The primary aspect of Billy's scenario is that he has the propensity to be disruptive. I believe that this tendency of his is due to the fact that he is able to complete his work relatively quickly, the work is easy for him to accomplish, and then he becomes bored. The larger issue involved here is the fact that he evidently needs to be on an advanced track for learning, and is involved in a school in which homogenous learning occurs.
That said, Billy is one of the primary candidates to benefit from community-building -- mostly because it will allow him to apply his considerable intellect to some other aspect of academics that he has not already mastered. There are several facets of his character that make him perfect to become involved in perspective taking. He is naturally gregarious, so the essential concept of community-building is already ingrained within him. Moreover, he has the scholastic potential to understand concepts that may be more advanced than the usual, which will only assist him in applying learning to community building. Finally, there is a distinct correlation between community-building and discipline that would be beneficial to him (Jankowski, 2002, p. 1).
There are a number of specific strategies I would utilize to help Billy understand that he is an integral part of a larger community, the likes of which can assist in his learning. The aforementioned example about field trips was both hypothetical and pragmatic -- as such, I would be delighted to take Billy and his class on trips in which they could actually see concepts that they are learning about put into action. For instance, if in his language arts class they are studying aspects of history, or perhaps in his social studies class, I would like to take this class to a museum so that they could truly connect with the surrounding community -- and context -- to which this subject matter pertains. The overarching point, of course, would be to expose students like Billy to the fact that there is a bigger purpose to their studies than just pure scholastic value. That purpose, of course, is in the creation and sustaining...
If the students were able to utilize either email or traditional mail (the latter of which may work better in this instance) to understand that there is a world of difference to be found in different countries and time zones, and that not everybody lives life and studies the same thing. However, the point is that although the subject matter differs, the students will come to realize through this particular exercise that everybody still lives life, studies, and learns. Thus, Billy could actively take part in the burgeoning global community and understand that what he thinks and feels and learns about can influence others, just like the thoughts and studies of others can influence him.
In summary I truly believe that by using these two aspects of perspective taking as a reward for continued improvement in schoolwork and good behavior (meaning less interruptions), Billy could engage in active community building which would both educate and edify him.
References
Hardin, C.J. (2012). Building Community. In C.J. Hardin, Effective Classroom Management: Models and Strategies for Today's Classroom (3rd ed., pp. 139-154). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Jankowski, K.A. (2002). "Community building: A positive approach to discipline in schools." Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED475324.pdf
Kohn. (1997). I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THIS RESOURCE -- it CAME FROM YOUR PARAGRAPH
McFarland-Piazza, L., Lord, a., Smith, M., Downey, B. (2012). "The role of community-based playgroups in building relationships between pre-service teachers, families and the community." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37 (2): 34-41.
