Open Classroom Climate
Overview
An open classroom climate is an educational environment where students feel comfortable and confident expressing their opinions in class. Creating an open classroom environment requires teachers to build trusting relationships with students and create a safe space where students can engage in discussions around controversial issues (political or social) with respect for everyone's opinion. This student-centered approach fosters Critical Thinking and empowers learners by building the capacity for them to: own their own learning around a topic; make up their minds; express their own opinions; share personal experiences; talk about and critically discuss difficult social and political issues; and listen and consider different perspectives. A key goal of fostering an open classroom climate is building student confidence to take action in future civic engagement. Research shows that when students feel they have a say in decision-making in their schools and are supported by civic discussions and a sense of fairness, they also are more inclined to engage in civic-minded activities in the future.
Educators must consider their own biases as they work to create an open classroom environment, developing their cultural awareness before diving into this practice. Educators can play a key role in creating an open classroom climate where students debate social and political issues freely, including creating safe and supportive relationships where students can learn from each other's differing perspectives and feel empowered to express their own opinions.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch how a middle school social studies teacher creates norms and a safe space for learners to make up their own minds and discuss their perspectives about challenging topics:
Design It into Your Product
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Cooperative Learning Strategies
Collaborative writing activities allow peers to work together to plan, draft, edit, and revise during the composition process, supporting writing skills and engagement with content knowledge as students write to reflect upon and apply what they have learned.
As learners work together to solve problems, they learn new strategies and practice Communication skills as they express their academic thinking.
Flexible grouping is a classroom practice that temporarily places students together in given groups to work together, with the purpose of achieving a given learning goal or activity.
Gallery walks are ways of showcasing content and materials as multiple “exhibitions” for students to view and interact with as part of larger learning goals.
Respectful redirection, or error correction, outlines a clear and concise way that educators can provide feedback on behaviors that need immediate correction, in a positive manner.
Socratic seminar refers to a discussion technique that engages learners in the exploration of content through Critical Thinking and classroom dialogue in order to help learners make meaning from what they are learning.
