Taking a class temperature means checking in with students to see how they are doing. By checking the emotional temperature of the students (ex. seeing how students are feeling, their energy level, etc.) teachers can better understand what their students need and what they are capable of doing in that moment. In this way, teachers can understand, address, and then respond to student needs. A temperature check can also inform teachers about how students are doing with concepts or assignments. For example, teachers can assess the level of comfort students have towards a new concept or how they are feeling about an upcoming due date.
Making an effort to understand students’ emotional states can demonstrate to students that teachers care about them as human beings, which is foundational to building positive relationships. It can also help students to become conscious of their own emotions and provide opportunities for students to communicate their feelings and needs (Social Emotional Learning or SEL). Teachers should carefully consider their individual learners and the kinds of prompts or questions they ask when taking class temperature (especially where responses are not anonymous).
Mentimeter App used to gauge temperature.
There are a variety of methods (high, low and no tech) that teachers can use to take a class temperature. All-class response strategies, such as post-it notes, Plickers, or Mentimeter, can be useful tools when eliciting feedback through survey questions and providing anonymous response options.
Here are a few more strategies for checking the emotional temperature of a class:
- Thumbs Up/Thumbs Sideways/Thumbs down: Ask your students to close their eyes and put their heads on their desks. They’ll keep their eyes closed while holding up their thumb (up, down or sideways) in response to your questions. This all-class response strategy also works well to quickly check for comprehension.
1, 2, 3 fingers to show level of comfort, understanding, etc
- Pictures or Emojis: You can ask students to point at emojis or pictures representing a variety of emotions. Images clipped from magazines work well and can be a great conversation starter. You could also put a selection of images on the screen (numbered) and ask students to identify the number of the image of how they are feeling (this is a great activity to do during attendance to check in with students as the class is starting).
- Choosing Colors: Paint chips work well for this activity, but pieces of fabric would also be effective too. Spread out your colors on a tabletop and ask students to select a color based on how they are feeling. Students can share with you or each other about why they made their choice.
- Thermostat on the Wall: If you have an image of a thermostat (ex. 1-low energy to 10-too excited to concentrate), when you greet students at the door before their class begins, they can point to where they are emotionally on the thermostat.
- “I Feel Survey” (Lieber, 2009): Providing students with writing or discussion prompts around feelings can help students explore emotions and build classroom relationships. For older students, Lieber suggests providing a more extensive list of feelings (see p. 214) to help build their vocabulary around emotional literacy and SEL.
- Soft Start is an informal way to connect with your students individually or in small groups. A soft start to the school day or class period can help students become more comfortable and engaged. This approach has ties to social emotional learning (SEL). A quote: “Connect before Correct” by Dr. Gordon Neufeld (child psychologist). His work on attachment is helpful when learning to help students connect with one another, with content and with their teacher! We spend much of the day providing instructions and feedback to our students (in other words, correcting, even when done gently and supportive) so providing time to connect is valuable!
Checking in with students can allow teachers to make adjustments to better serve the needs of their students. For example, if many students are feeling over-excited, teachers can respond by incorporating some movement, either inside or outside the classroom, to burn off some energy. Or, if many students are feeling anxious about a due date, the teacher could work with students to find a solution to alleviate some tension. Communicating with students about their emotions benefits both teachers and students, and is important to understanding student needs and building positive relationships.
Carole Miller Lieber’s book, Making Learning Real: Reaching and Engaging All Learners in Secondary Classrooms, is an excellent resource for secondary teachers. She outlines many ways to build relationships, affirm diversity, and develop a positive, engaging classroom culture.
Resources:
Lieber, C. M. (2009). Making learning real: Reaching and engaging all learners in secondary classrooms. Educators for Social Responsibility.
Guest post by Peer Mentor Lindsay Cunningham (Ph.D. student, EDCP), January 2024.
