Are you looking forward to the weekend?
You may want to cancel your movie night plans to get ahead in building a positive classroom culture.
Intentionally designing your classroom culture can feel like a difficult place to make headway, but I’ve got 10 strategies for you that you can start applying this weekend. Or, whenever you have time if you want to do your movie night this weekend instead.
Strategy #1. Get visual aids for classroom rules
Thankfully, effective classroom management doesn’t require a big investment, but I would highly recommend colorful visual aids outlining classroom rules.
It will clearly communicate the expectations for your classroom culture and promote a positive learning environment in no time.
Visual aids such as posters or charts displaying classroom rules and expectations can serve as constant reminders for students. This helps reinforce positive behavior and minimize disruptions.
You can create visuals that include simple, clear language and interesting graphics to make the rules easily understandable for all students.
And, involving students in the creation process or allowing them to contribute ideas for the visual aids can increase their ownership and commitment to following the rules.
Bonus: Need some additional classroom management support? Grab my Classroom Management Toolkit to help you with strategies, scripts, and tips.
Strategy #2. Research Time
A weekend is a great time to do things you usually don’t have time or energy for during your busy week.
For example, We Belong by Laurie Burton and Patti Kinney has significantly impacted my understanding of belonging in the classroom community.
The book dives into the feeling of belonging and why it is so important for classroom culture. Basically, it shares how some students might feel left out or like they don’t fit in, and it’s up to us as teachers to change that.
One key aspect is the role of teacher-student relationships. The authors emphasize the importance of building authentic connections with students and understanding them as individuals.
They also share tons of great strategies to create opportunities for student voice and agency, using culturally relevant teaching, and encouraging teamwork and respect among students.
I really appreciate the insights and actionable ideas for building a positive and inclusive classroom culture where students feel connected and empowered to succeed.
Strategy #3. Define Your Goals
If you’ve been getting burned out in your teaching role lately, you may need to define your goals for cultivating a positive classroom culture to feel reinvigorated.
I know you’re probably thinking, “But wait, Holly, you told me to do this back when I started dealing with my teacher burnout.”
You’re right, but here’s the thing:
You have to check in with your goals to ensure they still apply and be willing to change what needs adjusting.
If you’re feeling a little lost with this step, I created this free Goal Planner on getting clear on your why. It will help you focus in with clarity in no time.
Get your free Goal Planner now >>
Strategy #4. Do Something Unrelated to Teaching
All work and no play make Jack and Jill pretty dull.
It is the weekend, and you deserve some time off.
Taking time away from thinking about your classroom culture can be a great way to restore the energy you need to restore the energy you need to tackle whatever comes your way next week.
Some of my favorite ways to unwind are:
- Reading a novel
- Going for a walk in nature
- Doing some yoga
Remember, when you unwind, don’t keep worrying about building a positive classroom culture. And forget about grading, lesson plans, and all the rest to truly unwind.
Strategy #5. Book a coffee date with your Mentor
Combining work and play is a clever way to get ahead on classroom culture building and still have some fun.
Your mentor (or teacher bestie) would love to help you with ideas about creating the best classroom culture for you and your students. They probably have a ton of great ideas they’ve used over the years!
Always reach out before things become too overwhelming.
Don’t have a mentor yet? Take this weekend to cultivate a relationship with an educator you admire, reach out to another expert in the teaching field, or scroll through Facebook groups to find like-minded professionals.
Related Post: The Benefits of Peer Coaching for K-12 Teachers
Strategy #6. Brainstorm Your Classroom Culture Ideas
Get your whole group of friends involved.
If a challenging classroom environment has gone unsolved for too long, a good brainstorming session might be just what you need.
It’s hard to figure things out on your own, and sometimes a fresh perspective can make all the difference.
Despite being surrounded by students and colleagues, we often work independently in our classroom with limited opportunities for collaboration and peer feedback
Seeking support and collaboration from colleagues, or even friends outside of education, can provide new insights and help to overcome the sense of isolation many teachers face.
One of my clients was at her wits end with maintaining student engagement in her classroom, but she booked a session with me for a one-hour consultation to brainstorm ideas.
By the end, She had a great plan to increase student engagement and agency in her lessons and a path forward with an upcoming learning project.
Here are some brainstorming tips to get you started:
- Write down all your ideas, no matter how wild they may seem
- Take a break and come back to your ideas with fresh eyes
- Invite a colleague or friend to review your ideas with you, and bounce ideas off each other
Strategy #7. Try Adding Mindfulness to Your Classroom Culture Routine
Evidence suggests that teachers who implement quick culture building strategies, like mindfulness activities or positive affirmations, experience greater student engagement and a more positive learning environment.
