Blogs In these videos, you’ll find tips to help build authentic relationships with your students and define your classroom culture.
1. Creating a “Comfortable” Classroom Environment: Middle school can be a sensitive age where students may start feeling anxious about belonging in their communities. Mr. Van Dyck puts students at ease with verbal and nonverbal indicators, and encourages students to be themselves around him.
2. Advisory: Check-In and Support and Building Student-Advisor Relationships: Having a time and place where students can talk about their lives and receive support from peers and teachers can go a long way in creating a positive class culture. Advisories can be helpful in both small groups or one-on-one with educators and students.
3. Making it Personal in the Classroom: Ms. Koch shows how sharing personal anecdotes makes students feel safe and more inclined to open up to her about their lives.
4. Star Student of the Day: Ms. Laurance builds community by regularly featuring a student in her class as the “Star Student of the Day.” This student gets interviewed by his or her peers, allowing the class to learn about each other and share their similarities and differences.
5. Inquiry-Based Teaching: Supporting Quieter Students and The Wingman: Engaging Reluctant Students: Drawing out quiet students can be a challenge, particularly in class discussions. This video demonstrates how to raise student confidence, and proposes ways teachers can ensure students’ voices are heard, in and out of the classroom.
6. Build Relationships: Teach More than “Just Math”: Ms. Warburton uses simple gestures to learn about her students and show her appreciation for them on a daily basis.
