Module One | Establishing Classroom Rules for Student Deportment
The focus of this module is on how to establish and teach classroom rules so that they are likely to be adhered to by students.
Goals
Describe when classroom rules should be established and communicated.
Describe how students might be involved in rule development and why their involvement is important.
List three to eight positively stated rules for your classroom.
Discuss the pros and cons of establishing common classroom rules in your school.
Describe what infractions are to be handled by teachers and what infractions are to be sent to the office at your school.
Differentiate between classroom and school rules.
Specify how you might teach your students the classroom rules.
Describe why it is important to reinforce rule following behaviors.
Too often educators assume that school discipline standards are understood or that students already know or should know how to behave. Behavioral expectations are frequently communicated indirectly, requiring that students learn the rules through trial and error, which often results in using additional punishment. Therefore, before specific consequences are selected and administered, rules of behavior need to be established and communicated clearly. Not only does this step make sense, it is often required by law. For example, Section 35291 of the California Education Code requires that the principal of each school "take steps to insure that all rules pertaining to the discipline of pupils are communicated to continuing students at the beginning of each school year, and to transfer students at the time of their enrollment in the school."
