Creating & Implementing Rules & Procedures.

 Creating & Implementing Rules & Procedures

Mar 5, 2020

Establishing classroom rules for appropriate behaviour is essential to the success of any educational institution.  Students should be allowed to give their opinion with regards to what the classroom rules should be, however, the teacher should have the final say about which behaviour is acceptable and which are not. As established in previous discussions, autocratic style of discipline is old school where neither teacher nor student benefits from. With this in mind, one must reflect on the fact that there are some rather boisterous and wilful students in the system that makes things very difficult for everyone.  Children who like to push their limits may drive one to believe that the autocratic style is the only option for punishment.

However, this is the furthest from the truth as research indicate that students who are physically or emotionally punished and not disciplined appropriately are more likely to have behavioural issues such as anger and attention deficits. Children need clear boundaries about what the rules are and they should be encouraged to set these rules together with their class teachers and even within their family environment.

Some general rules are discussed with students in the beginning of each term with their class teacher. They then create a mindmap on the white board using a marker. Afterwards, the teacher takes a photo of the discussion and shares it with the others and parents alike. Some guidelines of what they ask are; Should we treat everyone and everything with respect?  Should we encourage students to participate actively during sessions?, What should the consequences be for unruly/bad behaviour? What are the benefits/advantages of good behaviour?

These class discussions usually makes students feel empowered and instills critical thinking, allows them to feel valued as a person, and this method encourages teamwork. These are things our teachers value highly at our school.