Building Strong Relationships - Matt McDonell

Teacher

Matt McDonell has been teaching 5th grade science, social studies and health at Normandale Hills Elementary School for 15 years.

Instructional Strategy

Mr. McDonell is well known for building strong positive relationships with students and families. He embeds Social Emotional Learning into everything he does, using a wide variety of strategies to connect with students and support them in making connections within and beyond school.

Starting Early

Mr. McDonell starts building relationships early by introducing himself to students starting in kindergarten in the hallways, during patrols and while covering classrooms for colleagues. He continues to connect with students at every opportunity, asking about their interests. By the time students reach 5th grade, they are excited for his class.

Being Real

McDonell’s fellow teachers describe him as authentic with students, staff and families. He shares his own struggles with his students and makes his classroom a safe place where students feel they have permission to fail and to start over. A classroom wall boasts a favorite quote: “Free yourself from what you don’t know.”

Student Centered

McDonell believes students can make good choices about how to use their time. When students are done with assigned work, they have some choice. Reading is a frequent choice. McDonell also reads a lot so he can ask students about their favorite movie or video game, for example, and match them up with books they will enjoy from his gigantic classroom library (see photos below).

Connecting with Technology

McDonell and his 5th grade team set the tone for the school year by asking students to make a Flipgrid video of how to pronounce their name. They want students to be proud of their names and they want to say their names correctly. Students make a second Flipgrid video about who they are and what they want their classmates to know about them.

Trying New Things

McDonell draws a lot on documentaries and pop culture and tries to think outside the box and experiment with new tools and practices. Recently he has been using Gimkit, a gamified flashcard app like Kahoot and Quizlet, that is also like a game show for the classroom requiring knowledge, collaboration and strategy to win.

See What It Looks Like

Check out the photos below from Mr. McDonell’s classroom.