GOOD TO GREAT “TEACHER”: Why and How We Should Build-up from Effective Instructional Techniques to Positive Classroom Rules.
My story of creating and implementing rules for chatbot classroom and homeschool classroom.
I believe that a “great teacher” is the one who helps students not only to reach academic achievements but also to become the best version of themselves, even when students no longer go to school. According to me, to attain these goals, beyond effective instructional techniques, creating and implementing wise classroom rules will be my ace in the hole. In this piece, I would like to share my reasons as well as my 4D model to involve students in the process of conducting the classroom rules with this flow of questions:
- How can I make my online students complete their tasks proactively and on time?
- How can I help my homeschooled children to study in a positive discipline?
- What types of rules and procedures should be encouraged and discouraged?
- How can I assess whether or not I have implemented the “wise” rules?
- How a teacher can assess whether or not he/she has created a positive classroom environment by implementing rules and procedures?
- If I have to create only 5 rules, which should I choose? Is it reasonable to collect the rules I like? Are the rules for normal classroom suitable for my “4.0 classroom”? What rationale would I base on to create the rules?
- How would I teach the rules to “students” on the first day of “class”?
- What are the pros and cons of having students involved in the process of creating the rules?
- Can I summarize all the ideas and steps into a memorable model?
Before jumping to analyzing, I think I need to share something about myself. I have guided/ I am guiding students of different ages and backgrounds to handle their inner conflict with the solutions based on the foundation of Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Spiritual Intelligence (SI). I am designing an Artificial Intelligence chatbot platform with the goal that this chatbot will completely replace my offline courses. Besides, I also homeschool my girl with my friend’s children at K1 level. Both these types of “classroom” require me a great deal of effort and innovation more than the normal classroom types.
When it came to the story of my “classrooms”, there were two questions stuck in my mind: How can I make my online students complete their tasks proactively and on time? How can I help my homeschooled children to study in a positive discipline? I wondered if the content is not interesting enough or there are any problems with my teaching method. However, I couldn’t find convincing answers.
Thankfully, at the beginning of the reading named Contradiction, Paradox, and Irony: The World of Classroom Management of McEwan(1997), the words of Canter cited in the piece opened my eyes. He highlighted me the three important things: (1) “The teacher must establish rules early on that students will be expected to follow at all times”; (2) “The rules teachers provide for students should not only be specific but based on observable behaviors”; (3) “Students need to be taught to be responsible for their actions” (p. 66). An aha moment came to me.
I didn’t teach the classroom rules for my students carefully, even I implied that students must know the rules of learning and I have the right to force them to follow such “obvious” rules. Therefore, my students haven’t known my expectations, and my classrooms have run in uncertainty.
Later on, reading these lines “What kind of world are we preparing students to help construct and live in, and how do we justify that world-building process?” (p. 69); “Teachers can, and should, bring students into the classroom decision-making process in ways that respect students’ potential autonomy and political identity, as well as their awareness of their own and larger worlds” (p. 74), I realized that how important successfully implementing classroom rules is. Skills and knowledge can change, but wise rules still remain in individual personality and social culture. If students follow the proper rules, they not only learn effectively but also create a better world for themselves.
I start to envision the world that I wished my children would live in. That would be the world of responsibility, autonomy, and happiness. It is quite similar to the concept of “democracy” by the authors. All that is needed in such an ideal world can exist in the classroom rules and procedures. Oh, my children and my students don’t need to wait for the future. I can help my children and my students live in the ideal world right now by designing suitable classroom rules, inviting them to contribute the rules and together nurturing this “micro-world”. I believe that, in this way, I am forming a positive culture for my students, and what becomes the culture will belong to them forever and help them change their “macro-world”.
On top of that, if I can help my students discover and follow the right rules to be able to fully take responsibility for their learning as well as their whole lives, I can complete the greatest mission as a teacher, which is helping students attain the ability of self-learning in a life-long learning society. Who has the ability of self-learning will reach the best version of ownself.
