Analyse_Different_Ways_in_Which_You_Would_Establish_Ground_Rules_with_Your_Learners,_Which_Underpin_Behaviour_and_Respect_for_Others.

Assignment 1-T4 T4 – Analyse different ways in which you would establish ground rules with your learners, which underpin behaviour and respect for others. Recommended word count: 250-350 words. Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers – “The ground rules are a contract that the class had created together to be applied for the duration of the course. The contract promotes discussion as it is based on the value of a mutual respect. Alan Mortiboys – “Ground rules specify acceptable behaviour for learners on a course. There are different approaches to dividing ground rules for a course and give learners the chance to take some control over the rules and to collaborate with other learners and to take into account the needs of other learners. In this way the process of agreeing rules not only gives clarity about what everyone may expect but also increases motivation and the potential for collaborative learning.” Good classroom management depends a lot on how you establish the ground rules at the beginning of a course. Students need to know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you during the course. They need to know where the boundaries lie and what will happen if they step over the boundaries. There are many different ways to go about establishing the ground rules of a classroom. Here are just a few simple ideas. Happy face Vs Sad face Divide the board into two and put a smiley face and a sad face at the top of the two columns. Have the ideas clear of what is needed in the columns beforehand; you can adapt them according to the students’ contributions but the teachers should know their own ground rules before going into the class. Give students examples of types of behaviour, and as a group decide which column to put them in. Posters The teachers should display the ground rules on a poster on the wall so they can refer to them later. Groups could be asked to make the posters. Discuss with the class about what will happen if these ground rules are broken. Class contract Similar to the smiley chart idea, a class contract is a negotiated document written by teacher and students. The contract outlines what the teacher expects of the students and what they can expect from the teacher. Sign the contract and keep it displayed. Class contracts can be written with whole groups or with individual students. If the teacher realises that there are one or two difficult students in the class, a contract can be written with just those students. It’s a chance to talk to them about their behaviour and to set the limits of what’s acceptable in written form so that the teacher can refer to it in the future. Praise the positive If the group is difficult it’s really important to remember to praise good work and behaviour when (if!) it occurs, rather than always highlighting the negative. One way to do this with young learners is to have a star chart. Some teachers like to give prizes to the students who get the most stars by the end of each term. When rules are broken All schools have their own discipline procedures in place so need to find out as much as possible about the standard procedures. Therefore establish with your group exactly how the teacher will react if the students do break the rules. The teacher may decide to give each student three chances in each class. If a student breaks a rule their name goes up on the board. If their name is on the board three times in one lesson further action will be taken. It may be they’ll have to talk to the co-ordinator, or their parents get called and consulted; as teachers we should try to stay in line with the discipline procedures used throughout the school and make sure that the other teachers will support your decision. It is useless to give a threat of any sort if you are not prepared or able to carry them out. References: Diversity training for classroom teaching – Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers – 2006-New Jersey, USA Teaching with emotional intelligence – Alan Mortiboys -2005-Abingdon, OXON Bibliography: The teaching role of the school media specialist – Kay E.Vandergrift-1979 Management of competency based learning – B.l.Gupta - 2007