Classroom rules and Discipline Procedures

Watson, Angela. How to Create Class Rules. Retrieved from http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/free-resources/behavior-management/class-rules

Rader, Martha. Establishing Classroom Rules and Consequences. http://www.education.ne.gov/BMIT/pdf/EstablishingClassroomRulesandConsequences.pdf

The first article was interesting because it differentiates rules from procedures. The rule is the speed limit is 55 miles an hour, the procedure is to watch the speedometer and stay focused on the road in front of you. Procedures help you be successful at following the rule. Along with that, Angela Watson suggests to create goals instead of rules. Goals such as respect yourself and respect others. It frames rules in a positive light, and helps students reach them successfully. By creating a set of classroom goals together as a class, students are more invested in following those guidelines. Along with that, you must also choose logical consequences. Your district or school may have their own set of rules and consequences that they will expect you to use.

The second article points out the importance of using positive rules verses negative rules, and staying consistent with discipline and routines. She also includes 50 tips to motivating students and keeping them focused in the classroom. These tips help with classroom management, and hopefully helps avoid any misbehavior.

My classroom is very interesting because classroom rules are not posted any where. The students respect my cooperating teacher, and they also respect me. However, my teacher doesn't seem to have an issue with things like cell phones. I have been in classrooms where we have created the goals/rules together, and it seemed to help us be more involved and no doubt understanding what was expected of us.

As a teacher, any way that you can get students to invest a little bit more in their learning is a good thing. Instead of just reading a list of goals/rules on the first day of class, students are able to take time to think about what is in their best interest. Students care about the environment they are in, whether it's positive or negative, so if they have a say about classroom expectations, they can hope that others are just as invested in the learning as they are.