Kids' World

Strategies for Effective Classroom Rules

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2. Consistency

Students are sensitive to injustice--or what they perceive as injustice--and to any wishy-washiness on the part of the local figure of authority, in this case, you the teacher. Strive to enforce rules consistently, not just where the most obvious or repeat offenders are concerned, and include yourself when appropriate. In one of my four-year-old classes, it was the rule that before going to the restroom to wash hands after a messy craft activity, one had to go to the teacher and say, "Wash hands, please." Because I also needed to clean up, I would say to myself, "Wash hands, please," and then turn and say, "Okay, go ahead." "Thank you." The students enjoyed the silly dramatics, and could appreciate that the concept that a rule is a rule for everybody.

For me, the challenge to consistency is expedience. Sometimes, no matter how good a rule may be, it's just a little inconvenient and one would prefer to overlook it, just this once. But it's those sacrifices to expedience, which may seem inconsequential to the teacher, which can convey to the student the sense that the rule is not important and that its enforcement is arbitrary.

For example, one of my rules is that when students don't know, they must say in English, " I don't know," or ask, "What is it?" Often students might forget and blurt it out in Japanese, or during a moment of high excitement be unable to recall the phrase, and I'm tempted to feed them the phrase or simply supply the term. But gradually I disciplined myself to wait and appear as if I don't understand unless they speak to me in English (even "What?" is acceptable sometimes), and to look for other ways to help students use the phrase without my help. (For more on this, see Classroom Language)

Consistently swift responses to rule infractions convey the seriousness of the rule. One rule that I give this priority to is that of no name calling. Even if I'm in the middle of helping another student, if I hear "baka" (stupid) or "aho" (dummy) or "Hetadesune" (You're really bad at that, aren't you?), I'll stop and address the problem, which includes having the student apologize.

Although I have mixed feelings about it because it's not part of English-language culture, I have the student bow, because that communicates an apology in Japan and helps to get the meaning across to both the student making the apology and the recipient. Simply saying "I'm sorry" alone can be mere parroting. After a few classes, I rarely hear any name-calling, and there have been students who were timid and teased at the beginning of the year who within a few months show marked growth in self-confidence and enjoyment.

3. Commitment

Having clearly communicated the rule, the next step is implementing it. Here the teacher needs to be committed to the rule by being willing to put in the time and energy to follow up on it, and not simply issue verbal reminders with a blind eye to whether the students' behavior actually changes in response. The key to a successful rule is motivating the students to want to keep it, and I'd like to discuss three general strategies for doing this: a) deterrence and punishment, b) rewards and incentives, and c) alternatives.

a) deterrence and punishment
"Negative reinforcement" can help as a response to unwanted behavior or as a way to discourage it. It's important, however, that the student(s) always know that it is the behavior that is undesirable and not the person. It's good to praise or otherwise re-assure the student once the behavior has been corrected, such as by a smile or a point.

Teacher's displeasure: Younger children are especially sensitive to the teacher's moods and feelings towards them. Thus, a swift, stern look can quickly stop a child from standing on a chair, or an ominous "Shintaroooooo" (the student’s name) can get the child to erase the picture he has just doodled on the desk.

Penalties: During games, points can be deducted or turns lost.

Punishments: The most effective of these, in both the long- and the short-term, were in the spirit of fun. Elementary school students, for example, loved the "cha cha dance," which included a few pseudo-cha cha moves and ended with a bow and an "I'm sorry." Students who cheated or got a little out of control were required to do the cha cha dance in front of the class, but because it was silly and because I would do the dance with them if they were shy, no one felt stigmatized or picked on, but the message that this was undesirable behavior was conveyed. Other silly punishments include doing the dead cockroach and singing "Happy Birthday" in English (which most know . . . more or less).

b) rewards and incentives
Maybe I'm just a shiny, happy person, but I much prefer positive reinforcement as a general rule. Positive reinforcements also do wonders for children with low esteem and for those, as is sadly increasingly the case here in Japan, under a lot of stress to achieve. A fun class with a supportive and firm teacher helps students feel secure and enjoy being in a foreign-language environment, which can at times be stressful (for both the students and you).

Teacher's pleasure: A simple "That's great!" does wonders, as does a gentle touch on the shoulders (the nature of physical contact being dependent on the culture). For younger students, one can never overdo praise or smiles, as long as they’re sincere.

Points: As mentioned earlier, they can be used not simply for right answers, but also for desired behavior. Why not let using English to say, "I don't know," earn a few points? I've sometimes kept a running score of points throughout the class, and at the end of each class, everyone received something, and students who exceeded a certain number of points received something extra, like two stickers instead of one, or the fancy stamp instead of the ordinary one. I wouldn't do this on a daily basis, however, but more just to motivate the students or remind them that behavior does count.

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