On the first day of school, have the class set their own rules. Provide an easel and an open and honest discussion where the students can decide what rules will be instituted throughout the school year. This will make it clear that these are not only the teacher's rules but rules that every child is accountable to their peers to obey. It will also help the students provide ownership for the classroom rules and create a sense of accountability. Have the students sign the rules and post them where they can be seen all year long. After this is done, have the students fill out the rubric. Indicators on the rubric should be as follows: Do you understand the rules of the class? Do you feel as though you had input on the rules? Do you foresee having an issue following any of the established rules? Are there any rules with which you disagree? If so, which ones?
There are going to be days when you do not feel like enforcing the rules. There are going to be other days when a student has a really good excuse for breaking the rules. However, choosing to let a student slide who broke the rules will send a message loud and clear to your class that you do not take your own rules seriously. If you do not take your class seriously, neither will they. Always have a consistent consequence for a student when the rule is broken. The consistency will help them know what is expected of them. Consistency can be measured very easily. On your teacher's rubric, outline the consequences for breaking each rule. Every time a rule is broken, refer to the rubric for the consequences. At the end of the year, have your students evaluate you on this.
While every student has a job to come prepared to class ready to learn, giving each student a classroom job will help him stay focused and give him a sense of accomplishment and importance. Developing this sense of pride in themselves will help students develop a sense of pride in the classroom. They will stay focused on their job and be less likely to cause a classroom disruption. Jobs can include anything from pencil sharpener, safety officer or timekeeper. Your classroom management rubric should have a section for classroom jobs. Evaluate each job based on its requirements but also on how it affected classroom management. Did students fulfill the jobs? Did students feel pride in their jobs? Did the jobs help students feel accomplished and purposeful in the classroom? Ultimately, did this help establish focus in the class?
For an older classroom, fourth grade or older, students often have group projects. Because working together and getting along with people despite differences is a huge part of life and the working environment, it is very important that students learn to stay focused on the task at hand. Explain to each student that they will all start out with 100 percent grade. As they work together, if you notice the topic of conversation drifting towards last night's TV episode, or if students are not participating, the grade will go down 10 percent. As the grade drops, the consequences increase. The students will quickly learn appropriate group behavior and will be able to monitor their own actions themselves. Incorporate this scale into your classroom management rubric. Did students learn to manage their own actions? Did this actually help maintain focus on the task at hand?