Classroom Rules and Procedures to Eliminate Disruptions

Part one of this series suggests that teachers look at the common classroom infractions and how to improve classroom rules and procedures to eliminate them. This article offers additional suggestions for establishing solid classroom rules and procedures.

Look at your classroom rules and procedures and evaluate them. Be objective. Ask yourself if there is a rule that needs to be tweaked. For example, if you have the following rule: Eating and drinking is prohibited in class. You may need to tweak the rule to read: Eating and drinking are prohibited in class. Food and drinks need to be concealed while you are in class. In other words, students need to place such items in their purses or in their book bags. This rule will eliminate students from bringing open can drinks to your class as well as drinks that are in cups. Also, students will no longer be able to take a swig of their drink or shove their mouth full of food the minute you turn your back.

Make students aware of the consequences if they break one of your classroom rules. Make them come in during their lunch or before or after school and serve detention. More importantly, make sure that you enforce your rules and have solid consequences. If students see that you are consistent and a bit harsh, you will take care of your discipline problems before they arise.

Likewise, examine all of your classroom policies and routines. Ask yourself if there is a more effective way in which students can hand in their assignments or a more effective way in which students can enter you classroom. Do you require your students to sign in? Where's the most appropriate place to put the sign-in sheet?

Do your students use bell ringers or bell work? You may wish to implement such short assignments as they really get the message across to students that “you mean business.” Bell ringers eliminate the need for students to hang from the rafters, jump out of windows, hit the intercom button, or pick a fight with a classmates. Generally, the class time prior to the bell is the time in which students find themselves in trouble because they do not have any work to due. However, you can use bell ringers to help students use their time wisely and to stay out of trouble.