Establishing Rules and Procedures

The foundation of the learning community includes the rules and procedures by which everyone is willing to live. These agreements keep order; establish a safe, secure classroom environment; guide students’ actions; and foster greater learning. Once the classroom parameters are established, it’s vital for everyone—you and your students—to consistently follow them. Thoroughly teaching and practicing the rules and procedures gives students the opportunity to understand and commit to them. When your actions match your words, students know they can trust that you mean what you say and they don't need to find their boundaries by constantly testing the rules.

At the completion of this Module, you will be able to:

• Identify and explain types of classroom rules (including classroom expectations, community agreements, guidelines for class meetings, and/or learning rules), as well as strategies for creating them.
• Create and evaluate a lesson designed to teach three to five well-expressed, effective rules.
• Distinguish among three types of classroom routines, develop those most important for your classroom, implement them, and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Explain the connections between sensory styles and specific types of misbehavior, learn how to use this information to clarify sources of conflict between teacher and students, and adjust class activities to correct these discrepancies.
• Reflect on the ways personal beliefs affect practice, adjust accordingly, and actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally using the knowledge and skills of this course.
• Work collaboratively to share knowledge, skills, and experiences; refine understanding of content; give and receive feedback; and improve expertise.