On my first day of profession practice within second year, I took a set of class rules into the class. Beforehand I discussed this with the class teacher to ensure she agreed with this. When I first met the children, I asked them some of the rules they have to follow in the classroom and around school. I presented my rules to the children and set the expectations I had whilst I was teaching them. Instantly, this built mutual respect between myself and the class. It also presented a good structure for behaviour, and children know what was expected of them.
The class rules I set were positive statements, that indicated the children already met the expectations I had – this can be seen below.
Reflection
Ensuring the rules are positive allows children to be proud of the things they are being asked to do in addition to them to view the statements as negative things. Moreover, as children clearly understood the rules I had whilst they were being taught by myself, positive attitudes were promoted within the classroom. This is a vital aspect of teaching, as it helps monitor and support positive behaviour during lesson time. Moreover, this provides a positive attitude throughout the school, as these rules were demonstrated whilst children work with other teachers, moved from class to class and represented myself and the class teacher in assemblies. One target from this for future pratice would be to ensure pupils had the opportunity to input their ideas for class rules.
Miss Rathbone 