Better late than never, I decide to add the activities relating to conducting and implementing classroom rules into my milieu. Now, my questions are: What types of rules and procedures should be encouraged and discouraged? How can I assess whether or not I have implemented the “wise” rules?
What types of rules and procedures should be encouraged and discouraged?
Rules and procedures can be classified by their form and function.
In the form area, the most critical one is clarity. Rules and procedures which are vague and make people understand in many ways can not direct and regulate students’ behavior. A clear rule/ procedure must help students know what to do, how to do, and when to do with certainty. For example, the rules ‘I will be respectful’ must be clearly defined into procedures like asking permission to borrow an item, raising a hand to speak, and using kind words.
In the function area, the concept of “democracy” is the heart. “[Democracy] is a concept that is in opposition to the emphasis on control, management, manipulation, and passivity that are embedded in mainstream approaches to classroom discipline. (McEwan, 1997, p. 71). Elshtain reminds us, “[democracy] is not simply a set of procedures or a constitution, but an ethos, a spirit, a way of responding, and a way of conducting oneself.” (as cited in McEwan, 1997, p. 71).
The democratic rules not only lead both teachers and students to behave and treat themselves and each other with full respect but also help students achieve a learning journey that will enable them to live as true human beings.
With the above brief analysis, the encouraged rules and procedures should be clear and democratic, and of course, the vague or undemocratic ones must be removed.
How a teacher can assess whether or not he/she has created a positive classroom environment by implementing rules and procedures?
“In many classrooms, teachers get to decide what is appropriate according to their background and the environment they were raised in” (McEwen, 1997, p. 70). Therefore, defining criteria and processes to assess the effectiveness of the implementing rules and procedures will help teachers have directions to improve classroom management tools.
In a general level of assessment, as Wong (2014) comments, “the best procedures are the ones we don’t necessarily notice” (para. 1), watching a class runs smoothly or not is an obvious criteria to evaluate the rules and procedures. Any disruptive behavior of students or confused moment of teachers is the sign of something relating to the classroom rules and procedures that need to be improved.
In a specific level of assessment, there are three most critical areas as below:
The first one is learning productiveness. Because the purpose of classroom management is for students learning, learning productiveness is the most critical area to assess. As Wong. H, Wong. R, Rogers, and Brooks (2012) state “When a classroom is well-managed with procedures, there is little downtime and learning is productive… The school year flows smoothly with the teacher and the students experiencing success” ( p. 3), we can examine the learning results, in both short-term and long-term, to reflect the quality of the rules and procedures.
The second one is student behavior. According to Wong. H, Wong. R, Rogers, and Brooks (2012), classroom procedures help students know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it in a classroom, as a result, the students in a well-managed classroom have these manners: “(1)They are responsible for their time; (2) They know and follow the procedures that structure the organization of the class; (3) They are engaged and working; (4) They are learning, achieving, and producing visible results” (para. 5)
The third one is teacher behavior. Kounin summarized that good classroom management is based on the behavior of teachers, not the behavior of students, and the two of the behaviors effective teachers exhibit are “with-it-ness” and “momentum which means teachers always know what is going on, as a result, the lessons flow smoothly and a learning momentum is maintained. (as cited in Wong, H., Wong, R., Rogers, K., & Brooks. A, 2012).
With these above criteria, a teacher can make quick assessments by watching the class in real-time or reflecting on the results periodically by his/ herself, and my peers.
After envisioning the criteria for the rules, I consider the questions: What rules should I use in my “classroom”? How would I teach the rules to “students” on the first day of “class”? I decide to construct rules for my “chatbot classroom” as well as the plan to deliver them as role-model practice because I think that digital classroom is not only the future of the classroom but also the future of our society.
What rules should I set in my “classroom”?
I read examples of classroom rules. There are many forms for different student levels. Most of them include rules relating to “respectful”, “safe”, “responsibility”, ect.. I wonder if I have to create only 5 rules, which should I choose? Is it reasonable to collect the rules I like? Are the rules for normal classroom suitable for my “4.0 classroom”? What rationale would I base on to create the rules?
