Building a Successful Classroom

By. Meredith Biesinger

What is a successful classroom? A successful classroom isn’t about high test scores but engagement, differentiated instruction, creativity, and a safe, positive environment. You can’t have academic success without them!

Engagement 

Classroom engagement is critical! Students are much more likely to take a vested interest in what they are learning about and retain that information when they are engaged with the lesson and their classmates and teacher. 

Think about it: any meeting or training you’ve attended has been much more meaningful when you’ve participated. This is no different for a student of any age. 

Engagement helps with behavior issues—that’s a plus, right? Why? Because (most of the time) the student is enjoying what they are doing, meaning they are less likely to ruin instruction or be disruptive. Also, it keeps them occupied and busy, so there is no opportunity to misbehave. Of course, there are always exceptions to this, but engagement certainly does help! 

Differentiation for Different Learners 

We know by now that the one-size-fits-all approach is rarely practical. A successful classroom is a classroom that meets the needs of all learners. While high achievement is a goal, high growth is more important because growth is needed for each student to meet their goals and succeed. 

We need to meet students where they are. High growth requires teachers to move students from their starting point to their next academic level.

Creative Community 

A classroom is a community. It is where your students spend about eight hours each day. Allow them to express themselves, be creative and utilize their talents. Learning should be exciting, so don’t forget to have fun! 

Positive + Safe = Success

Creating a classroom that is a safe space for all students is crucial to their success. Creating a welcoming classroom that is a positive environment for everyone will undoubtedly contribute to the success of each student. By removing barriers of worry or anxiety, students can better engage with what’s being taught.  A classroom is more than just a classroom; it is a learning community where young minds spend large parts of their day. Creating a safe, positive, and engaging classroom that is also fun and designed for their success is a successful classroom.