Every teacher has classroom rules. Some teachers, including me in the past, made rules in the beginning of the year and then just let them slide. The rules would be nicely posted on the wall and never discussed again after the beginning of the year. I thought that I had discovered a better way when I got the students involved and had the students SIGN the poster and I revisited the rules after winter break. The problem was that the students did not really know the rules and then I discovered Whole Brain Teaching.
There are 5 rules in WBT. The rules are: rule #1: follow directions quickly, rule #2: raise your hand for permission to speak, rule #3: raise your hand for permission to leave your seat, rule #4: make smart choices, and rule #5: keep your dear teacher happy. These are available at WBT website and you can also find a variety of posters on the teachers pay teachers website.
The rookie level of the rules is to review the rules by saying the rules number and the students respond by saying the rule and showing the corresponding gesture. In the beginning of the school year, the rules should be practiced at least 5 times a day. It is important to get buy in for the rules by explaining that these rules will create a fun and organized class. Ask for a show of hands to support the rules (most children will agree). No matter the result, say I think it is a good idea to start with these and we can change them later if we need to. The rules should be posted and practiced several times a day to keep the rules fresh in the students' minds.
The 5 rules have been a mainstay of WBT for a long time BUT now there is 1 more rule - the Diamond rule. The diamond rule is that the student looks at the one who is teaching. This is frequently the teacher but many times, it is also when another student is talking. I have just started using the diamond rule and I love it! It really helps to focus the students' attention.
The pro level is to choose a student leader to lead the classroom rules. The student leader says the rule number and then the other students make the gesture and say the rule. The mastery challenge is to train at least 5 student leaders to lead the rules. A new bonus for the Master Class is the 3 Freebie Stopwatch. For example, rule #2 - raise your hand for permission to speak can be one of the most challenging. Using a stopwatch, say to your students "Let's see how long we can go without breaking rule #2" and then the first time the rule is broken, say "That's one" and then after the 2nd time, say "that's 2" and then after the 3rd time say "That's 3. Ok, we will try again later." Then write the time on the board. Continue to try to break the class record.
The next level is the all star level. It is used to implement the rules at any point during the day. Rules 1 - 3 are for the most common issues in the classroom and rules 4 and 5 cover everything else. This level is for when the rules are broken during a lesson and the teacher stops briefly and says rule # (fill in with the rule being broken) and the students quickly repeat it. This quickly gets everyone focused without stopping and scolding a child.
I love these classroom rules because they cover everything and I practice with my students at least twice a day. The students know and understand what is expected. You can view the webcast at the whole brain teaching. It is #583 and it free! The rules are just one step on the way to teacher heaven.
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