Classroom or learning climate refers to the “ intellectual, social, emotional, and physical environments in which our students learn." (Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., & Lovett, M. C. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass)
You probably already knew that, but there are a couple of things I need to say about Classroom Climate that you don’t know. And you wouldn’t know, because it’s a personal and professional experience that happened to me.
My experience: I’d just started teaching MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) at my school. That’s important to remember, because if you pass an FL class and it’s dead quiet, something is off. Languages are meant to be spoken, right?
So there I was, having students move around the classroom, asking their classmates’ when their birthdays were, the end goal being, we could then tabulate the data and create a birthday calendar for the class. They had to ask and answer in French, so learning was happening. I was circulating, my ears keenly focused on ensuring my students got the structure and pronunciation right.
Fast forward to a week after and I see my name on a list of teachers who need classroom management sessions. Of course I investigated, and found out that another subject teacher (no, I’m not going to reveal which subject) had passed my class, found that it looked chaotic and reported me to the principal.
Just like that, my lunchtime on a Monday was gone and I had to eat while getting coached on how to teach. Was I upset? Yes. Did I want to throw some uppercuts? Oh, yes please! But I was young and didn’t have the arsenal of knowledge and experience that I do now.
I was told that my classroom climate wasn’t promoting learning. I found myself panicking if things got loud. When we moved desks and chairs for cooperative learning, I checked who was teaching next door to me and probably added to the noise by telling my students to be quiet. Point is, I doubted myself and what I believed about languages: They’re best learned when they’re practiced.
Fast forward to the present and I’m a firm believer of “controlled chaos”. What is it? See below:
“controlled chaos: A state or situation that is or has the appearance of being very chaotic or disorganized but is in actuality being managed or kept under control, whether by design or as a means of coping.” https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/controlled+chaos
I particularly chose this definition from this website because the example they used to put the term in a sentence, related to education:
“There's only so much you can do to keep a class of three-year-olds to a schedule, so instead I just try to guide them through the day with activities they might like. I think of it as controlled chaos.”
Face the fact people: Classrooms are chaotic. There’s one of you and approximately 30 (sometimes even 40) students. YOU have to take ‘control’ of the ‘chaos’ and make it work as optimally as you can, for YOUR class and YOUR subject. So that’s the first tip I’m going to give:
1. Own your space: Stop judging yourself by what other teachers’ classrooms look like. A Geography class is not going to look like a Math class and a Math class is not going to look like a Spanish class. If you need to arrange cooperative seating in your space, do so. Just don’t do it willy-nilly. Draw up a seating plan, print it, post it and keep it handy. Most importantly, stick to it. Don’t let anyone bully you into changing it.
However, if you realize ‘Ezekiel’ (used on purpose) needs to be monitored more closely and moved from where you initially put him, MOVE him. Don’t wait for the “LA LA, washy washy…” to reach your ears. For those who have no idea who I’m talking about check out Certified Sampson on Instagram…shout out to my Trini bro!
2. Movement is key: Psychomotor, psychomotor, psychomotor. A class period can range from 40 mins to an hour. Some of us have double periods, triple periods...don’t expect your students to sit still for the whole class. Yes, they get comfortable and when you tell them to circulate, they want to stay in their seats and just ask the question of the person next to them, behind them or in front of them. I literally have to walk around and tap on their table, saying, ‘get up, get up, I want to see you talking to someone across the room about what I just taught.’
Get them moving even if it’s for five minutes at a time. You hate to sit through PRO D. lectures and you scroll through your phone during staff meetings waiting for 2:30 p.m. to show up on your screen. You may even give ‘Enthusiastic Eddy’ a look that could kill when he asks a question at 2:29 p.m. Don’t expect students to sit through lengthy classes, when you can’t even do the same.
3. Gamify: So I relate it again to my subject area. Learning vocabulary can be tedious. That is, if you just write up a list on the board, go through pronunciation and then tell your students that by the end of the week, they’re getting a pop quiz on the new words. Boring.
I recently found and subscribed to a website called Teach and learn French online simply | Log in which allows students to use flashcards to study new vocabulary. A native speaker pronounces the word and they can add the French & English to the card if they choose. I discourage them from adding English though, because I really want them to just associate French with the image. After they practice, they can play a myriad of games related to the vocabulary terms, like planting a garden before a storm (hangman type game), do a word search, play memory and match cards, they’re a lot of games. The nicest thing about this site is that they don’t need to sign up or log in. You just give them a sharecode and they’re in.
I used it in class last week and honestly, I couldn’t believe how enthusiastic students got about running up to the board and matching pictures with French! They thoroughly enjoyed the class and learnt their vocabulary. Was there a lot of noise, shouting even? Yes…but it was related to learning. Controlled chaos. I know tech is an issue in many schools, but you can give your students the sharecode and have them practice and play at home. There are MANY other sites and we’ve shared them before, Quizziz, Blooket, Kahoot etc. Pick your game, get your students engaged.
4. Question & Collect Student info: You can’t create a positive classroom environment if you don’t know exactly WHO is in your habitat (permit me my limited nature analogies). Get to know your students by sending out a Google form or if tech doesn’t allow, have them fill in an “ABOUT ME” document when you first meet them. Let them tell you their likes/ dislikes/ what activities they like to do/ what a fun class looks like to them etc. Each and every one of your students has a unique fingerprint and brain. Don’t just stick them altogether.
If you think it’s too far in the academic year for this, plan for next year. Ask students to complete (and this time anonymous) feedback/ review form of how they felt about your class. What did you like/ what didn’t you like about my teaching? Did I make you feel safe/ comfortable/ scared/ nervous?
And yes, prepare yourself for some raw honesty. Keep a box of tissues handy and cry if you have to. Just remember, you’re not a terrible teacher/ person. But you can always do better. We all can. I know my students dislike how strict I am and it’s a battle I’m currently struggling with. But deep down, I know that they know, I care.
It comes out when you meet them 18 years down the line and they hug you and tell you that “Miss, you used to be on we case, but we used to give you real pressure, boy. I eh go lie.” Trust me, you will get hailed out from a car passing on the road, stopped in a supermarket, and hopefully, helped out at a bank (all experiences I had) by the students who’ve grown up and realized that teaching is not for the faint hearted.
So the next time a colleague ‘rats you out’ because your class was too loud or didn’t look organized enough, don’t get mad, don’t get even…just count to ten, twenty, a hundred… and say the words ‘Controlled Chaos” to yourself. If all the boxes above have been checked and you can measure student learning in that environment, brush it off and keep your head held high. If you get called in for not knowing how to manage your class, present the data (student engagement stats/ test scores/ seating plan) and don’t doubt yourself.
You know what no two people are alike either? Teachers … Educators. We can learn from each other, but we can’t be each other. Neither should we try to be. We all try to control the chaos in the best way we can..well, most of us at least. But I’mma leave that last comment right there. 🙂
Have a great one my fellow educators!