The principle ‘Form follows function’ comes to my mind. This reminds me of an article about curriculum reform of Jacobs (2010), he writes, “The architect first asks the client (1) whom the building is to serve and (2) what the building’s function will be. Then the forms emerge. In a similar way, our Curriculum 21 teams should always begin thinking about new versions of school by asking whom are we serving ultimately, and how can we best meet the needs of our specific learners?” (para. 55). I think I have found the road.
Whom my “classroom” rules are to serve? They may come from different ages, places, cultures, and academic backgrounds. They may be eager to try a new technology of emotional learning. On top of that, they may not know how to learn with my chatbot effectively. These provide clues for the next question.
What my “classroom” rules’ function will be? The key function is to help students to know how to learn and learn proactively with my chatbot technology regardless of their backgrounds. To transform this function to practical rules, first and foremost, I need to define the features of this type of learning.
In my point of view, there are three important aspects of learning with my chatbot:
- The relationship between teachers and learners changes to assistant-learner relationship. The learners should self-study proactively, and the chatbot is just to help their learning more simple, convenient and professional.
- The learning approach is learn-by-doing. The learners should not depend on the “chatbot teacher” to acquire ideas. They need to fully perform assigned tasks to gain their inner skills as well as discover knowledge hidden in their own experiences.
- The main form of my chatbot’s interaction is inquiry-based dialogue. Students need to use “true word”, which has two dimensions of reflection and action as Freire ( 1970) defines, to “name and transform the world”.
From these three main features, I create three classroom rules as below:
Rule #1: I fully take responsibility for learning outcomes by being aware of my learning results is the consequence of my own efforts and choices, not blaming for the tool or the environment.
Rule #2: I fully obey all instructions of the program by trying my best to complete all goals or challenges of the program, not giving up any task, except for force majeure reasons.
Rule #3: I fully use true words when interacting with the program by answering all questions straightforwardly, not avoiding or deceiving myself as well as the program.
Besides, the “classroom” is about self-leadership, which emphasizes on intrinsic motivation as well as positive behaviors, I create the rules to prompt students to treat all obstacles as a chance for learning.
Rule #4: I fully positively respond with arising issues by seeing every obstacle as a challenge to my self-leadership ability, not expressing negative thoughts, feelings and behavior during the attendance.
Finally, the chatbot is combined with a community to enhance social interaction. The rule relating to “respect” is a must-have.
Rule #5: I fully respect myself, others as well as the program by using constructive communication, not evaluating or comparing others as well as the program without being asked.
Reflecting on six rules areas of Marzano. R, Marzano. J, & Pickering. D (2003), I see that these five rules cover all areas. Rule #1 is for general expectations for behavior. Rule #2 and #3 are for seatwork and teacher-led activities. Rule #4 is for materials and equipment. Rule #5 is for group work. The two areas of ‘beginning and ending the class day or the period’ and ‘transitions and interruption’ is presented implicitly in rule #1 and #2. I am thinking about making them more specific in classroom procedures.
How would I teach the rules to “students” on the first day of “class”?
Coming to this question, I am reminded of a highlight of Kohn (1995) “for teachers who want to develop a positive learning community where students voice and choice is heard, involving students is a step towards”.
Yes, inviting students to create the rules is a very good approach of teaching them the rules, like Jonathan Erwin’s (2004) note, “One of the most effective and practical ways teachers can give students a say in the classroom is by allowing them to participate in developing the classroom rules or behavior guidelines.” (p. 101),
Traditionally, teachers determine classroom rules, then students have to accept and follow them. Now, when the learner-centered ideology becomes popular, students have more chances of involving in creating or helping creating rules. However, everything has two sides. As a teacher, I need to carefully reflect on the pros and cons of having students involved in the process of creating the rules, as well as examine to what extent they should engage.
