Rules and Expectations in the Classroom

Rules and expectations help maintain a successful and positive learning environment while allowing structure in the classroom. It is important for rules and expectations to be thorough while simultaneously being simple and efficient for students to understand. It is better to have a few simple rules than a long list that can get confusing for students and educators.

The positive behavior chart looks like a traffic light with meaningful colors and words for each light. There are five lights from the top: reward, great job, ready to learn, warning, and then oh no! Every student starts off in the middle on green at “ready to learn”. This means that every day is a fresh start so if a student misbehaved the day before then they know not to get too worked up because there is a new day. The goal of a positive behavior chart is to be constantly reinforcing good behavior so it encourages students to continue moving up in behavior. Another procedure I would like to implement is hand symbols for communication between the educator and the students. For example if I am going over subject material and a child holds up a symbol to go to the restroom I can either show the no symbol or yes without stopping instruction. The hand symbol technique allows good communication with little to no disruption.

Flexible Seating

One way to help elevate students' learning is by incorporating flexible seating in the classroom. Instead of only having the traditional rows of desks incorporating various types of seating throughout the classroom. Flexible seating is a way of providing different options of seating to students in the classroom. Options of seating can be anything like the traditional desk, a bing bag chair, group tables, or a group carpet. The benefits of this idea consist of students having choices, being able to collaborate with ease, ability to move, and stay motivated. Giving students a choice allows for collaborative and engaging critical thinking. For many students with attention deficit disorders, having flexible seating in the classroom that still allows them to move around without being disruptive is very beneficial. Some students in lower level classes need to get out some excess energy for them to be able to fully participate in activities and lessons. Having flexible seating is one way to help accommodate students. It is also exciting for students to be able to sit somewhere different than their typical desk. Of course with new seating like bing bag chairs or yoga balls it is possible for students to misuse them. I recommend having a set of guidelines in place for students to follow when in these areas. 

Students sitting on a rug in a classroom. 

When I observed a first and fourth grade class I noticed that about four students were sitting on yoga balls bouncing up and down. I was at first shocked that the teacher would let them and I wondered if it was distracting for anyone. When I observed the children around the ones on the yoga balls, I noticed they did not get distracted at all. I also noticed the students on the yoga balls to be participating and contributing to class discussion. I thought to myself if I was able to move around like these students I would have gotten so much more out of the material being provided. 

Classroom Arrangement and Structure

Classroom arrangement and structure are crucial to think about when creating a productive and welcoming learning environment for students. Classroom structure is the physical layout of the classroom. For elementary students, having a well thought out classroom layout with accessible supplies, subject specific areas and collaborative and independent group work spaces helps students work capabilities. Having an effective classroom arrangement will create proactive social learning experiences and less interruptions.  Routines organize student and teacher behavior and provide children with consistency and a sense of safety in the classroom. Routines help students with anxiety feel a sense of calmness and less confusion when there are daily routines in place.

A first grade classroom with rows of desks.

Through personal experiences observing in a first and fourth grade classroom I have noticed the benefits of a well structured classroom. When students know from the beginning of the day what their day or week looks like it relieves stress and allows them to fully grasp the content being given. The predictability generated by the use of routines reduces anxiety helping regulate behavior. When routines are explicitly taught and rehearsed they become second nature for students and allows teachers with more meaningful instruction time. In my classroom I will have a weekly and morning meeting with my students. At this time we will all have a welcoming conversation to start off the day as well as go over what is going to happen in class time. Of course there can always be curve balls thrown at a perfect schedule like fire drills and so forth. In these moments as a teacher it is my job to come up with a new plan and inform my students of a new routine to help calm anxiety. When students understand what is happening throughout the day it leads to less interruptions and a productive learning environment.