Developing classroom rules is a critical step toward increasing positive interactions and communicating in advance the expectations for classroom behaviour and the consequences. Rules help teachers identify which behaviours to positively reinforce and define which behaviours will elicit approval from the teacher. Therefore, rules serve as an effective antecedent control technique when developed and implemented properly. Classroom rules should also be linked to positive consequences and not exclusively to punishment and should be established at the beginning of the school year. Examples of effective classroom rule development includes the following:
1) State the rules positively and allow students to participate in development.
a) Rules should result from a discussion involving the teacher and the class members.
b) Discussions can begin by identifying safety rules for the community and the rationale for having them and should also include potential consequences for violation of classroom rules.
2) The number of rules should be relatively small and should be stated positively, clearly, and succinctly.
a) Limit the rules to no more than seven.
b) Clearly post four or five positively stated, behaviourally based rules.
3) Display rules in a prominent place and teach in a manner that is consistent with the way in which traditional academics are taught.
4) Present and model each rule.
Considerable time should be spent during the beginning weeks of school introducing rules and procedures.
5) Consistently monitor the adherence to classroom rules.
Precision thwarts misinterpretations and misuse of rules by students and makes it possible to consistently apply consequences for violations. Not only do students need to help with defining rules; they need to understand them. One way to ensure student ownership of classroom rules is to include them in the process. Rule-making needs to be a collaborative exercise where teachers and students discuss the importance of establishing a safe classroom environment and participate in the collective development of rules. In addition, teachers should develop a system where the rules are taught, modelled, and reinforced consistently and positively.
It can be difficult for teachers to monitor and enforce more than seven rules and therefore may be unreasonable to expect students to remember and comply with several rules at one time. Classroom rules should be readily available for easy reference and serve as a reminder to adhere to classroom expectations. Rules may be reviewed and revised as often as necessary to reinforce automaticity and student ownership. Consistency is a vital component of a comprehensive classroom management plan. When issuing rewards and consequences based on student behavioral responses, teachers should be sure to apply and reinforce the classroom rules by praising students who are following the rules and implementing consequences for those who do not.
When both teachers and students develop the rules, both are responsible for a creating a positive learning environment. Reinforcing classroom rules consistently is the most important skill a teacher can implement to produce positive interactions. One strong method for consistent rule reinforcement is the use of a token economy. This is a formalized and systematic attempt to deliver positive reinforcement in which teachers give token reinforcers to students for following the rules. Tokens can then be traded for a variety of events or items. Teachers and students can work together to determine a value for following the rules and a schedule of when the students will be reinforced for following the rules. Most problems can be identified using two questions to analyse the students’ actions. If problems develop, the teacher should review the plan by asking:
1) Does the student believe that they can achieve the level of behaviour acquired?
2) Is the reinforcement being given often enough and is it something the student wants?
Source: https://www.scirp.org/html/9-6301979_45397.htm#txtF4
