5 Ways to Cultivate a Joyful Classroom Community
If you asked students to describe their school day, what adjectives might they use? Would learners say they feel inspired, happy, excited, or joyful? My hope is that there would be several positive adjectives used to describe their school experience.
There is neuroscience research behind the importance of joy in the classroom:
“When students are engaged and motivated and feel minimal stress, information flows freely through the affective filter in the amygdala and they achieve higher levels of cognition, make connections, and experience “aha” moments. Such learning comes not from quiet classrooms and directed lectures, but from classrooms with an atmosphere of exuberant discovery.” (Kohn, 2004)
My experiences as a classroom teacher and instructional coach have also allowed me to see the benefits of joy in the classroom. As I designed lessons, and sometimes right in the moment of facilitating, I would intentionally interweave joy into learning. Joy and learning don’t have to be separate. If we want to promote deeper engagement that leads to long-term understanding, joy is an essential ingredient.
Ways to infuse joy in your classroom
- Encourage Choice: Choice can exist anywhere in our schools, from having the opportunity to co-create the classroom culture alongside peers and teachers to choice in learning. Choice can also exist within a flexible learning environment where students select seating or feel they learn best. We can also build choice into learning through choice boards, exploration time, i.e., makerspace, 20% time, etc., or even opportunities as simple as reading time.
- A Culture of Celebration: Look for opportunities to celebrate even the tiniest moments in your classroom. You might invite learners to choose how they’d like to celebrate learning, growth in various areas, or individual accomplishments. Some classes use quiet hand signals to celebrate what peers share in the moment. You might also provide space to post celebrations on bulletin boards, chart paper, or a wall. Each day we can share or acknowledge what’s being celebrated to uplift our classroom culture through joy.
- Cultivate and Explore Interests: Provide space for learners to cultivate interests and explore to develop passions. When students feel that their interests matter and experience curiosity, we deepen engagement and foster joy in learning. I’ve seen exploration centers within classrooms, makerspaces, or learning labs that help make this possible. However, simply providing time within each day or week along with basic resources can support learners to cultivate and explore interests.
- Incorporate Gamified and Project-Based Learning: Game design elements elevate engagement and drive learning, sparking joyful experiences. You might be interested in more here. Project-based learning (PBL) allows for student voice, choice, and opportunities for students to connect to topics within projects deeply. PBL often inspires learners to take action by advocating, sharing their learning, or making a meaningful difference due to their project.
- Relationships: Relationships are the heartbeat of every joyful classroom. Fostering connections is one of the most powerful ways we can infuse joy into learning. We can connect with learners throughout each day by remaining mindful of what matters most; authentic relationships.
Cultivating joy is a choice we all have. And, it may look different in every classroom. There are many other ways we can foster joy by taking learning outside, incorporating music and movement, and even incorporating mindfulness within our days. I’d love to hear how you cultivate your in your school or classroom or even something new you will try this school year.
