CLASS NORMS

Class norms are the behavioral expectations or rules of the class. Class
norms inform us how we are expected to behave towards each other and
towards the materials we use in school. Students who are partners in
composing class norms are more likely to experience a level of ownership,
participate in instruction, and engage in mutually respectful and cooperative
relationships. In addition, students and instructional team members jointly
developing and implementing norms shifts some of the responsibility for
supporting and encouraging socially appropriate interactions from the teacher
to the students. It also helps to insure that students indeed understand the
classroom communitys expectations and provides the rationale for them to
monitor and change their own behaviors.
Once students have demonstrated a basic understanding of the core
concepts of trust, sharing, belonging and respect, the instructional team and
the students can jointly develop class norms that support the concepts. Norms
may be written at either a general or specific level. Norms written at a general
level do not specify the particular behaviors in which students are expected to
engage and are applicable in a wide variety of situations. Some examples of
general class norms are: be a good neighbor, respect others and yourself,
and be kind. Norms written at a specific level identify distinct behaviors,
such as raise hand before talking, or walk in the hallways, and are
usually only applicable in particular situations. For purposes of this
curriculum norms should be developed at a general level such that they are
relevant in a wide variety of situations. Specific behaviors to support the
norms will be selected jointly by students and instructional teams as part of
teaching collaborative skills. Regardless of their level of specificity, class
norms need to be developed jointly by the instructional team and students.