Stduents connecting before content. Photo credit: Thomas Young

Leadership Tips 31 Jul 18 2 Comments

Conglom: Connecting Before Content

By Mark Collard
Experiential Trainer, Author & Speaker

The word ‘conglom’ is a term used to describe the ritual of daily meetings at the beginning of every school day at Riverside School in Ahmedabad, India.

Riverside starts every school day (that’s right, every day) with dedicated relationship-building time, often involving fun group games and activities. These conglom daily discussions meet the physical, social and emotional needs of the students, not to mention, positively contribute to their academic performance.

Watch this short five-minute video to see congloms in action, and listen to teachers and students discuss the enormous benefits of connecting before content.

You may note that many of the activities featured in the video can be found in playmeo’s activity database, for example, the Stepping Stones group initiative which the older students were navigating.

With thanks to Edutopia, this article was sourced from their fascinating series that explores Schools That Work.

Original post July 2018, last updated August 2018.

By Mark Collard - Experiential Trainer, Author & Speaker

Comments (2)

aledebur August 14, 2018

love…love…love this video. One of the pillars of Middle-Level Education is to be a time set aside called advisory. This is to work in the same way as the Congloms. But many schools have gotten rid of advisory time due to budgets and high stakes testing. This is a good reminder of what we SHOULD be doing. Thanks!
1. Mark Collard August 14, 2018
  
  You are right Anneliese, sometimes tight budgets get in the way of a powerful education. Just means we have to work a little harder to explain the value of connecting before the content. Thank you for your comment.