Creating Classroom Rules Together As a teacher, you, of course, need to establish general rules of conduct for your classroom. But how do you make your students want to follow the rules? Give them a hand in creating those rules! Here's how to do it. Start with a list of what you consider the bare essentials, and then, through thoughtful discussion, work with your students to create a set of rules expressed in their language. Use this list as a starting point, adapting and expanding it to meet the needs of your class and grade level: Treat others as you would like to be treated.Respect other people and their property (e.g., no hitting, no stealing).Laugh with anyone, but laugh at no one.Be responsible for your own learning.Come to class and hand in assignments on time.Do not disturb people who are working. Most teachers agree that it's best to select only a few rules — those that contribute to successful learning and an orderly environment. Teach the rules as you would a regular lesson.
Establishing Classroom Rules By Phil Nast, retired middle school teacher and freelance writer Found In: Classroom Management Appropriate behavior fosters a positive classroom environment. Engaging students on the first day of school in creating of a set of rules helps ensure their investment. The following professional development resources, articles, and activities offer different approaches to this common start of school task. Professional Development Welcome to Classroom Management Online Training (Grades K-5) Online classroom management program. Effective Classroom Practices (Grades K-12) This series of eight mini modules on essential classroom practices includes “Classroom Expectations and Rules.” Recommended Reading Establish Rules & Consequences Provides PDF versions of guidelines for crafting effective rules, elementary and secondary consequences that work, and a plan to teach and invest students in rules and consequences. Everyday Rules That Really Work! Establishing Classroom Rules and Consequences (
Responding to Disruptive Students “Behavior is communication. Behavior has a function. Behavior occurs in patterns,” Nancy Rappaport and Jessica Minahan write in The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students. Unfortunately, the same is true of negative attention. Negative attention communicates that an educator doesn’t know any other language to access the relationship with a student. “The only behavior teachers can control is their own,” Rappaport and Minahan advise. Mapping Behavior Draw a map of your classroom, including doors, windows, desks, blackboards—all significant items and areas. Draw a circle on the line to mark each stop you make on your journey. If you raise your voice, draw arrows tracing the direction and target of each instance. Now put your breathing on the map. Can you remember a frequent thought you have during class? Courtesy of Tommaso Lana A classroom map showing the teacher’s movements, thoughts, and breathing patterns The Disappearing Teacher
Tips and Resources to Prevent Cyberbullying Each act of cyberbullying hurts students, disrupts classrooms, and affects your school's culture and community. So how should you handle it? What should you do or say? No matter how proactive you are, the reality is that students may still very well witness or experience cyberbullying. Changing the culture of how we both prevent and respond to cyberbullying can lead to powerful effects in the larger community. To best help students make the right decisions, it’s important that schools and communities understand all facets of cyberbullying and digital drama. 1. All reports of cyberbullying -- no matter the perceived severity -- should be investigated. 2. Stop cyberbullying before it happens by tackling the subject head-on. 3. "Upstanders" are those who aren’t directly involved in a cyberbullying incident, but who step in to help anyway. 4. We know that for parents and caregivers, cyberbullying and digital drama can be both confusing and worrying.
Our Class Rules | Teaching Ideas The poster below can be used on a display in your classroom to share your expectations with your class. It is editable so you can add your own rules (although you are welcome to keep our suggestions too). Why not use it at the start of the school year and ask children to come up with their own list of suggested rules? Here are some rules that you could include: Listen to the teacher / adult. Listen to others. The poster below can be used on a display in your classroom to share your expectations with your class. Why not use it at the start of the school year and ask children to come up with their own list of suggested rules? Listen to the teacher / adult.
The Only Classroom Rules You'll Ever Need If you’re looking for elaborate or decorative classroom management ideas, you won’t find them here. Though prevalent, such ideas are unnecessary, even counterproductive, for classroom management. On this site, we’re focused on only two things: 1. What works best. 2. The goal of classroom management is to eliminate distractions, disruptions, and poor behavior, so you are free to inspire your students. The results are happy and high achieving students. Anything that interferes with this goal, or doesn’t contribute to it, should be thrown out. Too many teachers chase the next great classroom management idea and are continually disappointed. In the meantime, they’re stressed and tired of dealing with behavior issues. An act of joy. So instead of chasing trends, why not focus on what is proven to work? And, most important, you’ll be able to focus your energies on what attracted you to teaching in the first place: the chance to make a lasting impression on your students. 1. 2. 3. 4. But they work. 1.
