When educators step out of that rigid box that allows no humor, we will find a class filled with students that are ready to embark on any aspect of learning with no barriers. Use upbeat music as students are walking in the class or engaging in serious thinking time. Often I will pose a higher order-thinking question to my students, only to be dismayed by the blank stares that it imposes. However, by simply turning on the Jeopardy theme midi that I downloaded from the Internet, immediately jumpstarts the thinking process for the students and hands shoot up in the air as students rush to provide thought provoking answers. I use a positive graffiti board in my classroom.
Students can add positive messages and mottos during the morning or during free times.
On a makeshift board, butcher paper on the back of a door, we hang newspaper articles or awards that the students or school have received. Students take pride in this area and search the newspaper for positive articles dealing with education to include on this board. I dressed up one day in a detective outfit that I pulled together from odds and ends from my closet. All day we searched for how we used fractions in the class and around the school. Students were eager to learn about fractions and pushed their own limitations.