10 Simple ways to build a strong classroom culture part 2

Last time we focused on the ways you can organize your classroom structures in order to support strong classroom culture in your classroom by using student names to welcome them to class, validating all questions, and using check ins. This time we are going to talk about two ways you you can structure the learning in order to build culture as you teach.

1) Add personal anecdotes to connect learning to real life 

One of the most important things we can do to build culture in our classroom also supports student learning outcomes. And that is connecting the information and content students are learning about with real life. One of the best ways to do this is through sharing personal anecdotes as we are instructing. The subject I teach, social studies lends itself really well to this but in different ways than you might originally think. When I am sharing historical examples I use personal experiences of the broader themes of the topic to make personal connections for me and my students so they can understand the information in a powerful and real way. For example, explaining the differences between different types of governments using sibling and friend relationships as analogies with specific examples of my children or me and my brother as examples.

This allows students to understand more deeply the concepts of government, while also making personal connections with both the information and you as a person. And we know that when we are learning new information to make it stick we have to make connections in the brain, and the strongest connections are with emotions or personal experiences. When you use these real world and personal examples together you are not only deepening the learning but you are also seamlessly building a strong culture of understanding between you and your students and opening the conversation to get to know them better without taking time away from instruction.

You can do this in any subject area. The key is to make sure that you are clear on how students can use the information you are teaching them in the real world. So often I hear adults on social media waxing poetic about how they have gone another day without using the pythagorean theorem, or detailing structures of writing, or discussing newtons law of motion. What people are missing with these discussions, is that what you are learning about are that the learning objective wasn’t the Pythagorean theorum, but mathematical thinking and spatial reasoning that allows you to be better at things like packing the car, or getting furniture through a door, or determining which items at the grocery store are the better deal. Or in reading and writing you are really learning how to formulate an argument or tell if someone is lying. Or in science what you are practicing is understanding how space and time work so that you can drive a car safely in a storm. If you can help unmask the bigger picture for students for how learning about these things can and will help them in their real lives you are creating a culture of learning in your classroom that focuses on the power of education and makes it clear for students why the information matters. Because when students know why the learning matters they are more invested in it and that in itself builds a stronger and more positive classroom culture.

2) Ask them questions about themselves 

To add on to the strategy from above. While you are making the learning relevant, you should also use that time to ask them questions about themselves so that you can get to know them better and they can get to know each other better. This is a powerful way to help students feel comfortable and safe which makes for a better classroom culture. For example, when I make sibling analogies I will ask how many siblings everyone has, and then I can tailor my examples to the trends of the classroom or make sure to also touch on friendships for those students who don’t have siblings. I will also relate topics to well known pop culture ideas like asking them how many of them have seen or read Harry Potter or a movie where the ultimate story line is good vs evil. This allows them to share what they know and connect it on a conceptual level while also in the case of the latter question allows students to find people who also like the same things they like.

I have seen so many friendships grow out of these simple moments where students learn that someone else in the classroom also really likes the book, movie, singer, video game they like too. And this makes for a classroom culture where they treat each other like friends and peers rather than strangers. This allows students to feel safe and comfortable enough to work in groups, to ask each other questions, to share out their own thoughts and ideas, and to give each other feedback. And building this practice into the way you instruct so that students are practicing interacting with each other in safe and positive ways as a part of the everyday learning process is the most effective way to ensure students can work together and support each other in the process of learning.

For more ideas on ways to structure your instruction that allows for these things check out my resources page full of lessons, activities and more! Including lots of free resources!