Créer une relation empathique et chaleureuse en classe : pourquoi ? comment ? Dans leur livre La discipline positive en classe, Jane Nelsen et Lynn Lott insistent sur les bienfaits d’une une atmosphère bienveillante en classe. Instaurer un climat positif relève de la responsabilité de l’enseignant. Jane Nelsen et Lynn Lott rappellent que la plupart des enseignants se soucient effectivement de leurs élèves, mais que ces derniers ne s’en rendent pas (toujours) compte. Encourager les élèves à percevoir leurs erreurs comme des opportunités d’apprentissage et une chance de progresser,Avoir confiance dans la capacité des élèves à contribuer au groupe de façon significative et positive,Écouter les élèves et prendre leurs pensées et leurs émotions au sérieux,Impliquer les élèves dans les processus de décision,Aider les élèves à comprendre les conséquences de leurs choix dans un environnement dépourvu de menace qui favorise la résolution des problèmes plutôt que les punitions. 1. 2. Nelsen et Lott mentionnent une anecdote à propos d’un enseignant américain. 3. 4. 5. 6.
edutopia Bullying Prevention Curriculum Visit the websites below to find videos, activities, and lesson plans you can use in the classroom: For more planning tips, the following Edutopia posts are good to reference: Student Voice and Leadership PACER’s five-step guide, Unite Against Bullying – School Event Planning Guide, provides helpful information on working with students to plan bullying prevention events. For more inspiration, check out these examples of student voice and leadership from Edutopia: Resources for Parents "Creating a Safe and Caring Home" from NSCC includes guidelines for parents to help children feel safe and create positive environments for children. Communicating With Schools GreatSchool's "Making Your Child’s School Safe and Supportive" details specific questions parents can ask principals or other school leaders about how a school handles issues like social and emotional learning; teaching respect; and preventing bullying, harassment, and exclusion. Cyberbullying
List of Classroom Rules Establishing a set of classroom rules on your first day back to school will set the tone for a productive new school year. Pick 5-10 classroom rules from the big list below that would best fit your students. Write down your main classroom rules on a chart and hang the rules in a highly visible area of the classroom. Ready-made Classroom Rules Charts are also available. How to Introduce Your Class Rules (Grades K-6) A well-founded set of class rules has the power to make any school year great. Great teachers know that rules make learning possible and work hard to choose them. Follow these tips for coming up with the right rules for your class and implementing them. Keep It Simple Because rules are meant to serve students, they should be logical and straightforward enough that they make sense after minimal explanation. Don't overdo it. Choosing Between General and Class-Specific Rules Most teachers tend to follow a similar roadmap for rule-setting: Briefly highlight student preparedness, outline what being respectful of others and school property looks like, and set behavioral expectations during instruction. There is nothing wrong with having rules similar to those of other teachers. Sample General Rules There are some rules that can be applied to every classroom. Sample Class-Specific Rules When general rules don't cut it, teachers can use more precise language to put their expectations into words.
Rules and Routines in the Classroom Follow Through Rules have consequences, and routines have reminders. What worked for me was far fewer rules and many, many more routines and procedures. Once you make a rule, you have to stick with it. All the other students are watching and expecting the follow through. Choosing Routines to Emphasize There will be procedures and routines that will take several seconds to go over and others that are more in-depth. You’ll want to address all scenarios for getting out of one’s seat: sharpening a pencil, getting supplies or a tissue, turning in work, etc. There isn’t really a limit to how many routines and procedures you have, but you’ll need to make sure each one is clear to every learner in your room. Transparency Be it a rule or a routine, kids have to know what it looks like, with examples, on day one. Have the class brainstorm examples and add a few yourself. The Ultimate Goal Of course, the ultimate goal of teaching is not enforcing rules and routines but teaching effectively.
Reducing bullying and cyber bullying This fall, there are new and revamped laws in many states that address K-12 bullying and cyber bullying. In Massachusetts, we have one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching laws in the country. As in many states, K-12 teachers in Massachusetts have new responsibilities to respond to, report, and address bullying and cyber bullying. 1. What behaviors do you have to report for possible formal discipline? 2. It’s useful to understand the difference between “gateway” behaviors and blatant bullying. Focusing on the small stuff means understanding that we need to educate kids about the impact of even small behaviors and react when we see them happening. 3. Although kids are comfortable with technology, they are not necessarily knowledgeable about it—don’t confuse the two. 4. Online and offline, rumors today fly at an incredible rate. 5. Kids today often vent electronically when they’re mad, instead of trying to resolve the problem.