Hey there, Joyful Journey Makers! Let’s talk about something that has the power to transform your classroom—creating shared values with your students. Establishing a set of classroom values creates a sense of community and provides a shared language that students can use to guide their behavior both in and out of class. These values aren’t just rules—they’re guiding principles that help your students understand how to treat each other and how to approach learning.
In this post, we’ll explore why shared classroom values are so important, share some examples of values that you can introduce in your classroom, and tell you how I’ve used shared values to resolve arguments, improve classroom management, and create a space where learning can truly happen. I’ll also introduce my Class Values Mini Poster resource to help you get started!
Why Shared Classroom Values Are So Important
- Fosters a Sense of Community: When students feel like they’re part of a community, they’re more likely to engage positively with one another. Shared values provide a foundation of respect, kindness, and understanding, helping students feel connected and safe in the classroom.
- Provides a Common Language: Values like respect and responsibility aren’t just abstract concepts—they become part of the everyday language your students use to communicate. When disagreements arise, having shared values means students know what’s expected and can hold each other accountable.
- Supports Positive Behavior: Instead of relying solely on rules and consequences, shared values promote positive behavior by encouraging students to focus on what they should do (like showing kindness and respect) rather than what they shouldn’t. This shifts the focus from punishment to growth.
- Creates a Safe Learning Environment: When students know they’re in a space where everyone is valued, they feel more comfortable taking risks, asking questions, and making mistakes. This sense of safety is essential for deep, meaningful learning.
Examples of Classroom Values
Here are some examples of values you can introduce in your classroom. These can serve as a foundation for positive interactions and effective learning:
- Respect: We treat each other with respect by listening, being kind, and valuing everyone’s opinion.
- Responsibility: We take responsibility for our actions and do our part to help the classroom community.
- Courage: We dare to take risks, try new things, and speak up when we need help.
- Empathy: We care about how others feel and do our best to support each other.
- Perseverance: We keep trying, even when things get tough, because we know that learning takes effort.
- Growth: We learn from our mistakes and celebrate our progress, no matter how small.
How Shared Values Improved My Classroom
Let me share a few stories of how these shared values helped my students and me:
- Resolving Arguments: One day, two students had a disagreement during group work. Instead of jumping in to mediate, I asked them to reflect on our shared value of respect: “How can we show respect for each other’s ideas?” This simple reminder shifted the tone of the conversation, and they were able to resolve their disagreement by listening and compromising. The values acted as guiding principles, giving them the tools to solve the issue themselves.
- Improving Classroom Management: Whenever the noise level in the classroom started to rise, I’d remind my students of our value of responsibility—“We’re all responsible for making sure this is a productive space for learning.” Students would immediately adjust their behavior, knowing that they were part of a collective goal to support each other’s success.
- Creating a Safe Learning Space: When students felt nervous about making mistakes, I’d point them to our value of growth—“Remember, we learn from our mistakes!” Over time, this helped create a culture where students felt comfortable asking questions and sharing answers, even if they weren’t sure they were right.
These values didn’t just stay on the wall—they became part of our everyday conversations and helped create a positive, respectful environment where real learning could happen.
Get Your Resource: Class Values Mini Poster
Now that you’re ready to implement shared values in your classroom, let me introduce my Class Values Mini Poster. These posters are designed to help you create a visually engaging and inspiring environment where your classroom values are front and center.
What’s Included:
- Class Values Poster: A beautifully designed poster that displays values like “We try our best,” “We learn from our mistakes,” and “We respect others.” This poster serves as a daily reminder for your students of the shared values you’ve committed to.
- Decorative Design: The mini posters are created with elegant designs that add color and positivity to your classroom walls. These values aren’t just words—they’re displayed in a way that makes students want to engage with them.
- Reflection Tools: The resource includes tools for reflection, so students can self-assess their participation in upholding the class values. This gives them ownership of their behavior and helps them see how their actions contribute to the classroom community.
How to Use These Posters in Your Classroom
- Introduce the Values as a Class: Start by discussing the values as a class. What does each value mean? Why is it important? Let your students contribute their ideas and help define what these values look like in practice.
- Refer to the Values Daily: Once the posters are up, refer to them daily. Whether you’re solving a disagreement, celebrating success, or encouraging students to try again after a mistake, use the shared values as a foundation for those conversations.
- Incorporate Reflection: At the end of the week, ask students to reflect on how they’ve demonstrated the class values. You can do this through journaling, group discussions, or one-on-one check-ins.
The Gist of it All
Creating shared classroom values builds a sense of community and provides a common language that helps students understand how to interact with one another and how to approach learning. With my Class Values Mini Poster, you’ll have a visual reminder of the principles that guide your classroom, creating a space where students feel safe, respected, and ready to learn.
Resources
Liz Allen-Pennebaker n. (2022, January 7). Articulating shared values. The Center For Learning & Teaching. https://clt.champlain.edu/kb/articulating-shared-values/#:~:text=This%20includes%20helping%20students%20set,offensive%20comments%20and%20fraught%20situations