Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

Applying classroom rules and procedures

By: Christian Bousquet

Handling classroom behavior can be difficult because we must decide when to reward students who are following the rules and procedures and when to deal with students who aren't. We must also decide how to handle both kind of students. As an educator we want our students to enjoy learning however they must also follow rules and procedures. I believe it is the constant struggle between being an enjoyable teacher but maintaining the respect the students have for your rules. This post will review recommendations and examples of how to handle students who are following the rules and those who aren't. 

Students who are following the rules and procedures should be rewarded for such. I don't believe that punishment is the only effective tool to keep a class well behaved. Positive reinforcement is a crucial part of enforcing class rules and procedures. Positive reinforcement really encourages students to be respectful of the rules and procedures. I believe it is important to try and acknowledge them constantly, even if it is just a simple comment like "nice job". Most importantly it is important to acknowledge students who are following the rules and encouraging others to do the same or are doing it in a way that enhances the lesson. Also I am a firm believer in awarding the whole class for participating in following the rules. I think a beneficial way I would implement this strategy is doing an end of the semester party. If the class a whole is able to get 80 percent of the good behavior points I would keep track off the whole year then they should get rewarded with a fun activity. I would possibly implement a pizza and movie party. Another recommendation I have for students who exhibit positive qualities are informing the parents. I think having the parents involved in their children's education is a important stimulant for positive reinforcement, that of course depends on the parents choice to compliment the student. I would like to make a phone call and let the parents know how well their children are doing, if calling is not a good choice for the parents I would send an email or note home. 

Of course it is a much more enjoyable aspect to handle students who are following the rules but as professionals we must also deal with students who are not following expected guidelines. I think most importantly we must establish that these are our classrooms and students must respect that. If all the students are misbehaving I would implement interacting with the whole class. I would personally stop class to explain that it is a mutual respect between us, I don't interrupt their presentations or class discussions so they should not interrupt my lessons. I really think that is the only appropriate way to handle students misbehaving publicly, as a group. For individuals I believe that an effective management technique is discussing the problems with the students first before doing disciplinary actions. One video I watched last week about teaching showed a teacher who discussed how hard school can be and how he remembers it with a student he had in detention. Then he proceeded to play board games with him and interact with the student. This is the ideal approach before making the student fix books and meet with counselors. Finally involving parent would be my final approach. I think just like positive reinforcement it is important that parents are involved, the collaboration of students, teacher, and parents to fix the problem can help. I would again call or email the parents about the issues, I might even call them in if the problems are so extreme. 

In conclusion I do believe we must be firm in the rules and procedures to show the students that these are our classrooms. However positive reinforcement and positive interactions for misbehaving students should always be the deterrents to students following the rules. I do want my students to respect me but also to enjoy what they are learning and how they learn it.