The weekend is a great way to start adding it to your classroom routine.
You can get started before Saturday breakfast by jotting down a list of positive affirmations to share with your students at the beginning of each class.
Adding this simple practice to my own classroom routine made a noticeable difference in student morale and participation. I found the affirmations helped build a growth mindset in my students.
They were more eager to engage in discussions and activities, and we had more overall joy in the classroom.
The great news?
You don’t have to go all-in on this or spend hours of time to see if it’s working for you. You should know pretty quickly. Just test it out by incorporating some affirmations into your routine for a week. Then evaluate the impact on student engagement and the overall classroom culture.
If you’re getting results (and I bet you will!), here’s how to amplify them:
- Expand the practice to include additional mindfulness exercises
- Incorporate student input into the affirmations, or let them create their own!
- Engage in class meetings for students to discuss how mindfulness is helping them in and out of the classroom
And if this strategy isn’t a good fit for you, that’s absolutely okay. There are plenty of ways to build your classroom culture so just move on to #8, below.
Remember, you’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose because this one is a quickie!
Strategy #8. Create a Classroom Culture Compass
Do you consider yourself a creative person? Good!
It’s time to put those creative talents to use for your classroom culture.
Introducing your Classroom Culture Compass! This is a simple tool to organize and track your efforts in building a positive classroom environment.
This could be a digital spreadsheet or a physical journal where you document activities, reflections, and observations related to your classroom’s culture.
Your Classroom Culture Compass will help you stay focused on your goal of creating a supportive and inclusive learning community.
By regularly updating and reviewing your compass, you can track progress, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate successes along the way.
I don’t want to hear anything about it not being perfect or good enough. Start with what you have and build from there.
Remember, progress is more important than perfection, You can’t make it perfect if you never start.
Strategy #9. Optimize your Classroom Culture
If you’re looking for another actionable way to improve your classroom culture, chances are your approach could use optimizing.
Optimizing your classroom culture involves fine-tuning your teaching methods, classroom environment, and interactions with students. This reflection and adjustment helps you create an even more positive and effective learning experience.
By optimizing, you can enhance student engagement, improve academic outcomes, and create that supportive and inclusive classroom culture.
Your Classroom Culture Compass from Step 8 will give you lots of insights on where you can continue to fine-tune.
If you don’t optimize your classroom culture, what will happen is you’ll miss out on opportunities to maximize your students’ potential and create an enriching learning environment.
You might always feel like you’re one step behind in meeting the diverse needs of your students.
Here are some tremendous optimizing ideas to get you started:
- Set up a classroom culture survey to gather feedback from your students on what aspects of the classroom they value most and where improvements can be made.
- Create tracking tools to monitor student progress, behavior patterns, and classroom dynamics, so you can identify trends and make data-driven decisions for improving your teaching strategies.
- Organize your classroom resources and material to create a more efficient and accessible learning environment, making sure your students have the tools they need to succeed.
Strategy #10. Implement Student Agency
If you’re new here, it may be the first time you’re hearing me talk about how much I love project-based learning as a way to increase student agency and build a positive classroom culture.
It’s my secret to getting deep student engagement and creating fantastic results in student learning outcomes.
Here’s how it works:
- Encourage students to take ownership of their learning by allowing them to choose topics of projects that align with their interests and passions.
- Provide opportunities for students to collaborate with peers, share ideas, and work together to solve real-world problems or explore meaningful topics.
- Build a supportive learning environment where students feel empowered to take risks, ask questions, and make decisions about their learning journey.
- Incorporate reflection and feedback loops into the project, allowing students to assess their progress, celebrate achievements, and identify areas for growth.
- Showcase student work and accomplishments, celebrating diversity of thought and creativity, and creating a classroom culture of pride and celebration.
I love this process because project-based learning empowers students to take ownership of their own learning and explore topics that are meaningful to them.
It’s a game-changer for building a positive classroom culture where students feel valued, motivated and excited to learn.
Not sure where to start? I created this free PBL Project Planner you can use.
Download your free PBL Project Planner now so you can get started (click the image below)
Want more help with Classroom Culture?
If you have any questions on these strategies, get in touch here and I’ll do my best to help. My mission is to inspire teaching that ripples across generations.
I first launched Empowered Educators when I realized how much I love teaching the adults who are making a difference in the lives of their students every day.
My hope is that this guide has helped you get one step closer to your ultimate goal of creating your ideal classroom culture (and given you a few juicy ideas for the weekend!). Hey, who said Sundays can’t be relaxing AND productive?
Personally, my favorite strategy from this list is #4 but any one of them should start netting you better results in student engagement, classroom management, and your overall classroom culture.
So let me know which ones you plan on trying in the comments!
