The importance of classroom rules

‘Experienced teachers don’t deal with problems, they prevent them from happening’ – thus begins Geoff Petty’s section on classroom organization in his book ‘Teaching Today – A Practical Guide’ (Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd, 1998) . in the classroom, and order in the classroom is essential for effective teaching and learning to take place.Here we will consider how to prevent problems from occurring by establishing appropriate rules in the classroom.

You can simply tell students what the rules are – you are in full control in this case, they are YOUR rules and it is your responsibility to enforce them. By allowing them to decide the rules, students have a greater commitment to abiding by them. The latter approach sounds nice, but the rules likely won’t meet your perceived needs – words like ‘quiet’, ‘respect’ and ‘punctual’ might be missing!

Rules are best agreed between the teacher and students, and best established “in advance.” The age, maturity, size and purpose of the group is important in this regard: ‘no mobile phone’ could be less appropriate in a classroom of six-year-olds than in an FE student (higher education, 16+), for example.

The rules should be simple (I recently attended a session where the rules had no more than four words each and there were only six), therefore easy to remember; they should be written in large letters on a class poster and therefore should always be noted; and they should be written down as the class discusses what they understand by each and thus are “embedded” in each brain as the group accepts them.

The ground rules are there to ensure appropriate behavior and mutual respect. The key clauses refer to not talking to others, listening to the teacher, being on time and turning off the phones; the agreed list should be the basis for order in the classroom.

Not talking about others means respecting others, allowing voices to be heard, and allowing teaching and learning to take place effectively. Unfortunately, ten minutes of listening to Parliament in action or BBC Radio Four’s Today program can lead one to suspect that talking about each other is the way of things.

Listening to the teacher is about respecting other people: allowing classmates to listen, developing a skill that is sadly lacking in much of society, listening and learning. Listen to understand another person’s point of view or the content of a teaching session. It is about remembering that we have one mouth but two ears and using the two channels in proportion.

Getting to a lesson on time is about respecting other people (see the common thread in the ground rules that are developed here?). The teacher has a limited time to convey a certain amount of information. It takes time to settle a group into a learning framework, and latecomers disrupt that delicate dynamic.

Turning off the phones is also about respecting others – once again, interrupting, challenging authority, and messing up the session.

So the rules have to do with establishing a respectful and appropriate atmosphere for learning; The main problem is that we live in a society where the individual is praised above society, and it’s all about me, me, me. Respect is a character trait in sad decline in the West, and it is interesting to read reports on the higher academic achievement achieved in schools in countries / societies where respect for others, the older generation in particular, is the norm.

Agreeing on the rules together can be used as a good introductory activity with a new group. Writing them down keeps them handy for frequent reference, and writing them down helps fix them in the minds of students. A well-balanced and mutually agreed set of ground rules should allow the teacher to prevent problems in the classroom.