5 INNOVATIVE Ways to Create POSITIVE Classroom Culture

I share 5 innovative ways that I've found to help create and foster a positive classroom culture both when I taught elementary school as well as now in middle school.
1. Ask different questions
2. Do mindful breathing exercises
3. High-5 Friday!
4. Start a class Instagram
5. Weekly check-in
Mindfulness apps:
Headspace - www.headspace....
Calm - www.calm.com/
My class Instagram - / headwatersstem
#classroomculture #edchat
__
I’m Thom Gibson. I teach middle school math, robotics, a high school KZbinr elective, creator of The Thom Gibson Podcast and the Books & Beef Jerky Bookstagram, and learner of Mandarin and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,.
My Video, Podcasting, & Computer Equipment - www.amazon.com...
*contains affiliate links*
My channel in 30 seconds - • A Teacher / Filmmaker'...
The Thom Gibson Podcast, an NPR-style education-focused podcast -
thomgibson.com...
Find me on social media :)
Twitter - @gibsonedu
Instagram - @booksandbeefjerky
Blog - thomgibson.com

[@kaelanpotter]

My school district does “Good Things”, where (usually) at the beginning of class, students will just say some good things happening in their lives. The kids love this & are always so excited to share! It’s also a great way to connect with students and learn more about them. 😊

[@gibsonedu]

That's a really great practice. Reminds me of the show that John Krasinski did at the start of the pandemic, 'Some Good News'

[@user-jm2ds5og6z]

My old school started their day out the same way. I really think it helps them. get ready to learn. Thanks so much. Sounds like you're an amazing teacher!

[@gibsonedu]

Thank you!

[@Sarbaam]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us. Keep up the amazing work!

[@gibsonedu]

Thank you Sara :)

[@themathreflective]

Totally agree that classroom culture is the key to engaging students! I also want to know more about mindfulness in the classroom. Thanks for sharing! I am new to KZbin and vlogging and would love to connect with another math teacher.

[@gibsonedu]

Welcome to KZbin Cathy :) Looking forward to checking out your channel! I have a podcast and one of the episodes was actually how to use mindfulness in the classroom :) Here's a link to it - thomgibson.com/2019/01/30/mindfulness-in-the-classroom/

[@teatimeteaching4859]

Love the simplicity of this video. Straight forward and practical. I'm going to start the weekly check in this year. Do you have a resource with prompts to refer to ?

[@gibsonedu]

Yes! Here's a ton of the questions. Feel free to make a copy of the document and edit as needed. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12MPElzaKEFFo6sshypgtK6M_pDFN4GSbWldJO43MOaM/edit?usp=sharing

[@supriyajoshi1347]

Thom.. Yoga is absolutely helpful... Breathing helps so much... Great video

[@gibsonedu]

Thanks Supriya! I have been doing much more yoga at home now that we are in quarantine. It's helped!

[@cultivatelearn]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Well done.

[@gibsonedu]

Thanks Eileen!

[@soonwilson5239]

What kind of ‘Classroom expectation rules’ do you share with students on the first day of the school? Thank you for your insightful posts! From a virtual high school music appreciation/ choir teacher, Soon.

[@gibsonedu]

I don't share too many rules but I implement something called a classroom economy where students have classroom jobs. You can see more about that here - courses.thomgibson.com/courses/essential-student-jobs-for-the-middle-school-classroom-of-tomorrow And here's another thing I do on the first day - instagram.com/p/B1Zz2k8H76a/

[@dtthept9275]

I would use caution with a separate Insta account. Usually, a school will have their own PR team that would love to post your classroom activities. That way, admin won't be caught off-guard with anything. Just my 2 cents.

[@gibsonedu]

Good point. Yeah I always told my admin and all my student families about the class Instagram account right at the start of the year so there weren't any surprises.

[@PadminiBiswas]

Very helpful tips! Thank you.

[@gibsonedu]

Glad you found them helpful Padmini!

[@anafilipasenica6610]

That s great!!!

[@gibsonedu]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@sheriff7558]

Thankyou sir..

[@gibsonedu]

Sure thing Sheriff 🤠

[@hariraamanii]

I couldn’t find the instagram page, did you close it?

[@gibsonedu]

Try instagram.com/gibsoneducation I don't post there too much these days though. I'm more active on Twitter - twitter.com/gibsonedu

[@toschaferguson5749]

How do you start an Instagram page for your class?

[@gibsonedu]

Just go to Instagram and create a new account. If you're not sure how exactly, just search 'create a new Instagram account in 2023' on Google or KZbin. Could be something like 'fergusonsclass'

[@4my4blessings]

You could use a work email that is tied to the school, and as long as you are there you can add multiple pages, like "2023-24 Mr F Year 5 Class", then the following year, create a new page through the same email address... then when you leave the school, you can "give the accounts" back to the school. Since the email you used is locked to the school, they can decide to either delete them or archive them or just leave them going as inspiration for other teachers to be (like me!).

[@mpmaliag]

Do you close your eyes when you lead the meditation? As you are asking them too . But you kind of need your eyes open to keep an eye on everyone … hmm

[@gibsonedu]

I typically would just sort of gaze down at the ground. I tell them they can close their eyes or just look down at their desk so they don't HAVE to close their eyes. If students were ever doing something distracting I would use nonverbal communication to calmly ask them to stop.