by Roel Snieder
Every meeting is held in a particular atmosphere. The tone of a meeting can be relaxed or stressed. The facilitator can have a hierarchical attitude by running the meeting top-down or participants are empowered to actively participate. Those in the meeting may feel heard and seen or they may feel they are just a number in a crowd. We call the atmosphere in which a meeting is held the container of the meeting. It is this container that holds the meeting, the word describes the tone and atmosphere of the meeting. As leaders it is important that we create a container for every meeting that supports the purpose of that meeting.
This also holds when we are teaching. As teachers we can create different types of classroom environments. Since the classroom environment can have a big impact on students’ sense of safety and wellbeing, as well as on the degree to which they learn, it is important that teachers are intentional about the classroom environment they create. The tone for a course is largely determined by what happens in the first few classes; the first class is particularly important for creating the container for a course. In this newsletter we focus on choices that teachers can make early in the course for creating a container for their course.
Motivate students first. The conventional way to start a course is to introduce yourself as a teacher, and then dive into the syllabus to discuss outcomes, grading, and attendance policies. Alternatively, you could show some examples related to the class topic that surprises students and that piques their attention. Starting the course with a syllabus communicates to students that “rules and procedures have priority.” Starting with motivating examples not only draws students in; it also conveys that as a teacher you are passionate about the class topic and want to share this passion. Of course, class rules and the syllabus are important, but students in higher education can read the syllabus as a homework assignment. If you spend the first class largely on the syllabus because “they probably won’t read it,” then students probably will not pay attention either when you discuss the syllabus in class. So motivate students first, and cover class procedures later.
Think about the layout you use for the classroom. The way in which students are seated influences the way in which students interact with the teacher and with each other. A classroom where students are seated behind tables that are neatly arranged in rows with a teacher lecturing in front creates a top-down atmosphere where the teacher dispenses material that is to be digested by students. In contrast, a classroom with tables arranged in clusters where students face each other encourages interaction between students. And when the teacher walks between the clusters of tables there likely is more student-teacher interaction. For one of my classes, I push all tables to the side and students sit in semicircle. In fact, students often engage in group conversations while sitting on the floor, which they love. This is an extreme example, alternative seating arrangements don’t work for all classes, and in some classrooms, one cannot change the seating arrangement. But if you can create a better class atmosphere by changing the seating arrangement, then don’t hesitate to rearrange the classroom before the first class starts. Students can help putting the tables and chairs back if needed, and I found students that students are happy to put in the work to rearrange the classroom.
Decide how you want to be addressed. How do you want to be addressed in class? Do you prefer that students use your academic title (Dr. Jekyll), do you want to be addressed by your gender (Mr. Hyde), or do you prefer that students use your first name? Being addressed formally may help establish authority and show your professional training, but it may create a distance. Using your first name may help students relax, but you might have a concern that some students may confuse your informal attitude with being unprofessional. There are good reasons for either option, but your choice likely will impact how students view you before they get to know you better.
Make sure that students feel heard and seen. We all want to be heard and seen. What do you do to make that students feel heard and seen? You could be in class early and spend time talking to students as they come in. This may be difficult near the start of the course when you are scrambling to get ready, so it takes planning to be in class a little early. Name tents are a great tool to learn student’s names, and they also help you address students by their name even when you have not memorized them yet. Encouraging students to speak up in class gives students a voice. The rhetorical question “does anybody have questions?” is not particularly useful because students may see this as an invitation to make a confession of ignorance. Instead, you can let them discuss a topic in a small group and ask for a group reaction, or you can ask for a reaction through an electronic tool such as Poll Everywhere and then follow up with a class conversation.
Tell students how to get help and lower the threshold for getting help. It helps students to know that you are there to support them in their growth, and most teachers have office hours. You can share office hours in the syllabus, but students may feel hesitant to drop by. A conversation in one of the first classes in which you communicate that you are there to help and support them in their growth, and that you would love to get to know them better on a one-on-one basis, may encourage students to stop by. Offering goodies or tea in your office gives students an additional incentive to come by.
Bring levity into the classroom. How serious are you in class? Do you communicate messages that increase stress levels? Here are some examples of such messages: this is a tough course, you need to give it everything, or this class is only for the best. On the other hand, a light tone may help students relax, and it may make you more approachable as a teacher. Jokes help students relax, but the danger with jokes is that they may be offensive, or they may not be funny (which is a persistent problem for me). Self-deprecating humor is safer, and as a bonus it helps teachers get off a pedestal.
Surprise students in a positive way. Students may come into a class with stereotypic notions about their teachers. Surprising students in a positive way may help dispel such notions. In a spur of the moment, I recently shook the hands of students and asked them for their name as they milled around at the start of the first class. They were pleasantly surprised, and so was I! You could bring a treat to class or show a fun video that makes students relax. Who does not like a pleasant surprise?
Taking these steps as early as possible in a course helps create a classroom environment that supports students. The container that you build for your class will have a big impact on the experience that students have. It is important that in building the classroom environment you remain authentic and true to yourself.
Here are some questions you could use in a conversation with colleagues.
- Do you make conscious decisions about the classroom environment that you want to create? Be aware that even if you don’t think about the container for your class, you will create a classroom environment either consciously or unconsciously.
- What container do you build for your classes, and how do you do that?
- Is there anything you want to change in the way you build the container for your class?
- What can you do for creating a safe, inspiring, and positive classroom environment once a class is started?
- Start today! Is there anything you intend to do for the next class session that you will teach?