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avoiding negative words such as “no” or “not.” Instead of a classroom rule that says “No running,”
teachers should write this rule as “We walk at all times.” Writing the rules using positive language results
in an overall more positive classroom environment because it emphasizes good behavior. Negative rules, in
contrast, emphasize what students cannot do and what they will be punished for.
An important issue regarding wording the rules is whether to word the classroom rules in more
general or in more specific terms. Rules with general wording refer generally to many different situations.
Examples include: “Be a good friend,” “Do your best,” and “Respect others.” Rules with specific wording
focus on particular situations, such as “We walk at all times,” “Follow directions the first time they are
given,” and “One person speaks at a time.” There are again pros and cons to each approach. The advantage
of more general rules is that they cover more situations and behaviors. The rule “Respect others” can
include listening to others, speaking politely to others, not stealing their property, and so on. This rule can
be applied to many situations, whereas the rule “One person speaks at a time” only covers behavior in class
and group discussions. On the other hand, the application of general rules can be ambiguous, which means
that teachers may find that students frequently argue with them over whether they have really violated a
rule or not. When a teacher tells a student that she has violated the rule “Be respectful” by interrupting a
classmate, the student may argue that she was just excited about another classmate’s ideas and was not
being disrespectful. Whether the student was really disrespectful may be unclear. Conversely, the rule “One
person speaks at a time” has clearly been broken if a student interrupts a classmate.
Making sure that students understand and remember the rules. Effective classroom managers
make sure that students understand and remember the rules. One way to help students remember the rules is
to post the rules in a conspicuous place where everyone in the classroom can see them easily. If the rules
are displayed saliently, students will see them frequently and be reminded of them when they see them.
When teachers need to remind students of one or more rules, they can point to the posted rules.
Teachers should also explicitly teach the students what the rules are and how to interpret them.
Many teachers announce their rules, post them on the wall, and then assume that students will understand
and follow the rules. However, students may not understand the rules in the same way that the teachers
intend. For example, if a teacher has a rule that says, “Respect each other,” the teacher may interpret this
to mean that students should not call each other names. However, some students may not think that the rule
applies to name calling, because they may think of name calling as “teasing” rather than as “disrespect.”
To ensure that all the students understand what is meant by this rule, the teacher should discuss with the
students what it means to respect each other so that everyone develops the same understanding.
When explaining the rules, teachers can model appropriate behaviors and discuss with students
what will count as violations of the rules. In this way, the teacher leaves no room for misunderstanding. In
addition, it is important to make sure that students understand why the rules are important. Students are
more likely to follow the rules when they understand the rationale for them. When a teacher explains that
the rule “Listen to others” exists to ensure that everyone can learn from the good ideas that others have,
then the teacher has given the students a reason for wanting to follow the rule.
Deciding whether to give students a voice. An important decision that teachers must make is
whether to involve the students in developing the rules. On one hand, the teacher may determine what the
rules are. On the other, the teacher may have the students help generate the rules. There are pros and cons
to each approach. Although involving the students in the development of the rules is time consuming, this
process can allow students to feel more ownership over the rules, and, as a result, students may be more
likely to follow them. However, if teachers generate the rules themselves, they ensure that they have the
exact set of rules they need in order to teach. It is possible to use a combination of both teacher and
student-generated rules. For example, teachers can hold a class meeting to discuss the importance of rules
and to generate ideas for rules. Teachers can then guide the discussion so that it focuses on those rules that
they want to highlight in their classroom.