner the next time.  Use gentle persuasion with very shy students.


24. Let students know that they will be welcomed back to class if they have to be absent.  Also, let them know that they were missed when they were absent. Do not make them feel guilty for missing class.


25. Finally, make language-learning fun. A sense of humor always breaks the ice, lowers barriers to communication, and builds community.

I realized how important community building is in the adult education ESL classroom after we completed a study at our school looking into the factors that contributed to high levels of learner persistence. We observed the classes of teachers with high persistence rates and analyzed what they all had in common. One of the common factors was a strong sense of community in the classrooms. One student said it all when she said that the reason she has continued coming to school is that she feels the classroom is like her family.

It is a powerful feeling when we realize that our classrooms have become little communities. The sky is the limit for the learning that takes place in that comfortable environment. The result is higher leaning gains and learner persistence.

Comings, John P. "The Process and Content of Adult Education in Family Literacy Programs," in Handbook on Family Literacy Programs (2004).