Creating A Positive Culture

Title Page
Creating a Positive
School Culture
Title Page learning
outcomes
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this Chapter, you should be able to
❖ explain the meaning of school culture;
❖ discuss how school culture affects learning, and
❖ cite ways by which you can contribute to the

building of positive culture.
Introduction
❖ School culture matters. This influences to a great extent how
well students perform. School culture is a creation of all the
people in school and in the community especially that of the
school heads. It can be positive or negative.
❖ It can facilitate or adversely affect learning. A school community

must therefore strive to create a positive culture.
Activity
Here are the twelve norms of school culture where people and programs improve. Study
them.
1. Collegiality 7. Appreciation, recognition

2. Experimentation 8. Caring, celebration, humor
3. High Expectations 9. Involvement in decision making
4. Trust and confidence 10. Protection of what is important
5. Tangible support 11. Traditions
6. Reaching out to the knowledge 12. Honest, open communications
base
When high school students arrive for pre-calculus
class, they know exactly what to expect. Projected on
the screen are clear instructions for the day's success
starter. Everyone is expected to work on them
successfully.
You might not reach an answer today. You might not
reach an answer tomorrow. Struggle is okay. Students
know that by the third day, they be expected to
present their understanding and problem-solving
strategy to the class.
‘You have a short memory’, she replies with a find
smile. “You say this every time we tackle a problem.
Remember the last time you struggled and then
overcame your confusion? Remember our norms that
we wrote together? One of them was a growth
mindset. And remember I am here for you".
I hear some students talking while someone is reciting.
I don’t think you will like that if you are the one
reciting. Can we agree on a rule? Give me a rule.
Student suggests. “Let's keep quiet and listen when
someone is reciting. Raise your hand if you want to
recite.” Teacher asks, “can we keep this rule? ”
Today you are going to compute your scores for class
standing - written quizzes, seatwork, performance
test, homework. These were all corrected and returned
to you. When you are done, compare your total with
mine. Should there be discrepancy, be ready to show
your corrected papers.
During the first week of school Barb teacher asks her sixth graders two questions: "What
questions do you have about yourself?" and "What questions do you have about the world?"
The students begin enumerating their questions, "Can they be about silly, little things?" asks
one student. "If they're your questions that you really want answered, they're neither silly
nor little," replies the teacher. After the students list their individual questions, teacher
organizes the students into small groups where they share lists and search for questions
they have in common. After much discussion each group comes up with a priority list of
questions, rank-ordering the questions about themselves and those about the world.
Back together in a whole group session, teacher solicits the groups’ priorities and works
toward consensus for the class's combined lists of questions. These questions become the
basis for guiding the curriculum in class. One question, "Will I live to be 100 years old?”
spawned educational investigations into genetics, family and oral history, actuarial science,
statistics and probability, heart disease, cancer, and hypertension. The students had the
opportunity to seek out information from family members, friends, experts in various fields,
on-line computer services, and books, as well as from the teacher. She describes what they
had to do as becoming part of a "learning community.” According teacher, "We decide what
the most compelling intellectual issues are, devise ways to investigate those issues.”
The sense of community is strong, even palpable. But this sense
didn't just spring full-blown from being a group of people
occupying the same place at the same time. It was built upon many
small and specific moments of learning the same verses to songs
and sharing traditions, memories of times together and stories
often-told...
Some of our traditions are once a year events; some happen every
week or even every day. They give us ways to greet each other, to
learn about each other, to sing and celebrate and say goodbye.
These events mark our comings and our goings and affirm our
common interests in the time we spend together.
Because they treasure, health, sanitation and self-discipline, St.
Bernadette Catholic School includes the following in their Canteen
Policies.
Foods that will not be sold:

•Full fat pastry items
•Chocolate confectionary/lollies/potato chips/cream filled buns
•Soft drinks
•High caffeine drinks - e.g. drinks containing guarana or caffeine
• Deep fried food of any description
The teacher wrote, "Nice job” on my sketch of an orange. I knew
very well that my smudged mess of an orange wasn't a nice job. It
wasn’t even a decent representation of any fruit known to man. I
would have benefited by her telling me one thing I could do to
make better. Maybe something like “We are learning about
perspective. Try adding a shadow behind your sketch.” Her "nice
job" told me little about how to improve. Knowing I received
undeserved praise lessens the impact or praise when it is truly
earned.
Teacher Paz remarks: "I like to attend that
CPD seminar. I like to hone my teaching
skills and update my PCK (pedagogical
content knowledge)...
Good teaching is honored in this school
My school head protects my academic time.
She keeps meeting time to the minimum.
Eleven (11) vignettes in the first part give concrete picture
of a positive school culture
Vignette Norm of School Culture Illustrated
1 High expectation
2 Honest and open communication
3 Tangible support; caring, celebration, humor
4 Involvement in decision making; protection of what is important
5 Trust and confidence; traditions
6a Collegiality; honest, open communication
Collegiality; experimentation; reaching out to the knowledge base;
6b
appreciation, recognition
7 Collegiality; traditions
8 Tangible support; protection of what is important; tradition
10 Reaching out to the knowledge base
11 Appreciation and recognition
12 Protection of what is important
School Culture
❖ School culture is one of the most
complex and important concepts in
education (Schein, 1985)
❖ It generally refers to the and beliefs,

perceptions, relationships, attitudes
and written unwritten rules that
shape and influence every aspect of
how a school functions
Culture as a Social
Construct
❖ Culture is a social
construct not a
genetic construct
School Climate and School
Culture
❖ School climate is driven by and reflected in a
daily interactions of staff, administration,
faculty, students support staff and outside
community.
❖ School climate refers to the school's effects
on students, including teaching practices,
diversity and the relationships among
administrators, teachers, parents and
students.
❖ School culture is a broader term and so is
inclusive of school climate.
The Role of School Culture in Learning
❖ School culture matters. Research confirms the central role of culture to
school success. School culture can be positive or negative or toxic.
❖ A positive school culture fosters improvement, collaborative decision

making, professional development and staff and student learning. A
negative culture fosters the opposite.
ELEMENTS OF A POSITIVE CULTURE
1.Collegiality 7. Appreciation and recognition

2. Experimentation 8. Caring celebration, humor
3. Expectation 9. Involvement in decision making
4. Trust and confidence 10. Protection of what is important
5.Tangible support 11. Traditions
6.Reaching out to the 12. Honest and open
knowledge base communication
SHARED NORMS: TEACHER AND STUDENT NORMS
TEACHER NORMS STUDENT NORMS

1. Teach in different ways. 1. Have a growth mindset
2. Call students by their names 2. Call classmates by their names.
3. Care about students' feelings. 3. Be responsible for your work.
4. Have a good attitude 4. Listen...
5. Help students understand. 5. Attend school the majority of the
6. Attend school the majority of the time.
time. 6. Be a good team player.
7. Be respectful.
8. Have a growth mindset
Thank you!

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Title Page

❖ explain the meaning of school culture;

❖ discuss how school culture affects learning, and

❖ cite ways by which you can contribute to the

❖ It can facilitate or adversely affect learning. A school community

1. Collegiality 7. Appreciation, recognition

Foods that will not be sold:

❖ It generally refers to the and beliefs,

❖ A positive school culture fosters improvement, collaborative decision

1.Collegiality 7. Appreciation and recognition

TEACHER NORMS STUDENT NORMS

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