Classroom rules are a set of rules and guidelines that the teacher imposes that the class must follow. These rules are designed to assist the teacher in behavior management and ensure a positive learning environment where all pupils feel comfortable and safe.
They are often drafted with input from the students so that everyone has a say on how they want everyone to behave in lessons.
These rules vary depending on the school, teacher, and class.
Classroom Rules Example
Below is an example list of school rules that represents the kind of rules found in a classroom.
- Be on time at the beginning of the day and after lunch and breaks.
- Come prepared with stationery, workbooks, and completed homework.
- Be kind and polite to others.
- Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
- Be respectful of classmates, teachers, and belongings.
- Listen to the teacher and follow instructions.
- Work hard and do your best.
- Raise your hand when you would like to speak in class or need the bathroom
- Obey all school rules.
Breaking these school rules may result in disciplinary action, such as staying behind after school.
How To Teach Classroom Rules
Now that you know a fair amount about what rules in the classroom are, it’s time to find out about putting them into practice. Here are a few helpful pointers about teaching your learners classroom rules.
- Be clear about what your rules are. In the long run, this will make it much easier to teach classroom rules effectively, as children will have a clear understanding of your expectations. You can ensure this by setting aside a portion of time to explain your classroom rules and put up some posters to serve as reminders during children’s time in your classroom.
- Come up with the rules together. At the start of the term, use our Editable Class Rules Poster with your class to create a list of rules which works for your class. That way, children are more likely to follow them as they are given a chance to voice their opinions, and they know the rules are built on mutual respect.
- Continually reinforce your classroom rules while teaching day-to-day. Doing this ensures that your expectations become a matter of principle and routine for children in your classroom.
- Decorate your classroom with our Respect in the Classroom Display Posters to remind children daily of the importance of showing respect. These posters focus on respecting classmates, the teacher, the classroom, and yourself.
- If children don’t respect ‘rules,’ why not change the vocabulary to make them seem less threatening? We have resources that help you create a Classroom Pact, which sounds more friendly and cooperative, perfect for showing students that you respect them and they should respect you.
- Role-play situations involving respect. You can use our Respect Scenario Cards to create discussions around respect and get children to act out each scenario to see how respect is shown in real-life scenarios.
- If your classroom rules are broken, call attention to this as soon as it happens. That way, the child/children will learn where they’ve gone while it’s fresh in their memory. Ultimately, this will mean that the behavior is less likely to be repeated later.
- Similarly, when rules are being followed, make sure that you reward and praise this. Positively reinforcing behavior is proven to be a very effective technique in behavior management and will incentivize your children to follow your classroom rules.
