A safe learning environment is a classroom that is centered around high expectations for academic achievement while simultaneously developing positive relationships between students and staff, encouraging students to take educational risks and express themselves. This environment is created through consistent routines, rituals, and expectations which allow students to feel that they are comfortable and apart of the classroom.

Creating a safe learning environment goes much further than ensuring that a space is physically safe. This involves using your ability as an educator to consistently create a learning environment that allows students in the classroom to become comfortable and secure enough to take educational risks.

As a teacher in a science classroom, it was important to me to ensure that the students in the classroom were not afraid of being wrong, and that they understood that not knowing an answer is okay. In teaching science, I tried to bring in the scientific method idea of discovering an answer and posing a hypothesis when asking questions. Science in the real world is not definite, there are many unknowns and hypothesis can turn out to be wrong. I wanted to make sure that my students knew that not understanding something did not mean they were not smart, just that they were participating in science and sometimes our best guesses turn out to be wrong, which is okay. My overall goal was to ensure each student knew that when we don't understand something, we ask more questions, and that mistakes are a part of learning.

After each student answered a question, regardless of its correctness, I always provided feedback in a positive and encouraging tone. I would pick out an element of an answer that was correct or redirect them with a question to guide them to an answer.

One way that I tried to lessen the pressure of answering questions was though including multiple modes of participation. A few of the methods I found to be the most effective are listed below:

1. Desk Pairs: Another strategy to reduce the 'risk' associated with sharing out to the class was using pairs. In many cases I would have students turn to their desk partner to discuss a problem with the prompt, "talk about ______ with your desk neighbor, each pair will be expected to share 1 thing they talked about". By setting clear expectations about what they will need to share to the class students have less anxiety about saying the wrong thing, and when speaking with a partner the students can generate ideas together reducing the pressure of doing something on their own.

2. Pear Deck: Students would be able to put their answers into their computers and I could see each of their individual answers. Through this method I was able to call out names of people who got the question right or say something similar to "everyone in this room has an amazing answer right now". I would then follow this up by asking someone in the class to share what they wrote. This reduced pressure or fear of embarrassment because the students knew they had the right answer already. I had set the exceptions that every student in the class was required to answer in the Pear Deck, allowing me to gauge understanding of a topic, but also giving students the ability to participate in class with out having to raise their hand to answer a question.

3. Card Deck with Names: I created a random name generator by writing each students name on a different playing card, which I was then able to shuffle and pick them to produce a name to answer a question. Each time that I would use these cards I would always preface it with these rules: If you get the answer wrong that is okay, I will ask you a follow up question and help you out. If you really do not know the answer, you are allowed to ask me a question back for either me or another classmate to explain to help you. When using these cards I would establish the questions, letting them know that the cards would be used before I had pulled any names to make sure each person had time, avoiding putting someone on the spot. In many cases, I would also pair the card deck with a desk partner discussion or Pear Deck, allowing each student a way to check their answers before sharing. Sometimes students would ask me before class to take them out of the deck because they were having a bad day. Each time this happened, I would show the student that I was taking their name out of the deck and putting it to the side so they knew they would not be called that day, giving the the space they needed to regulate themselves. I had never made this rule an explicit one, but from very early on, students knew that if they needed a day to breath I would absolutely give it to them. The next day the student would let me know that they were okay to be put back in the deck and were able to participate in through that method.

After a section of class that had multiple questions or a discussion, I would thank the students. I wanted to ensure that they knew it was amazing they were participating. I would say a phrase similar to "I appreciate you all being so great and talking with me about [fill in biology topic]". My goal with this was to make sure that students felt seen after a discussion, and know that I recognize their effort.