Ground Rules

Ground Rules - Assignment 4 PTTLS

In this assignment I will explain the ways in which you would establish ground rules with your learners and which underpin behaviour and respect for others. I will discuss the importance of setting good ground rules, define what they are and what they should include.

Simply put they are rules that you give to your learners that lay out a framework for classroom rules and basic behaviour requests. They would normally be given/said at the first lesson with your learners. If possible it can be beneficial if you can come to an agreement with the group on what they are. In this way your learners might abide by them as they had some input in them. If it is not possible to modify them a discussion before getting there agreement is good practice. They are also used to ensure safety in the classroom and some of them might be considered common sense - e.g. respect each other and the teacher and no shouting etc.

I have been teaching adult classes for 4 years and have not had any behaviour or respect problems in the classroom, so setting a lot of ground rules has not been a big issue.
Geoff Petty talks about ground rules as part of overall classroom management:

“Good Teacher-student relationships are based on mutual respect. The student respects the teacher for his or her teaching skills, personal qualities, knowledge and professionalism; and the teacher respects each student as an individual, and that student’s attempts to learn.“ (Petty, pg 91)
I think a lot of this common sense but it is worth establishing at the start of a course especially with younger learners.

As in life it is good to know where you stand, in the classroom the learners might say “what can we get away with...” I teach adults but they can just as easily flout some basic rules such as eating in the classroom and being punctual. This where leading by example can help learners follow good ground rules so my behaviour will be copied such as being punctual, polite and respecting students.
When I start a course I read out some basic rules and college polices but I probably would not discuss them as ground rules or even look for there input. So this will have a positive impact on my teaching practice. As I mainly teach using a computer and projector/screen, I will now use it to display my ground rules to the class as a list in powerpoint. I could then discuss certain ones and then get there agreement to adhere to them throughout the course.

Word count: 398

References

Petty G, Teaching today-A practical guide 2007

References: Petty G, Teaching today-A practical guide 2007