An Alternative to Classroom Management: 6 Strategies to Cultivate Classroom Culture

This week, we’re offering an alternative to the traditional approach of classroom management. Instead of focusing on control, we’ll explore how to cultivate a classroom culture that thrives on student engagement, responsibility, and collaboration.

When I was thinking about episode 110, Antanas Mockus, a previous mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, came to mind. He was the mayor in the 1990s. As a traditional politician and former head of a large university, Antanas Mockus focused on building what he called a citizen culture. Listen here to learn more. His concept of a citizen culture is such a powerful reminder for us as an educator because we don’t want to be the enforcing person of the rules in the class. 

What about if we focus on creating a culture where students authentically are going to be more likely to follow the norms, and this is the important part, because they understand their value. In episode 110 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I share six practical strategies designed to help you create a positive and proactive classroom environment, where students are naturally inclined to follow norms and contribute to a supportive learning community.

Create Lessons About Second Language Acquisition

There’s a lot of research saying that we are more likely to follow a norm when we understand the value and more likely to do a favor when we understand the reason. We can help students understand the why by explaining to them how we acquire the language.

C0-Creating Norms

My next practice is co-creating norms with my students through guiding questions. I like to talk through norms by giving examples of norms for listening, cell phone use, and staying in the target language. I like to ask students questions like, “What are the things that are preventing you from listening?” and “Why do we want to stay in the target language in class?” Make sure to involve the entire class in the process. This leads to my next practice for creating a classroom culture, review norms daily with a call-and-response.

Review Norms Daily

When we set up the norms, we need constant reminders. So, it’s important to write these norms on the wall because do you think that your students are going to remember every single day the class norms? No, it probably is not going to happen. 

We want to keep norms fresh in students’ minds. I like to use call and response to remind students of norms in a fun and engaging way. We want to make them a part of the class routine and make it fun! I also wanted to make a choral response. I wanted the entire class, as a class, to be part of this norm reminder so it’s not me enforcing the rules, it’s us reminding ourselves of our norms.

So, I start with the first part, and my students finish with the second part. For example, when I have a student that is not following the norm, I walk towards the student, or I look at the student, and then I say the first part of the norm. Then, my class responds with the second part of the norm. Listen to episode 110 to hear more on how I do this. 

Consistency

At times, I find myself wanting to ignore when the norms aren’t being followed. I’m tired. But, if we don’t address it, it’s going to undermine our authority, and it’s going to get worse. It’s important for long-term success! In episode 110, I share how I approach every instance of a phone being out or students talking because consistency usually leads to better behavior over time.

Spotlight the Positive

We want to get into the habit of spotlighting the positive so that we can counteract the brain’s tendency to focus on the negative. It’s important to celebrate small wins and positive behaviors to build a positive classroom culture. I’ve surprised my students with my clapping in class. I started clapping for good behavior in my class, and I have kept up with it because once they see me do it, they start clapping and start smiling. I also like to do high fives. 

Build Relationships

We want to build relationships with students to create a supportive and respectful classroom environment. We do this by asking students how they are doing and providing opportunities for them to share their voices.

Avoid making assumptions about students’ behavior and instead build connections through genuine interactions. Building those connections are going to help you be more compassionate with your students, more empathetic and for them, the same thing.

The Bonus

I talked about a bonus strategy at the end of episode 110. That strategy is self-care, taking care of yourself. If I don’t take care of myself, I’m not going to have the patience I need to deal with 150 teenagers so I make sure that I get enough sleep. 

Teachers need to also have a plan B for when classes are not going well, such as having cultural articles ready to use. I have several of those printed out with all the activities ready to go. Another strategy that I use when things are not going well in class, is that I take a moment to settle down and address the class in a calm manner.

Let me know how these strategies help you shift from managing your classroom to fostering a culture that supports student success!