A Question of Classroom Culture

“We all live in the world our questions create.” ― Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas

Greetings, persevering snackers!

On the final day of the last school year, I noticed a small whiteboard on a stand near the exit to our middle school. Judging by the lack of whitespace, it was clear that every single rising high schooler had taken time to write a parting message. We don't need journal citations to know that kids love to write on the board (heck, so do I!) What was noteworthy about the board was its tone. It was the last day of school, of course, but it felt both calm and kind.

This got me wondering about the possibilities of using a whiteboard to impact classroom culture. We set simple norms in the first week of school: 1) first five minutes of class; 2) two writers at a time; 3) you may write or draw; 4) avoid overwriting or erasing the words of others; 5) remember that you share the space. In addition, I borrowed a convention from EL Education's CHALK TALK protocol, inviting students to put a check mark beside responses they agreed or vibed with to avoid a board full of rewritten responses. My 'A' Day 'B' Day alternating schedule means that I pose two new questions per week.

I began the year with simple, but (mostly) engaging questions--favorite foods, TV shows, pets, movies, holiday activities, and the like. As the year has progressed, I've carefully used more probing questions. The school year isn't quite finished, but I've noticed some surprising results that are impacting classroom culture.

First, children are overwhelmingly respectful of the norms. I've only had to erase a small number of inappropriate responses, and these simply were off-topic rather than mean. Second, there is often quite a bit of check-marking. This tells me that kids are seeking out and embracing the path of finding common ground while allowing the dissent of others to be without comment. Third, students look forward to the question. If I'm slow to update a question, I hear about it! I admit that some questions have crashed and burned, but I usually have a very full board. Sometimes, the 'B' Day kids need a clean board due to the overwhelming responses on 'A' Day.

Last week, I asked the question, "What's on your heart today?" Several of the responses bear out what mental health professionals have been telling educators for some time now: kids notice and are affected by "big people things".

Allowing students time to reflect on and write about what matters to them at the beginning of class has meant that my classroom is a calmer, safer, and more inclusive space than it has been in the past. Messaging is a native and ubiquitous for our students. What's different with the whiteboard is the fact that it's shared and in-person. making headway into building the sense of belonging that experts say are crucial for adolescent brain development. The results are still coming in, but I like what I'm seeing so far.

Again, yes, this is more time away from the curriculum. And, yes, this has opened up more class time by heading off classroom disruptions that might have gotten in the way later in the class period thanks to an evolving classroom cultural tone .

No whiteboard? Try a corner of your classroom board, chart paper, individual boards, or pieces of paper. The key is to get them sharing safely. I promise to keep you posted...see what I did there?!

I hope you have a safe and happy week!

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Happy snacking,

Chef Charles

Head chef

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