Brianna Pellizzari

14 July 2016
EDUC 326

Week 10: Progress Log

While reading Glassers opinions on classroom rules I found myself aligning with
his perspective. I feel that classroom rules are a very important and empowering part of
the classroom if they are done well. I too believe that classroom rules need to be succinct,
easy to follow, jointly created and need to be something that allows the group and
individuals to function as well as possible within a classroom environment.
During my undergrad at UVic many of my instructors talked of classroom rules in
terms of Dos and Donts. I always thought this was a bit disconcerting because every
group of students is different and has different needs. There are some standard procedures
that can be followed with each group in terms of how to effectively create classroom
rules but I feel that other than that you have to be very attuned to your group of learners.
During this stage of my learning talking about classroom rules was very difficult because
I had no real life experience and was mainly basing my decisions and rules on what I
thought that an ideal situation would be like. As I progressed throughout my career and
began to work in classrooms through practicums and volunteering I began noticing that
the needs, number, and specifics of classroom rules changed based on learners.
In my opinion classroom rules need to be co-created, few in number, phrased
positively, and enforceable. When creating classroom rules students should always be a
part of the process so that they can feel like they have ownership in the classroom. When
creating rules, making it a process where students and the teacher brainstorm, clarify, add
detail, and then condense is important so that students truly understand the meaning and
expectations of each rule. By phrasing them positively we give students a chance to
emphasize their positive actions. Having few classroom rules helps students and the
teacher to be accountable to each rule and to only have rules that are very important to
the running of the classroom community. From my past experiences classrooms that
follow these simple procedures often have a better year where the class functions as a
cohesive unit. In this scenario students were engaged in classroom rules and routines and
the majority of the teachers time was spent teaching and working with students instead of
dealing with classroom management situations.
I have also been in classrooms where rules were created by the teacher and were
created with many rules to cover all forms of classroom management. While observing in
this classroom I found that students were often unsure of classroom rules and did not
truly abide with them because they did not mean anything. The classroom rules often
conflicted or clashed with classroom procedures as well which also confused students
more. In this case the teacher spent a majority of their time dealing with management
issues within the classroom and lost a significant amount of teaching time.
Ultimately classroom rules are an important part of every classroom community
and if created effectively can lead to a caring, calm, and organized classroom
environment. Glassers rules are a great stepping-stone for new teachers or for teachers
who need to reassess their classroom management.