Establishing clear rules and procedures
One of the main ways to ensure lessons run smoothly is to establish clear rules and
procedures from the start. This is essential when considering the introduction of
group work into your lessons.
For rules and procedures to work, they need to be actively taught to pupils. It is
best to stick to a small number of rules that are clearly understood and consistently
enforced. They need to become a routine part of pupil behaviour. Teachers who
engage pupils effectively in group work often spend a lot of time and effort
reinforcing the rules at the beginning of the school year. It is important that the
teacher not only tells pupils what the rules are, but also explains the reasons they
exist. Successful teachers often involve pupils in setting up the rules.
Establishing the ground rules with the participation of the pupils can be done in a
single lesson and the rules displayed on a classroom poster. Ultimately, however,
the ground rules will be learned only through consistent application and
reinforcement over a period of time.
6 | Key Stage 3 National Strategy|Pedagogy and practice
Unit 10: Group work
© Crown copyright 2004
DfES 0433-2004
Task 5
Setting ground rules 1 5 minutes
What would be a good set of ground rules for a group discussion? Add your
own ideas to the one below. Aim for a total of no more than six rules.
Ground rules
Task 6
Setting ground rules 2
Watch video sequence 10c, which shows a teacher establishing clear rules and
procedures for group work.
Notice how the teacher engages the pupils through involving them in setting up
the rules and listens to whether groups are abiding by the rules. Also notice how
the teacher sums up at the end.
As a variation, each group could create and abide by its own set of rules. The
teacher could then discuss with the whole class which group worked best at the
end of the exercise and why.