The three pros and cons of allowing students to participate in developing the classroom rules
The three pros
Firstly, being allowed students to make their own rules, they will have a sense of ownership with their decisions. They are more likely to follow the rules if they make them. They may feel more inclined to follow rules without feeling like they are being forced or living in a “prison atmosphere”. This feeling also reduces disruptive behaviors due to the need to regain power.
Secondly, being involved in creating rules, students will have a clear understanding of the expectations as well as the reason “why” of each rule. This leads students to behave according to what teachers want them to do.
Thirdly, collaborating with teachers and other students in the process, students will inadvertently learn more advanced knowledge and skills, like teamwork, critical thinking, decision making, art skills. They also learn more life lessons through discussions, especially the concept of “integration” with the world, rather than “adapting” to it of Freire (as cited in McEwan, 1997).
The three cons
Firstly, it takes a lot of time. While the traditional way just takes teachers a few minutes to say what the rules are and request students to obey, the new way may take a few weeks, even many activities throughout the school year to help the students know, discuss, display and maintain the rules.
Secondly, teachers may lose control or direction when guiding students to make the rules. Students from very different backgrounds have diverse perspectives. Moreover, some have many excuses that seem rationale in their ways. Therefore, if teachers don’t have a solid understanding of the rules as well as leadership skills, they can’t hold the reins.
Thirdly, it is a bit vague about authority. If students can decide the rules once, they think that they may change the rules and support their change with many excuses. In this case, to ensure that students do not feel unfair or imposed, teachers may take a lot of time to negotiate with students.
Although having students create or help create classroom rules has some obstacles like this, I still think it’s a great idea to let the students get involved in the process. I totally support the view of Marzano.R.J., Marzano J.S. & Pickering (2003) that “rules and procedures should not simply be imposed on students” (p. 16), therefore teachers should let students get involved in the process of creating the classroom rules.
To collaborate with students in creating the rules effectively, teachers must have a solid understanding of the rules as well as skillful guidance to keep the cooperation with students stays on track. The point is to what extent.
My plan for “teaching” the classroom rules
As the comment of Marzano. R, Marzano. J, & Pickering. D (2003), “The more successful teachers took pains to explain both the rule itself and the reason behind it to the children. This was important in helping the children to see the need for the rule and therefore, to accept it”. (p. 17), I need to design some activities for learners to discuss and make decisions rather than simply posting an announcement.
The plan has 3 steps:
- The learner is invited to read some stories relevant to the rules and express their thoughts and feelings. I think that stories always make complicated ideas become more simple and compelling.
- The learner is encouraged to post their opinion and discuss the stories in the “classroom” community. Exposing to many perspectives may help them discover the lessons deeply.
- The learner is invited to read and commit the rules. Every learner is encouraged to sign and save this commitment for own self. This step makes them not only feel the seriousness of obeying the rules but also realize that the most meaningful commitment is a commitment to their own self.
After outlining the plan, I start to implement the rules in my classrooms. With the ongoing courses, I remind them about the rules and use some tactics to keep them on track. With the new courses, I design 2 weeks of learning rules at the beginning and turn all misbehavior into case studies for learning rules deeply.
One of my proud practices is that, with the homeschooling class, I have collaborated with my colleagues to integrate learning rules into their teaching plan. We bring some ideas into practice, such as translating into poetry, using classroom rules poetry as the topic in the art class, composing classroom rules song, and helping students perform as art show about classroom rules. The children enjoy the activities immensely, and on top of that, I can see their big improvements in learning just by understanding and obeying the rules.
With these encouraging results, I want to learn more about classroom rules and procedures topics to design more creative strategies. In this line, as Marzano. R, Marzano, J, & Pickering (2003) note, “The most effective classroom manager don’t simply impose rules and procedures on students, rather they engage students in the design of the rules and procedure.” (p. 25), I will focus on design activities that invite students to contribute to the classroom rules.
