Teachers should teach rules as if they are
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Student Contributor: S. Hsu  Show
This tool should be used at the beginning of the year to set the tone and climate for the classroom. There are many ways to approach this this tool, but for the sake of this article, I will be discussing it in the terms of a student-directed and collaborative sense. During the activity, the teacher will be acting as a facilitator for the discussion amongst the students. Some teachers, like Levin & Nolan (2014) point out, have some rules already created before starting the process. These pre-created rules help guide the students as they brainstorm and refine the rules they want for their classroom. On the other hand, other teachers freely allow the students to work through the process of creating rules, but reserve the right to nix a rule if deemed necessary. It is important to keep in mind the rules about making rules! Teachers cannot expect students to know the guidelines around making rules, so it’s essential that teachers discuss them at some point before or during the process. For instance, if the teacher is recording the class-generated rules on a poster or whiteboard, she should positively phrase them. It is pretty typical to hear rules that begin with, “don’t do this…” or “don’t do that…” but, studies have found that positively phrasing expectations is much more effective (Brady et al., 2011). Moreover, there is a chance that students will create 10, 20, or even 30 rules! However, that many rules are not necessary. Rules should be outlining the moral and ethical expectations within the classroom, everything else can fall to procedures. Again, this concept will have to be discussed before or during the process. Despite being a part of the preventative phase, this tool does have a place among the supportive and corrective phase. During the supportive phase, teachers can remind students of the classroom rules and expectations (these reminders are a part of the supportive phase because they happen during learning). In the corrective phase, the rules can be discussed again. Teachers can ask students that misbehaved, “what expectation did you not meet? Why are you having a hard time following this rule? What does this rule look like in the classroom?” Moreover, teachers can model the behavior within the classroom. Like mentioned above, I believe that this tool fits best within the student-directed and collaborative theories of influence because it puts the students at the center of the classroom while also allowing for conversation to happen between the teacher and students. Depending on how the teacher decides to run the activity, students can be fully in control of the discussion and process or the teacher and students can work together. Both ways of running meet the criteria of either a student-directed or collaborative classroom. More Information –
As a growing number of school districts decide to start the school year entirely remotely, teachers will have to answer an important question: How many of their classroom norms and rules will they enforce when students are home? Teachers grappled with this question in the spring, when school buildings abruptly closed down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Students were suddenly learning from home, and teachers had to quickly decide if they would enforce dress codes or rules about snacking and other behaviors through a webcam. Many teachers pleaded with their peers to be lenient, as students were adjusting to the change in routine and dealing with possible trauma. See also: Expectations for Online Student Behavior Vary During Coronavirus School Closures Now, the dilemma has resurfaced as the start of the school year approaches. Teachers are trying to develop a sense of normalcy and routine this fall while keeping all students on task. Even so, many educators have said on Twitter that the priority should be ensuring student well-being and equity over compliance. This month, the Springfield, Ill., school district made national headlines for declaring that students who choose remote learning will have to follow the dress code at home—meaning no pajamas. The district also said students couldn’t sit in bed while participating in a video class. The backlash was swift: Parents and educators from across the country said controlling what students wore in their own home was out of line. In a statement following the outcry, the district said it hopes “students approach remote learning as they would in a classroom setting, to the extent possible given each student’s individual circumstances.” But the district also clarified that thedress code will be “flexible,” adding that it won’t punish students for what they wear at home, “especially in this period of uncertainty and adjustment for students, families, and staff.” Managing ExpectationsSome teachers have drafted and shared their expectations for remote learning. For example, one infographic tells elementary students to turn the camera on, sit at a desk or table, make sure an adult is with you, and wear appropriate clothes. Teachers say those ground rules will help the classroom run more smoothly, with fewer distractions. Even so, some students might feel vulnerable opening up their homes to their classmates and teachers. They might not have a quiet, private place to work, and they might be embarrassed letting their classmates see their homes. (Some video-conferencing platforms, like Zoom, allow users to set a digital background, but older computers might not be able to support that feature.) Josh Stumpenhorst, a teacher-librarian in Naperville, Ill., tweeted that kids “are in no way all in the same spaces physically or emotionally. Let them snack, wear comfortable clothes, and hold the puppy.” He has only two rules for students during video classes: Be clothed, and be respectful of others. And if a student is snacking, he might take advantage of the “mute all” feature. Stumpenhorst, the 2012 Illinois Teacher of the Year, doesn’t believe teachers should mandate that students have their video cameras on. Some teachers responded to his tweet, saying that they relied on seeing their students’ faces on camera to get real-time feedback on how the lesson was going. “I understand as a teacher, you want kids to be engaged in what you’re teaching, but I think rigid expectations of compliance is just going about it the wrong way,” Stumpenhorst said in an interview. “It seems very invasive.” There are many other tools that would allow teachers to make sure students are paying attention, Stumpenhorst said, such as the virtual “hand-raising” tool, polls, or Google forms to check for understanding. Teachers, he said, are working hard to create a more structured and normal school day compared to what happened in the spring—but he worries they’re “overstepping some boundaries.” “If we’re treating [students] with dignity, I think we’ll get a lot more out of them,” he said. Image: iStock/Getty
Madeline Will Madeline Will is a reporter for Education Week who covers the teaching profession. A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog. When establishing classroom rules or guidelines for behavior teachers should?General Recommendations. Select 4 or 5 rules that you will use to set guidelines and limits for behavior in your classroom.. State the rules in terms of positive expectations of behavior you want to see. ... . Think about specific examples of behavior that would demonstrate each rule.. Post the rules in your classroom.. What is the difference between an incentive and a reinforcement?Reinforcement comes after motivated behavior whereas drive and incentive motivation precede the behavior and energize it.
Which of the following are part of a great classroom management plan?Elements of a classroom management plan. Classroom rules. These are a set of rules that students adhere to at all times. ... . Classroom procedures and routines. ... . Emergency procedures. ... . Student jobs. ... . Consider all possible scenarios. ... . Introduce the plan as early as possible. ... . Create helpful visuals. ... . Refer to the management plan.. How would you use your school's framework for positive behavior interventions and supports PBIS to your advantage in your classroom?How would you use your school's framework for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to your advantage in your classroom? "I would use the school's plan to prevent behavior issues and tweak it to be similar for my own classroom so the students have consistency in expectations."
When a student's conduct has negative effects on the learning environment you should?When a student's conduct has negative effects on the learning environment, you should: Say something positive to the student.
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