5 Most Effective Ways To Create A Classroom Culture
The foundation of any successful classroom is strong classroom culture. It is an intentional environment created and sustained by both the teacher and students. Students feel safe, empowered, welcomed, and open to feedback when a class has a positive classroom culture. They are more likely to hold each other accountable to sustain the positive class environment, expectations, and shared goals. Creating a strong positive classroom culture takes intentional work and investing time. When done correctly, a teacher is able to create a dynamic space where students are engaged, involved in their classroom community and learning, sharing ideas and experiences, and there is trust between the student and the teacher.
Why is Culture Important?
Children thrive in a community where they can contribute and feel supported. Therefore, you can support a child’s social-emotional needs and development when you create a strong positive classroom culture. In turn, children will engage more with the lesson, be proactive about learning, try new things, and look forward to being in the classroom environment overall. Having a safe and welcoming classroom is a crucial foundation for better learning.
Five ways to create a strong classroom culture
The classroom culture is created and influenced by the language we use, the responsibilities we encourage, and our teaching procedures. Therefore, when creating a strong classroom culture, we have to be intentional about each of these things.
Use language that encourages a sense of belonging. When you use inclusive language like “we, “us,” and “our,” it invites your students into the community of learning in your classroom. It also sends the message that they are a valued member of the classroom and that everyone is learning together as collaborative partners invested in each other’s success.
Create a sense of purpose. I do this in my classroom by always explaining to students how the lesson we are working on will help them in the future. Future can mean anything between tomorrow’s lesson or ten years down the road. I try to help my students understand that everything we do in the classroom builds on each other and will benefit them in some way. I find that students get more interested and invested in an activity if they understand the purpose or benefits and rally behind it. For example, for one class, we were working on vocabulary drills. Before starting the lesson, I explained that doing this drill would help them increase their vocabulary, become stronger writers, and impress their peers and parents or guardians. I praised and gave a shoutout to each student who used the vocabulary we were learning in class beyond the lesson.
Establish routines. Create consistent routines of what happens throughout the day and in each lesson. For example, in my classroom, my lessons always follow the same agenda structure of a Do Now (or bell activity), a 10-minute mini-lesson or activity introduction, the activity (projects, group work, individual practice, etc.), the review, and lastly the exit ticket. Keeping a consistent structure or routine helps students understand what they should be doing throughout the lessons and minimizes their stress by removing uncertainties. If students come to class knowing what to expect and what might happen, they will be more ready to learn.
Set rules and expectations. I have observed classrooms with many rules, and I have observed classrooms with little to no rules. I have found that classrooms with a strong positive culture have a handful of rules that the student and teachers have created. Like having a consistent routine, having clear rules and guidelines helps set the class’s tone. When done correctly, students understand what is expected of them, what is expected of each other, and what they can expect from their teacher. The most effective classroom rules encourage good behavior and minimize disruptive ones. You will get more buy-in from students if you can create a set of class rules with their input and finalize a list that everybody can agree on. You can create class rules as a lesson at the beginning of the year and review them in the middle of the school year.
Use praise well. When praising students, it’s important to praise their efforts rather than their natural ability. Doing so will help you create an environment wherein all students feel like they can do well if they try their best. Your students will not only feel empowered, but they will also develop a growth mindset. Moreover, using praise well can help you create a culture with an emphasis on hard work and drive students to achieve.
Though you can take many other steps to create a strong classroom culture, the five ways I’ve listed in this post are a great starting point. Taking the time to think about the kind of culture you want to create in your class is a great way to make a positive learning environment for students.