Collaborative Classroom Expectations - Eating Strategy Every Morning

Educators can learn so much from business experts and successful entrepreneurs (and vise versa). When I’m really at my best and most impactful as a teacher, I’m essentially running a small business and the profit is student growth, in academics, in confidence, and in connection with others. And one idea that feels true down to my bones is this:

If you’ve ever tried to make an impact in a toxic culture, you probably feel this in your bones too.

That’s why I spent a not small chunk of time at the start of school intentionally building culture. A few tech tools make this so much easier than it’s ever been.

And it’s not too late to implement culture building! Indeed, it should continue all year long.

Here’s what I did this year:

Step 1: Build a Class Description - Students describe themselves in a quickwrite, things they like, goals for the future, etc. Then they share in pairs, and then in groups of four to find similarities. All groups then share out, and the list of similarities is compiled.

Next, put the whole class list into the generative AI tool of choice, and request an overall class description:

Before posting in class, students have the opportunity to edit the description.

Step 2: Seek Student Voice - Use a digital survey of choice to ask students what they need in order to maximize learning. I had students brainstorm and share with partners before taking the survey so that they had time to think about their specific needs.

Step 3: Create Unique Classroom Expectations - Copy the survey responses into the generative AI tool of choice, and ask for a list of three statements that declare what students need to learn in class. I also asked for any outliers to ensure I wasn’t missing a single but compelling response.

Step 4: Post and Sign - Having each student sign ceremoniously is a way to publicly declare their commitment to the expectations, and also a little silly and fun, which is completely my jam.

Step 5: Review, Reflect, Refine - Take the opportunity to review classroom expectations and reflect on how I’m doing and how they are doing in upholding the expectations. I also periodically discuss how our classroom expectations are different from school rules, but definitely aligned. Cell phones are a real problem so far, and the rule is no cell phones in the classroom. That’s 100% aligned to commitments such as “engaging fully in discussions”. 

Building a culture of respect, shared values, common goals, and a commitment to learning together takes a little time, but classroom culture underpins everything we try to accomplish as educators. So worth the time!