How to Create an Engaging Classroom Environment

Teaching is tough. You have to balance school policies with the well-being of your students, not to mention your own sanity. But one of the most important aspects of being a teacher is keeping your students engaged in the subject matter. Here’s a look at how to create an engaging environment that brings the classroom to life.

Be Approachable

The first rule toward building classroom engagement is to be approachable. Classrooms can be intimidating spaces, especially for introverts. Students won’t speak up if you don’t give them the space to do so. Instead, you’ll be giving your lecture to a room full of blank faces. Start simple. Smile and greet your students. Ask how they’re doing. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and share your experiences with a topic. Dress the part in smart business casual clothes for women that gives you authority while still making you look approachable. By bringing personality to the classroom, you’ll be able to create a safe space for students to open up and voice their ideas.

Create Engaging Décor

The mood of your classroom heavily depends on what you hang on the walls. For younger students, use the walls as a place to show off art or to ask a thoughtful question and have students guess the answer. Giving out prizes to the winners always boosts engagement. If you teach older students, put up inspiring quotes and ask students to respond in an essay for a special something, like a custom notebook.

Provoke Questioning

Some of the best teachers ask their students to question what is being taught to them. Keep students engaged by teaching them to ask why. Use lectures as an opportunity to create an engaging environment by asking questions. Another way to keep your student’s attention is to use relevant stories. Add in an interesting piece of history, use a modern example, or use other techniques to keep students engaged. Avoid reading out of the textbook and instead, let the students lead. Structure your lectures to not have a single correct answer, but instead pose more questions. These methods help get students excited about what they need to learn and bring out their inquisitive side.

Demonstrate with the Classroom

Demonstrations are always a fun way to get the attention of your students. Come up with creative, live demonstrations and use student volunteers. For science teachers, this is generally easier, but for other subjects, this approach can be tricky. Think of exciting ways to engage students in history and culture. For example, use the local restaurant industry to discuss economic principals. Bring in artifacts or come dressed in character. For example, snag a pair of scrubs and give a lecture on human anatomy. Have a themed dress-up day or ask students to give short demonstrations on a subject.

Keep It Current

A lot of textbooks don’t use engaging or current examples when it comes to learning. Instead of regurgitating the book, switch it up and use trending examples that the students can relate to. You can use students’ names to keep their attention or prove a concept by using current events to highlight the concept in action. This not only helps you relate to your students, but it also helps them remember the concepts you’re trying to teach.

Use Humor

Everyone loves a good joke. Humor is a great way to wake up a classroom and grab their attention. However, you have to be careful not to over-do it. Offending students can quickly lead to an uncomfortable setting. If you’ve got a knack for harmless jokes and bad puns, then putting a smile on your students’ faces might just be what your classroom needs. You can even have competitions for the best joke related to your subject and have students post them on the walls. The winner gets a custom mug featuring the school logo and the joke.

Let Students Lead

One way to create engagement in the classroom is to let the students take charge. Presentations, demonstrations, or teamed competitions are a great way to get people engaged while learning. It doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy, but it should drum up excitement. Instead of assigning topics, let the students choose something that interests them. Allowing students to lead their own path to education goes a long way in creating a welcoming and safe environment.

Use Technology

Technology is part of everyday life. Use technology in new and innovative ways in order to grab students’ attention. If you have the resources, utilize things like robotics, virtual reality, and other intriguing classroom tools that provide an experience for your students. Utilize services like YouTube for quick videos on a subject that is both digestible and understandable. Sometimes others say it better, and it can help reinforce topics and keep students’ attention.

Overall, creating an engaging classroom takes a bit of creative thinking. However, you don’t need to be that teacher who drones on about the subject matter. Instead, foster a classroom space that encourages sharing, out-of-the-box thinking, and discovery. The result is a focused classroom that gets excited about your subject matter.