I have tried to translate all the steps I have done into a memorable model. I begin with the first phase — designing the rules, and I find another “D” to describe the entire steps. As a result, I create the 4-D strategy named from the first letters of Design, Discuss, Display, and Deliver.
The 4-D strategies for collaborating with students in creating and implementing the rules.
Design. The rules must obey the principle “form follows function”, as well as should be specific and observable.
Besides, before creating the rules, teachers should envision not only what kind of behavior students should have to attain their learning goals but also what kind of man students would become in the larger world. In other words, the rules should be “democratic”.
Discuss. Students can be completely involved in creating the rules, yet, of course, with the guidance of teachers.
Teachers present the core values or expectations, and students explore the reasons behind, expand to behaviors in specific scenarios as well as express their feelings or concerns about the rules.
The important thing is that teachers must be the only one who make the final decision.
Display. “When students are involved with presenting the rules, they’re more likely to remember and uphold them” (Campen, 2019, para. 10). Therefore, teachers should organize activities in which students can decorate, demonstrate the rules in the classroom walls in a creative way.
Besides, singing classroom songs, role-play, presentation, and setting the procedures to implement the rules also make sense. Those activities can help students to feel and understand the rules clearly.
Deliver. Successful classroom delivery means students voluntarily commit to follow and maintain the rules.
In this view, I think that singing the commitment form and using student-book are suitable strategies because they are personal and nurture the habit of self-reflection.
The below picture is an example of the student book in my K1 homeschool classroom.
At the beginning of the week, the student and the teacher discuss the goals as well as how to evaluate student’s results. The first goal is about obeying the classroom rules. Because at K1 level, the students are limited in writing, teachers encourage them to write simply as much as possible, ánd draw the goals and the measures. Students review their progress by themselves every day. My students very enjoy this activity and show their leaps and bounds improvement
Conclusion
“No rules, then no game; different rules, then a different game” (Dewey, 1938, p. 22), I think that rules are the heart of not only class management but also society construction. To successful rules implement, we, teachers, should invite students to join the process. The point is ensuring that students, as well as teachers ourselves, are playing a healthy game of learning, and beyond it, a humane game of life.
In this flow, I would like to borrow the words of McEwan (1997) to finish my piece: “Teachers will then become not technicians or managers whose actions are governed by norms of technical competence, predictability, and efficiency, but people who see teaching as a moral calling — a chance to “do good” for their students and on behalf of reconstructing their present and future worlds” (p. 78).
References
Campen, M. (2019, March 6). 37 Classroom Rules for Student Success. Prodigy. Retrieved 2019, September 25 from: https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/classroom-rules/
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone Book, Simon and Schuster. Retrieved from http://ruby.fgcu.edu/Courses/ndemers/Colloquium/ExperiencEducationDewey.pdf
Erwin, J. C. (2004). The classroom of choice: Giving students what they need and getting what you want. ASCD.
Freire, P. (1970). Chapter 3 In Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: The Continuum International Publishing Group. Retrieved from http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon2/pedagogy/pedagogychapter3.html
Jacobs, H.H. (2010). New School Versions: Reinventing and Reuniting School Program Structures. Curriculum 21: Essential Education For A Changing World. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109008/chapters/New-School-Versions@-Reinventing-and-Reuniting-School-Program-Structures.aspx
Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J.S., & Pickering, D. (2003). Classroom management that works: Research-based strategies for every teacher. ASCD.
McEwan, B. (1997). Contradiction, Paradox, and Irony: The World of Classroom Management. In R.E. Butchart & B. McEwan (eds) Classroom Discipline in American Schools (chapter 5).
Wong, H., Wong, R., Rogers, K., & Brooks, A. (2012). Managing your classroom for success: Organization in the first week is the foundation for a successful school year. Science and Children, 49 (9), 60+.
Wong, H.K. (2014). Proceed with intent: At the heart of a classroom management plan is practice and more practice of key procedures. Instructor, 124 (3), 32+.
