Expectations, Rules, and Procedures
Managing your classroom effectively is essential to student success and achievement. Effective management is essential to creating a positive, safe classroom climate in which your students can best learn. You can have great content knowledge and create engaging, rich, inquiry-based lessons and tasks, but if your classroom environment is chaotic, if your students are not clear about expectations and consequences, or if your students do not feel safe, students will not learn.
Another important reason for a well-managed classroom is TIME. One of the greatest enemies of effective instruction is a lack of time, yet we know that teachers estimate losing nearly two and a half hours of learning time to behavior disruptions each week (EAB, 2019). If we can recapture this lost time, we can improve instruction, understanding, and success outcomes for our students.
CLASSROOM
RULES
Classroom rules are important to convey guidelines to students so they are clear about what is expected of them. Classroom rules should be straightforward, clear, and easy to follow. In the secondary classroom, there should usually be between 4 and 6 rules. Whenever possible, the rules should be stated in a positive tone.
Before establishing classroom rules, teachers must be familiar with the school rules. Most schools have rules that apply to all students. These often include rules about attendance, tardies, dress, and electronics use. It is very important to understand and adhere to the school rules in addition to the classroom rules, and it is important that the classroom rules do not contradict the school rules in any way.
Expectations
Expectations are desired behaviors or outcomes in a classroom. Teachers must make their expectations clear to their students. Expectations might include: Do your best work, Be on time for class, Be prepared for class.
Rules
Rules are stated expectations regarding behavior in the classroom. They cover large sets of behavior that should always be practiced. Rules define behaviors that are not acceptable, and if rules are not followed, there are consequences.
Procedures
Procedures are routines designed to make the classroom run smoothly. They are usually targeted at accomplishing something specific rather than prohibiting certain behaviors. If students do not follow procedures, they are given reminders and practice.
Planning Classroom Rules
Your classroom rules should cover the anticipated behavior problems that might interrupt the smooth flow, the safety, and the climate of the classroom. At the beginning of the school year, you may want to include the students in the rule-setting process. What do they think is necessary? What guidelines would be helpful for them? Students often choose rules that will protect individual and group rights, prevent destructive behavior, and promote equity in the classroom. When students participate in the rules and contribute to decisions about what is important to ensure a safe and productive classroom climate, they are more likely to support and participate in them.
Remember, if something is important enough to be a rule, it must have associated (and previously decided-upon) consequences. What will you do if a student breaks the rule?
Some common common, fairly generic classroom rules for secondary classrooms might include:
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Show respect to all people in the classroom
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Keep electronics out of sight during class.
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Show respect for classroom property and the property of others.
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Use positive and respectful language in the classroom.
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Conduct yourself with honesty and integrity
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Obey all school rules
Establishing and Enforcing Rules
Before you can establish and enforce rules, you must be sure students understand them. If you have relatively general, broad, or over-reaching rules, it is very important to discuss, explain, and review them. For instance, what does it mean to "show respect" to others. What does this look like? You might explain that it involves speaking kindly, listening when others are speaking, staying seated when someone is talking, or demonstrating attention when the teacher is teaching. These explanations and discussions can prevent confusion and make expectations clear.
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One process for establishing rules and maintaining a positive, effective classroom climate is to institute a cycle of Preview, Warn, and Give Consequences (Weinstein, 2021). This involves:
Preview: This is a whole-group reminder of rules and expectations. It might be a reminder as you begin class, "Please put all electronics away," "Remember, I'm talking now so I need your attention." This might also be a reminder of expectation prior to an activity: "You have ten minutes to go through the problem in your group and come up with a prediction. You should be engaged in productive work the whole time. Remember to share one-at-a-time, and listen to your teammates."
Warn: A warning does not address the whole class. Instead it is directed toward a group of students or an individual. It should specifically address the behavior that is not meeting expectations, or is leading you to believe it could lead the student(s) astray. A warning might something like (to a talkative, off-task group): "Show me what you've done so far. It sounds like you're wandering off-task here, and I need you to get back to the problem at hand so you'll be ready to present in 10 minutes." Or, if a student has her head down, you might say, "What's going on? Are you okay?" When she says "I'm done," or "I'm tired," or even, "I don't want to do this," you can give the warning, "I need you to be productive right now and get some work done. Please start the problem set, and I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes." It is important to give her some time and space to comply, so walk away for a few minutes before you come back to check. If she has decided to comply, praise the behavior ("I see you're working on this. Good job."). If she still has her head down, you proceed with consequences.
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Consequences: If previewing and warning do not produce the desired results, you move (calmly and professionally) to consequences. [You should have made clear in advance what the
consequences are for different infractions: "If your phone is out after the initial warning,
it will be taken away until the end of class," or "If you continue to use inappropriate
language in the classroom after being warned, you will serve a detention." Students
should always know what will happen if they choose not to comply. It is vital to give
consequences consistently and equitably. Do not give more warnings to the students who are typically "good" or to the students whose reactions you fear. Deal out consequences (after preview and warning, except in the case of egregious infractions) consistently, quickly, and equitably.
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Remember that calling parents may be a consequence of student misbehavior, but do not approach it as if that is a punishment. Creating rules and occasionally needing to enforce them is NOT about punishing students, "picking on" students, or disliking students. It is about your mission to keep a safe, positive, smoothly-functioning space for all students to thrive.