Establishing Classroom Expectations

The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time of year for kids! Who will be their teacher? What will this school year be like? What will they learn?

The beginning of the year is also the time to establish classroom expectations. This important step in creates a positive and productive learning environment. I always involved my students in creating their expectations because it was a nice way to begin developing and fostering our classroom community.

When students know what is expected of them, they are more likely to be more engaged in the learning process and less likely to disrupt. And, when students have a say in how the classroom is run, it creates a positive and productive environment.

Start by discussing the importance of expectations.

Explain to students why it is important to have clear expectations in the classroom. This will help them understand why you are asking them to participate in the process.

Brainstorm a list of expectations together.

Ask students to come up with a list of expectations that they think are important. Then, have students share them with their team or table. Keep the expectations simple and easy to understand so that kids can remember them and understand what they mean.

Discuss and agree on the final list of expectations.

Once each team or table has their own list, share them with the class and discuss which ones are the most important for your classroom. Narrow the list to most important ones that everyone can agree on. As students share, make sure that suggestions are reasonable and age-appropriate.

Post the expectations in the classroom.

Once you have a final list of expectations, post them in the classroom so that everyone can see them. This will help remind students of the expectations and help them to follow them. Be sure to be consistent in enforcing expectations. This consistency sets the tone for the remainder of the year.

Establishing classroom expectations is an important step in creating a positive and productive learning environment. By working with students to create expectations, you can create a classroom environment where students feel safe, respected, and supported as they journey through their school year.