The number one way to create a positive, learning-focussed culture in your classroom is through high expectations.

Expectations are predictions we make about the world.

They are an attempt to anticipate the future and, depending on what that future brings, may prove to be true or false.

In the context of the classroom, we find a crucial difference regarding expectations compared to life more generally.

When it comes to life in general, our expectations have a significant impact on how we behave, the ways we interact with other people, and the experiences we have.

However, our expectations tend not to have a significant impact on the world at large.

Their scope of effect is limited.

In the classroom, things are a little different

The children we teach are constantly learning.

Their minds are more malleable and plastic than our own.

This reflects the fact that they are at an earlier stage of development than we are (though, I hasten to add, our adult minds still retain plasticity).

Therefore, the expectations we convey to them will likely be taken on board as new information; they will be assimilated into their burgeoning knowledge and understanding of the world.

They will have an impact.

The point is further reinforced by the fact that learners, in general, respond in kind to the leadership they experience.

After all, behaviour is learned and is open to change.

New habits can be formed.

And teacher expectations can drive these new habits, helping learners to shift how they behave.

From here we can say:

• In the classroom, expectations have an impact.
• They represent information that learners can assimilate.
• The quality and content of this information influences what learners do and how they think.

If you have low expectations, learners will take this on board and work with it.

If you have high expectations, the same will be true.

So go with the latter!

And know, in doing so, that you are giving your learners information through everything you do; and that this communicates what you think they are capable of achieving.

Every part of your teaching, planning and assessment is an opportunity to model and communicate high expectations.

Each occasion works to reinforce the norms, values, roles and status you wish to prioritise in your classroom.

So, for example, if you consistently expect learners to apply maximum effort through the entirety of the lesson, then you will be communicating the fact that doing this is the norm in your classroom, that it is a part of the role of learner, that status can be achieved by doing it, and that it rests on the values of independence and hard work.

Maintaining high expectations allows you to be certain that you are always working to foster and sustain a classroom culture that reflects the kind of behaviour, attitude and application you want.

If ever you are unsure as to whether what you are doing is sufficiently focussed on this, simply ask yourself if the expectations you are communicating are high enough.

If you feel they are, you’re on the right track.

If you feel they are not, identify where you can raise them and how you can communicate this.

Another point worth considering is the kind of experiences you had when you were in education.

Think back to some of the teachers you encountered.

How did their expectations of you vary?

Can you remember particular teachers who had high expectations of you? Perhaps expectations that surpassed what you thought yourself?

Often, memories of these teachers stick strongly in our minds. I can remember a few myself.

The key factor driving the strength of these memories is the emotional impact those high expectations had on us. Not emotional in the sense that they evoked specific emotions. But emotional in the sense that they spoke to that core part of us that is concerned with status, autonomy, relatedness, and other such fundamental needs.

When someone has high expectations of us, it is often empowering.

It often makes us believe we can do more than we thought we could.

(The one caveat here is when expectations are too high, which can have unintended negative consequences.)

And so, we see that high expectations are not only supportive of good behaviour. They are also, especially over the long term, a good way to build rapport and to show learners that you want the best for them.

And that tends to create good relationships. Which are essential for positive behaviour management.