This innovative book shows teachers how to use class meetings to set the tone for a respectful classroom, involve students in decision-making, provide opportunities for student leadership, develop effective problem solving strategies, and reduce behavior problems.

Teachers will find everything they need to make class meetings an integral part of classroom learning:

• Model for class meetings - from general guidelines regarding time and physical setting to procedures for opening and closing the meeting.
• Strategies for encouraging discussion and helping students gain confidence in solving problems together.
• Ideas for building student self-concept, such as Student-of-the-Week, "Me" Mandala, Personality Packs, and Silent Messages.
• Tips for building a classroom community using tools that include People Search, Class Photo Album, Learning Journals, Buddies and Potluck Luncheons.

Highly readable, student comments throughout the book express student enthusiasm for the benefits of class meetings. Ready-to-copy sheets for running meetings and tracking and evaluating student interaction will save teachers valuable classroom time.

This practical handbook will show teachers how to use class meetings to help students grow as learners and problem solvers.