Beyond the Bulletin Board: Creating an Engaging Classroom

Jennifer Dosher
Aug 1
3 min read

Welcome back to Ed-Tabulous! After taking a short hiatus, we’re thrilled to relaunch as Ed-Tabulous 2.0—a space for all things fabulous in education. Whether you're new to the classroom or a seasoned educator, we’re here to spark ideas, share stories, and offer practical strategies to elevate your teaching game.

Who Are We?

Sabrina: I’ve been an educator for over 30 years, teaching 6th through 12th grade across the IB continuum—PYP, MYP, and DP—as well as AP history and economics. I’ve served as an IB coordinator in all three programs and have been active in the IB Educators Network for nearly 20 years in roles like workshop leader, site visitor, and curriculum developer.

Jen: I bring 34 years of experience to the table. I’ve taught a wide range of subjects and grade levels, presented at conferences worldwide, and currently serve as the IB Extended Essay Coordinator and a teacher of 9th and 10th grade English.

Now that we’re back, we’re kicking things off with a topic that matters to every teacher, regardless of content or curriculum: creating an engaging classroom environment.

More Than Just Pinterest-Worthy Decor

Sure, classroom aesthetics are fun—but engagement goes deeper than bulletin boards and beanbags. At the heart of it all is creating a space where students feel safe, heard, and excited to learn. Because let’s be honest: classroom culture shapes behavior, engagement, and learning outcomes.

And while classroom culture and classroom management often overlap, they’re not the same thing.

What’s the Difference?

Classroom management is about structure: rules, routines, behavior systems, and organization. Think seating charts, handling disruptions, passing out papers, etc.
Classroom culture is about relationships: the emotional climate shaped by trust, respect, inclusion, and a sense of belonging.

A positive classroom culture doesn’t eliminate all behavior challenges, but it certainly makes them easier to manage.

Building Relationships from Day One

Jen’s Go-To Strategies

Co-create class agreements: We brainstorm expectations using a “looks like, sounds like, feels like” carousel activity. Posting the results to our LMS makes it easy to revisit them throughout the year.
Greet students at the door: It sets a positive tone. Plus, I play music—sometimes student picks, sometimes a classic 80s jam they need to know.
Use Padlet’s “About Us” template for low-stakes get-to-know-you questions.
Ask fun check-in questions like “What’s your favorite cereal?” during greetings.
Rotate groupings with tools like classroomtools.net, so students meet new classmates often.
Try a daily prompt sheet: This year I’m giving students five days of short personal questions. I’ll write a quick reply to each—building trust through handwritten notes.

“Students don’t learn from teachers they don’t trust.”— Rita Pierson, TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion

Creating Emotional Safety

Sabrina’s Tips

Establish clear routines and expectations right away—and stick to them. Consistency builds comfort.
Hold class meetings to address both academic and social-emotional topics.
Check in intentionally—academically or personally.
Notice and acknowledge student interests and cultures. A simple comment like, “How did your basketball game go?” can build rapport.

Positive Communication MattersWe both love sending postcards home:

At the start of the year, we send a short note to parents celebrating something positive their child has done.
At the end of the year, we send a personalized card to each student: “What I loved about having you in class…”

These small gestures go a long way in showing students (and parents) that we care.

The Physical Environment

An engaging space is more than trendy colors and coordinated borders. It’s about:

Flexible seating
Reading nooks
Student work displays(Like our “World History Wall of Fame”—a space that celebrated both growth and achievement.)
Collaboratively created visuals, like anchor charts or class agreements

For IB classrooms, include visuals such as:

The Learner Profile
ATL Skills
Unit components and statements of inquiry

Empowering Students through Agency

Student engagement flourishes when students feel empowered:

Give voice and choice in activities
Let students define group roles themselves
Use real-world connections in summative tasks
Try gamification—if that’s your thing (Jen admits she’s still working on that one!)

Real learning happens when students see the relevance of what they’re doing. It’s not about entertainment—it’s about empowerment.

Resource/Links

Final Thoughts

Creating an engaging classroom takes intention, reflection, and a whole lot of heart. As we head into a new school year, we’re excited to put these practices into play—and we hope you are too!

Next time on Ed-Tabulous 2.0, we’ll be diving into one of our shared passions: concept-based inquiry. Don’t miss it!

Thanks to Carrollwood Day School for supporting our podcast.

Until then, go be Ed-Tabulous in your classroom!

— Sabrina & Jen