Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

Classroom management is the process by which teachers and schools create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings.

The importance of applying classroom rules and procedures include:

• Increasing meaningful academic learning, facilitate social and emotional growth
• Enhance student academic engagement
• Decrease negative behaviors

Discipline is a positive method of teaching students self-control while punishment is a technique used to enforce discipline. Creating a strong sense of classroom management where students feel safe and respected means that students know what is expected of them and they can make the choice to follow those expectations or not. Punishment is the reaction to a lack of discipline so the first step to preventing the need for punishment is to teach and encourage discipline, focusing on the establishment of classroom rules and procedures how students communicated in classroom

Establishing Classroom Rules and Procedures

Most teachers have class rules written by themselves or have elicited student input and have written in conjunction with their students. Some teachers have had luck with their class rules, may have not. What I have found that setting rules with students is more effective; when setting class rules and procedures it is important to hear all voices and to be fair, consistent at all times and have WITHITNESS to foresee the problem area in order to create more effective learning environment for students.

Consequences for Following and Not Following the Rules and Procedures

Using consequences rather than punishments. Consequences are intended to help the student to understand what they did wrong and how to use self-control to follow the rules next time.

Students first need to know what is acceptable behavior for the classroom, and what is unacceptable behavior. Modeling proper behavior and expectations is essential.

Discipline uses procedures and routine to enforce positive student behavior. The key is to create positive discipline where students focus on what they are allowed to do and should do rather than what they should not do. the goal should be to teach students self-control by focusing on the positive results on good behavior.

Positive consequences, which are based on principles of reinforcement.  

Reinforcement is any procedure that maintains or increases behavior as the result of consequences

experienced following a behavior. Verbal reinforcement is one of the most effective types of positive reinforcement that school staff can use.

Effective teachers use reinforcement as a powerful tool to teach, shape and encourage appropriate behavior. The goal of any reinforcement system is to help students improve behavior and move students to intrinsic motivation and reinforcement.

  

Negative consequence, the purpose is to decrease the occurrence of problem behavior and to teach the desired replacement behaviors. Similar to positive consequences, negative consequences should be connected to the classroom rules. Including: Verbal warning, rule reminders, changing seats, lunch detention, phone call home, office referral, suspension. It is important to keep in mind, however, that negative consequences alone are not an effective strategy.  They must be encased within a comprehensive management package that is based on the proactive practices of reinforcement, positive student teacher interactions, and effective surface management strategies such as active supervision.    

Let's watch this video about  The Effective use of consequences as a behavior management strategy

Recommendation for Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures:

When developing and teaching classroom rules and consequences we should always create posters with the classroom rules but this poster should be created with our students, it should be a democratic process, talk to our students about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate what is expected from them what is not expected from them what is a good behavior what is not so lead our students to a conclusion that they will feel that they are part of the process of making rules and procedures and we don’t forget to be consistent and fair.

When we think about classroom rules; There are six principles that we should very mind when we apply classroom rules:

1. Determine the behavior that are important for teaching and learning to occur in the classroom; rules that address specific problems that you have in your group, having general rules or specific rules depending on your classroom problems and misbehavior.
2. Develop a few, positively stated rules that are clearly defined and objectively written; rules should be written in positive terms like for example Be kind to your classmates instead of Don't be rude so don't use negative terms
3. Include a “Catch-all” rule which is a very general rule that will be applied to every student. When we give students a catch-all rule we should give them the rationale behind that rule and clarify the rule also.
4. Teach, practice, and post classroom rules; we should go over the rules every class, we have to remind students of the rules and we have to be a role model so how do we practice classroom rule; we show them what positive behavior is the appropriate and the good behavior show the student how to behave properly
5. Monitor student behavior and acknowledge students when they follow rules, so we have to praise students when they do the right thing, sometimes we focus too much on the negative on misbehavior and punish students, we should not ignore students when they do the right thing we should praise them when they follow the rules. It helps to build a positive relationship with our students by praising them and other students want to be praised as well. So you encourage the positive behavior in your classroom by using the reinforcement
6. Enforce compliance with the classroom rules.

   

Knowing the positive consequences such as using reinforces in the classroom can be helpful when teaching your students new behaviors, reinforcing desired behaviors as needed and keeping your students motivated throughout the year. Knowing the strategies that have been used as negative consequences to decrease the occurrence of problem behavior.

All these strategies will be discussed in the following chart that should help us to develop a manageable system to use in our classroom. By following these strategies, We should see improved student behavior.

Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures Chart:

References:

1. Classroom Management: Punishment Vs. Discipline by Alyssa Sellors. Retrieved from  http://education.seattlepi.com/classroom-management-punishment-vs-discipline-4051.html on November 23,2016.

2. Reinforcement in the classroom improves student motivation and performance, published on January 8, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.ttacnews.vcu.edu/2010/01/reinforcement-in-the-classroom-improves-student-motivation-and-performance/ on November 20,2016

3. Supporting positive behavior in Alberta schools. Retrieved from http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/inspb1/html/6_positivereinforcement.html on November 20,2016

4. Effective use of consequences as a behavior management strategy video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-klO7Du-Rzc on November 21,2016. 

5. The Art and Science of Teaching by Robert Marzano, What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures?. Retrieved from https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/platform-user-content/prod-copy/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf  on November 20,2016.