Creating a Safe and Positive Classroom Climate
A student shared an experience from her class relating to cultural practices: “I was the only person with African background. There was a slide with different cultural practices, including Zwarte Pete (‘black Pete’). The teacher asked whether anyone knew what ‘black Pete’ entails. A white, Dutch girl started to explain it in a very condescending way. She had the stage to form the narrative and then I was the black girl who had to stand up, which made me feel very unsafe.”
The learning environment in the classroom can affect students’ engagement and performance. What teachers do in the classroom directly impacts students’ learning Finkelstein, S., Sharma, U., & Furlonger, B. (2021). The inclusive practices of classroom teachers: a scoping review and thematic analysis. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(6), 735-762. . Whether the class is in a large lecture hall, a small seminar group, or a laboratory, a learning environment where all students feel safe, valued, and respected is necessary for students to achieve and demonstrate their full potential Garibay JC. (2015). Creating a positive classroom climate for diversity UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development. https://equity.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CreatingaPositiveClassroomClimateWeb-2.pdf . In a safe learning environment, there is a positive atmosphere between the teacher and the students and amongst students. Feeling connected to your peers and teachers is an important aspect of students’ sense of belonging and motivation to learn Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.American psychologist, 55(1), 68. . Motivated students will learn more deeply Van Steenkiste, M., Sierens, E., Soenens, B., Luyckx, K., & Lens, W. (2009). Motivational profiles from a self-determination perspective: The quality of motivation matters. Journal of Educational Psychology. 101, 671-688 and will be less likely to drop out Tinto, V. (1975) Dropout from higher education: a theoretical synthesis of recent research.Review of Educational Research,45 89–125. .
A safe learning environment should also be inclusive. According to Ramdas, Slootman, and Oudenhoven-van der Zee (2019, p.p.16) Ramdas, Slootman, and Oudenhoven-van der Zee, (2019). The VU mixed classroom educational model. Link: Mixed_Classroom_booklet_tcm270-935874.pdf (vu.nl) : “While a ‘safe learning environment’ focuses on students’ wellbeing, an ‘inclusive learning environment’ goes beyond this, and focuses more on their experience of learning in diversity in the classroom.” A learning environment that is not felt as inclusive, might have negative effects on learning outcomes, especially for those students belonging to a minority group Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203-220. .
Tools
General actions teachers can take to create a safe learning environment
- Allow time and space for a group to form, and for all members to get to know each other, e.g., via ‘icebreaker’ exercises and time for informal contact with and between students. See section Teaching and Learning Activities.
- Create a document that sets out the ground values at the start of the course together with students. Such a document might describe how the community of students would like to communicate and behave during the class. Once the values have been agreed, make sure to incorporate it into the course manual or email all students a copy. For more details on this, please refer to ‘Dialogues in the Classroom’ Part 1: Ground Values.
- Have ‘check-ins’ at the beginning of every class, either as a whole group or in pairs, to break the ice and foster connections among students. Examples of ‘check-ins’ could be: “In the best class I ever had, students/the instructor…”, “I learn best when…”, “I don’t learn well in classes where…”, “Peers encourage me to learn when they…”.
- Get to know your students. Reduce anonymity in the classroom by learning students’ names and getting to know them, their interests and ambitions for the course, their special needs, or main concerns. For example, ask students or discuss in pairs the answers to questions like: Why did you choose this course and what do you hope to get out of it? What is your main expertise and what perspective do you bring to this course? This document provides examples of such questions.
- Set up an ‘idea box’ where students can anonymously put in suggestions, questions or feedback on the course and the course’s learning environment
- Model openess. Establish a teacher-student relationship based on transparency and trust. A key element for students to feel safe and comfortable is to model this behaviour yourself as the teacher. Share your interests, your personal learning process, the struggles and fears you have encountered, and the challenges you have overcome.
Find more examples of guidelines here:
- See Guidelines for Classroom Discussions and Example of Guidelines by Treviño
- See Setting Ground Rules for Class Discussion by UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development
Specific actions that teachers can take to facilitate intercultural learning and academic success
In a diverse classroom, students might come from different educational systems, which raises some typical challenges. Crose Crose, B. (2011). Internationalization of the higher education classroom: Strategies to facilitate intercultural learning and academic success. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 23(3), 388-395. provides some specific actions that teachers can take to overcome such challenges and facilitate intercultural learning and academic success:
- State clear expectations at the start of the course. Students (especially international students) need to adjust to new expectations and challenges associated with their academic work. You can facilitate students in achieving this for example by giving feedback.
- Stimulate asking questions. Students may not feel comfortable with interaction or asking (critical) questions if this was discouraged in their former educational system. Consider having students work in pairs or small groups (e.g., think-pair-share) first and/or collecting questions anonymously (e.g., in a one-minute paper, voting tool).
- Reduce time and energy spent on second/third language processing. Especially when teaching in English, almost everyone in the classroom will be working in their second (or third) langauge. It may take more time and energy to listen, read and think. Therefore, try to limit one-way communications in the form of lectures to shorter time periods. Provide recordings where possible. Pay attention to your non-verbal communication and pace. Introduce more active learning tasks.
- Make expectations and core values that guide interaction explicit. Students may experience difficulties working in diverse groups due to cultural differences and/or (unspoken) expectations. Use “icebreaker” exercises: see section Teaching and Learning Activities. Facilitate group work: acknowledging the unique strengths and insights that each student brings to the group. Include training on intercultural communication where possible.
How can teachers stimulate a safe and inclusive learning climate according to the VU Mixed Classroom model
Ramdas and colleagues (2019) believe that diversity in the classrooms can contribute to better learning outcomes, for example by creating an atmosphere where teachers can bring their own identities and differences in the classroom safely. In order for students to share their perspectives, teachers need to ensure that the learning environment is safe and inclusive. The authors describe some strategies:
- Acknowledging approaches and perspectives. Positively acknowledging an unexpected approach and/or a perspective of a student, for example by a teacher, already bears that this is appreciated and stimulates an inclusive learning environment (e.g., That is an interesting point, instead of “that is not relevant at the moment”)
- Welcoming approaches and perspectives e.g., by elaborating on the student’s input, a teacher not only shows that the alternative perspectives are accepted, but actively welcomes them in the learning process.
- Actively inviting approaches and perspectives (e.g., activities that stimulate students to bring in diverging perspectives or explore those of other students).
- Combining approaches and perspectives, and demonstrate how combining different perspectives raised in the classroom can lead to a new perspective.
For more information about these and other strategies, see Ramdas, Slootman, and Oudenhoven-van der Zee (2019). VU Mixed Classroom model
Additional Resources
Lee, A., Poch, R., Shaw, M., & Williams, R. (2012). Engaging Diversity in Undergraduate Classrooms: A Pedagogy for Developing Intercultural Competence: ASHE Higher Education Report, Volume 38, Number 2. John Wiley & Sons.
