Ground_Rules

Ground rules I believe it is very important to establish ground rules in all training environments the teacher and learners, who attend the class, mutually agree ground rules in classroom. This means that everyone in the class has responsibility, which enables them to feel part of the team. The ground rules define certain values and behaviours that learners will adhere to. They ensure smooth running of the class, addressing as punctuality and ringing mobile phones. Ground rules should be set up in the first session, preferably at the beginning so that it is clear to everyone of behaviours and expectations. It is important for learners to set their own ground rules because it creates ownership; it says that every voice deserves to be heard. But a successful group relies on truthfulness and honesty, it is dishonest for group members to put up with something they don’t agree about or cant live with, and also speak untruthfully. But would be worth reminding the group temper honesty with tact. I find that having a dictatorial approach to ground rules is none effective, because it means that you as the teacher have control and power over what is said and done, and the class is more likely to break rules, where if they decide the rules their more likely to adhere to them, plus it makes a happier class. I think it is important to understand the ways to help learners define ground rules and apply different approaches, depending on the type of student, some of the ways I would establish ground rules are: • Happy Face Vs Sad Face: Divide a flipchart into two columns and put a smiley and at the top of the columns. Give the students examples of behaviour and ask them to decide which column to put them in depending on the type of students I could explain the behaviour or even mime to get the message across. I would summarise the output and compile the ground rules • Agree / disagree: I would prepare slips of paper with possible ground rules on ensuring some were strict or just silly and others unclear. I would give one of the slips to each of the students and ask them to read out the text. The rest of the group would then except or reject the rules; accepted rules would be placed on the board. At the end I would ask the group add any they felt have been missed. We may from time to time have to reinforce ground rules, this could be when people constantly break the rules on many occasions, i.e. latenees, using mobile phones we can do this by putting them up on the wall for the group see, to remind them what the ground rules are and usually the group will remind them as there set them. Sometimes the rules may need to be modified, i.e. if one of the ground rules was that we do have drinks in class, but classroom was very hot and stuffy, then it would be ok to allow everyone to have a drink in the classroom. But when you are in classroom with under 16 you have set the ground rules because if you let the children set the rules they could be unreasonable and would not adhere to the rules. So we have to set boundaries in ground rules when dealing with children.