Chapter 11 page 233
Applying the rules. How might different teachers develop rules in accordance with the guidelines
discussed above? The examples below show two successful teachers who use different approaches.
Ɣ Helen, an eighth-grade mathematics teacher, has students help generate the classroom rules to
encourage them to be accountable for their actions. During the first day of school, she holds a class
meeting in each of her classes, and the class decides on the appropriate ways to behave. Helen uses the
MOST common ideas generated during her five classes to develop a code of discipline, but she rewords
the ideas so they are written in a positive manner to create a more positive environment. Her code of
discipline is: “We have the responsibility to be safe, to keep others safe, to do our schoolwork, to show
respect for ourselves and others, to take care of the things around us, and make our school a peaceful
place.” The code of discipline is posted on the wall, and she asks students to recite it once each week.
Ɣ Connor, a third-grade teacher, believes that it is important for students to feel that they developed the
classroom rules because then they will feel a responsibility to follow them, but there are still certain
rules that he wants to make sure appears on the final list of rules. Based on these beliefs, Connor uses a
combination of teacher- and student generated rules. Using a story that the class reads as a
springboard, Connor holds a whole class discussion about the importance of classroom rules, and then
the students brainstorm a list of all the classroom rules that they think are important for their own
classroom. Because the list is almost always too long, and because Connor is ultimately trying to guide
the students toward rules that he has in mind, he guides the students through another discussion,
encouraging them to group all the rules that sound similar into categories and then come up with a
more general rule that encompasses all the rules that sound alike. The end result is: (1) Do your best,
(2) Be prepared, (3) Be kind and (4) Be safe. Once the rules are finalized, each student signs a poster
that lists the classroom rules, and the poster is displayed prominently in the classroom.
Designing Instruction 11.1: Rules
Envision a future class you will be teaching (e.g., elementary school, middle-school history, etc.).
Develop a set of rules for your classroom. Assume for the purposes of this problem that you have
decided to develop the rules yourself.
Response: There are of course many possible sets of sound rules.
Routines
Routines are essential for the overall fluidity of the classroom. They show students how to carry
out common tasks in an efficient, orderly manner. Most classrooms have many different needed routines,
and it is critical for teachers to work out what these routines will be (Emmers & Gerwels, 2006). Most
routines fall into three broad categories.
Three types of routines. There are three types of routines: movement routines, lesson routines,
and general procedures. Movement routines provide students with explicit steps for entering, exiting, and
moving about the classroom. For example, teachers can establish a routine by which students may leave the
room to get a drink of water by following these steps: request permission, take a hall pass, return within 2
minutes, and return the hall pass. Common movement routines are: arriving in the morning (elementary
school), arriving at class (secondary school), using the restroom, getting drinks, exiting and reentering the
class during a fire drill or an evacuation drill, exiting the class as a whole class, sharpening pencils, getting
and disposing of tissues, disposing of garbage, getting and returning supplies, using the sink, moving to
computer stations, and storing classroom materials.
Lesson routines are routines to carry out tasks that occur regularly during instructional lessons,
such as passing back homework and taking tests. When teachers ask students to write their names, period,
and date in the upper right corner of every paper they hand in, they are teaching a lesson routine for how to
identify themselves on their written work. Other common lesson routines include procedures for how
teachers will get students’ attention, how students should ask for the teacher’s assistance, what students
should bring to class, how materials will be distributed, how papers will be collected, how to correct