Open classroom meetings allow students to solve class problems as a group, view a situation from other students' perspectives, and respectfully agree and disagree with one another. This exchange increases critical thinking skills and allows students to share feelings related to their thinking. Last year, in a nearby urban school district, one teenager shot another teenager after school because he'd been called a name. We do not know. However, the open classroom meeting has the potential to decrease school violence through teaching children the skills to express their own thoughts and feelings, to listen to others, and to think about their behavior.
Open meetings increase children's understanding of and empathy for one another.
This leads to increased respect and appreciation for the differences and contributions of all class members. In such a climate, students feel competent to take responsibility for solving classroom problems. Building Classroom Discipline. Emmett, J., F. Monsour, M. Lundeberg, T. Russo, K. Secrist, N. Lindquist, S. Moriarity, and P. Uhren. Schools Without Failure.