Previous Topic

Establishing classroom rules, procedures and routines

Setting expectations together in the first class

In classrooms with clear and consistent behavior expectations students understand what is expected of them and know that their classroom is a safe and predictable place to learn. Establishing rules for the classroom will help develop the structure and respect that is needed for student success. With a new group of students, it is important to set expectations right from the start.

Creating classroom rules or guidelines with the assistance of your students allows them to feel like their ideas are valued. Research has indicated that students are more likely to accept and follow rules if they help develop them (Thornberg, 2018). Furthermore, when students are directly involved in a discussion of the rules, they are more likely to remember them and understand why they are important. Finally, if a student breaks a rule, they can be reminded that they took part in the development of that rule.

Creating rules with different ages

Since this is an activity for the first day, it may be difficult or impossible for students who are just starting to learn English to participate in a meaningful discussion and understand everything clearly. If this is the case with your students, and it is acceptable at your school, creating the rules in your students’ native language may be more effective. If this is not possible, it is especially important to make very simple rules and include visuals to help them better understand the rules.

Throughout an initial class discussion about rules, either the teacher or the student, depending on their age, should take notes. These notes will help to gather ideas that can be combined to develop a few simple rules. Rules work best when they are simple and stated in a positive way. Negatively stated rules often start with don’t or no such as, Don’t get out of your seat without permission or No walking around the classroom. A more positive way to say something similar is Stay in your seat (until the teacher asks you to move).

One way to introduce rules with the youngest students is for the teacher to ask basic questions related to behavior. For example, he or she could start with an open-ended question such as, “How should we act in the classroom?” The teacher should ask them to explain their answers. This conversation will likely flow towards more questions the teacher can ask like, “Why is it important to keep our hands and feet to ourselves?” or “What kinds of things can we do to be nice to each other?”

The following is an example of some very simple classroom rules for students under 5 years old.

  1. Gentle hands
  2. Listening ears
  3. Quiet voices
  4. Eyes looking

For students between 5-10 years old, rules can include more specifics, but should still be simple and easy to remember. Here is an example.

  1. Be kind
  2. Listen carefully
  3. Raise your hand to speak
  4. Keep your hands and feet to yourself
  5. Do your best

With older students, the discussion could be more in depth and include questions such as, “Why is it important to be respectful of each other’s feelings in class?” or “What should happen if a student makes fun of another student?” Here is an example of a set of rules for students over 10 years old.

  1. Take turns speaking and listening.
  2. Participate in class discussions.
  3. Follow instructions.
  4. Stay on task.
  5. Be kind to others.


Displaying rules

To ensure students remember the rules that were developed together, it is important to display these in the classroom. That way they can easily be referred to. Ideally, teachers will refer to these to acknowledge both positive and negative behaviors. Posting them also allows for them to easily be reviewed as needed.