What does it mean to be a thermostat instead of a thermometer?
It’s a thought-provoking analogy from Martin Luther King, Jr. Think of it this way: A thermometer simply reports the temperature around it; a thermostat plays a role – it actively regulates and changes the environment.
Becoming a thermostat is an empowering mindset, especially in our learning communities, where each of us (children and adults) can contribute to a positive climate and a culture of caring.
The Pro-Social Power of Learning Communities
So, where do we start? Empathy, compassion, cooperation, kindness and gratitude are pro-social emotions and behaviors that promote positive social interactions. These strengths are also the foundation for building supportive, collaborative, and inclusive learning spaces.
Here is more information about these pro-social strengths and how they align with CASEL (Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning).
- Empathy allows us to understand and relate to one another and foster a sense of belonging. (Social Awareness, Interpersonal Skills)
- Compassion extends empathetic understanding into caring actions, creating a supportive atmosphere. (Social Awareness, Interpersonal Skills, Responsible Decision Making)
- Collaboration promotes teamwork and inclusivity, which are essential to a positive learning experience. (Interpersonal Skills, Social Awareness)
- Kindness brings a layer of warmth to our interactions, creating a welcoming and nurturing environment. (Social Awareness, Interpersonal Skills, Responsible Decision Making, Self-Management)
- Gratitude is the key to success and to creating an authentic, healthy, positive culture. As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the mother of the others.” (self-awareness, social awareness, interpersonal skills, responsible decision-making, self-management)
These aren’t just ideals, they are the way we build learning communities that improve well-being, foster relationships, and activate learning.
Embracing Our Roles
So, who do we invite to be the thermostat? It’s a call to action for ourselves to model regulating and improving the climate. It’s also a message and mindset that we can nurture learners through engineering opportunities and positive reinforcement.
Before we look at specific ways to influence the climate and create a culture of care, let’s consider that each of us is unique and dynamic, so a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient and potentially counterproductive. Offering voice and choice is a great way to honor and value each person’s lived experience.
Consider using invitational language such as “I invite you ……” and avoid instructions that imply there is only one right way to participate. For example, research supports greeting students at the door to enhance a sense of belonging and readiness to learn. An important aspect of this is how to be flexible with individuals. The teacher in the video presents many options so learners can choose based on their comfort and preference in the moment.
3 Ways to Improve Climate and Create a Culture of Care
1. Foster a sense of service. We can foster pro-social emotions and behaviors by encouraging a service mindset. It’s about translating learning experiences into opportunities to collaborate, lead, and make a difference. Here are two examples of how learning can be enriched by practicing service and fostering teamwork, altruism and social responsibility:.
Learner-Driven Design: Design Thinking, Project-Based Learning (PBL), Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and other inquiry-based approaches empower learners. Note:For those new to inquiry-based learning, consider starting with questioning skills and/or discovery, discussion, and presentation.
Global Stewardship: Empower learners to make positive contributions on a larger scale. Participation in international projects and connections across national boundaries broadens learners’ horizons and instills a sense of global responsibility. This might include working with a school in another country on a joint environmental project or participating in a global virtual forum where world issues are discussed.
One of my favorite examples of learners leading with a servant’s mindset is Inspired Initiative. The goal of InspirED is to empower children to work together to create a more positive school climate that promotes greater well-being in the school and community.
2. Inspire acts of kindness. Small acts of kindness can create ripples of positive change in our learning community. Here are two possible examples.
Spread the Good Vibes Challenge: Promoting acts of kindness. In Bold Gratitude: A Journal Designed for You, I created this list as a fun and powerful way to do just that. This list embodies the essence of a thermostat-small actions that make a big difference.
Peer Coaching: Promoting Peer Support for Reciprocal Learning for Empathy and Compassion.
3. Notice and value the good in others. Research shows that gratitude can have a huge positive impact on well-being and relationships. In a previous post, I shared ways to bring gratitude into your learning community:
- Cultivating a Culture of True Gratitude
- Excluding journaling exercises
- Promoting gratitude with voice and choice
Here are two simple but powerful ways to express gratitude outside of the learning community:
Hero Letters: Invite learners to write letters to active military or local heroes (e.g., postal workers, firefighters, librarians, school staff, neighbors). Here are some sentence stems that can help.
Positive Online Reviews: Encourage learners to share positive reviews of local businesses online as a gesture to celebrate successes and strengthen community ties.
Let’s commit and inspire others to be thermostats, not just thermometers. Whether it’s through service, spreading kindness, or valuing the good in others, these are small but profound steps toward a more caring and inclusive world.