Establishing Effective Rules

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Let's dive into the new school year with a look at ESTABLISHING EFFECTIVE RULES in the classroom. For specific tips and insights.

TIPS: Establishing Effective Rules

Rules structure the learning environment by defining the behaviors that are necessary for learning. Because the learning character of your classroom changes from year to year, your rules may also change. Therefore, rather than providing you with specific rules to adopt, the tips below provide you with information about how to address the needs of all sensory learning styles when you create rules and teach them to your students. You can apply the following general guidelines to whatever specific rules you select for your classroom.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. COMMUNICATE YOUR VALUES THROUGH YOUR RULES.

Reflect on the behaviors you believe support your students' success as learners, and create your rules based on what you consider to be the most important learning behaviors.

The following are examples of learning rules. They form the acronym FAST, which helps students remember them:

• (F) "Find out how you learn best."
• (A) "Always apply effort."
• (S) "Support others in learning."
• (T) "Think creatively."

Conversely, the examples below are not learning rules, but social and organizational rules:

• "Bring all needed materials to class."
• "Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings."
• "Obtain permission before speaking or leaving your seat."
• "Respect and be polite to all people."

Note: These types of rules may also be referred to as "procedures."

2. KEEP YOUR LIST OF RULES SHORT.

Choose no more than five rules. More than five are too many to remember. One way to limit your list of rules is to keep them broad in scope. Consider the wide variety of behaviors that are covered by the four FAST rules. For example, "Support others in learning" may mean helping someone with an assignment, participating fully in a group activity, or working quietly so as not to disturb others.

3. PHRASE YOUR RULES POSITIVELY.

State what students should do rather than what they should not do. For example, state your rule as "Support others in learning" rather than "Don't bother others."

4. FOCUS ON OBSERVABLE BEHAVIORS.

Make sure your rules can be described as physical behaviors that students can see. Explaining what a rule "looks like, sounds like, and feels like" is an effective way to help you focus on observable behaviors.

5. IDENTIFY KEY WORDS.

Be clear and specific about what your rules mean by identifying key words — words that indicate successful learning behaviors. When presenting rules to your students, you can emphasize the key words by writing them in a different color or underlining them. The key words are italicized in the examples that follow:

• Find out how you learn best.
  Always apply effort.
  Support others in learning.
  Think creatively.
• Reflect on your learning.
  Listen to others' ideas.
  Take responsibility for your learning needs.
  Cooperate so learning is easier for everyone.
• Do your best work.
  Cooperate with others.
  Treat everyone with respect.
  Stay on task at your seat.

In addition to these guidelines, a key to creating effective rules is to consider students' unique learning styles. For specific suggestions, see below.

TAILORING RULES TO STUDENTS' LEARNING STYLES

Students tend to have preferred sensory styles through which they learn best: kinesthetic learners prefer large muscle movement; tactual learners prefer touching, small muscle movement, and exploring emotional issues; auditory learners prefer talking and listening; visual learners prefer seeing and watching.

The question many students have regarding rules is, "What's in it for me?" Answer this question by describing how students will benefit if the rules are followed. Communicate a clear purpose for each of your rules, and share your vision of what your classroom would be like if all the rules were followed.

Express the benefits of the rules in ways that address the specific "wants" of each sensory learning style. When students feel that the rules meet their personal desires, they have a positive reason to follow them.

Here are the specific types of rules students prefer, based on learning style:

KINESTHETIC

Kinesthetic learners want rules that focus their actions. They like rules that tell them what they can do and when they can do it. They appreciate rules that challenge them by asking for skill and competence, and are frustrated with rules that tell them what not to do or require them to prepare for activities rather than to actually do them.

Kinesthetic learners also want rules that direct their interactions with others, such as "Help each other learn" or "When work gets hard, persevere."

TACTUAL

Tactual learners want rules that provide for individual expression and promote group harmony. They like rules that require respect and deal with each learner as an individual. More than the other styles, they care about how rules affect the whole class. Their emotional response to rules is often influenced by how well they respect the teacher and how well the teacher respects them.

Tactual learners would respond well to rules such as "We all do well when we help one another learn" or "Find out how you learn best."

AUDITORY

Auditory learners want rules that can be discussed and questioned. They like debating the rules and often ask "what if" questions in order to understand a rule's purpose. They enjoy creating the rules and discussing how the rules are working at the moment and how they will work in the future.

Auditory learners support rules that encourage conversation, such as "Listen to others' ideas" or "Collaborate with others in learning."

VISUAL

Visual learners want rules they can see working in the classroom. They like to study the rules before making any decisions about them. Visual learners may appear to be complying with rules, when in fact they are only taking their time to evaluate them. When they can observe a rule working, they are likely to support it. Visual learners appreciate time to think about the rules before discussing them.

Visual learners support rules such as "Reflect on the best way for you to learn" or "Take time to look for quality."

Establishing effective rules at the beginning of the school year clearly communicates the type of learning community you hope to foster in your classroom. Well-written rules illustrate desired student behaviors, thus minimizing incidences of misbehavior.

Source: The above concepts are based on William Haggart's Discipline and Learning Styles: An Educator's Guide, the newest book in the School Support Series. For more information, see "Helpful Resources."

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