Classroom Expectations: Definition and Key Features
Definition: Statements that teachers post, model, and reinforce to describe how members of the classroom should interact to create a safer, productive, respectful, and inclusive environment.
Key Features for Supporting All Students:
Key Feature 1: Collaborate with students and families to create a set of classroom expectations that motivate behavior via community accountability rather than compliance with adult authority.
Key Feature 2: Show compassion and flexibility, recognizing there are multiple ways to meet expectations.
Key Feature 3: As needed, offer students scaffolding to support them in meeting expectations and recognize other contextual factors that may impact skills.
Key Feature 4: Engage in actions that communicate that all students have the potential to meet expectations given well-matched supports.
Key Feature 5: Teach and reinforce the use of these expectations throughout the entire school year and modify expectations when necessary.
Key Feature 6: Discuss how classroom values will guide the response to behaviors that do not meet expectations, with a focus on repairing harm if it occurs.
Tips
- Engage students in a developmentally appropriate discussion about how they want to create a safe and productive classroom environment. During this discussion, make sure all student voices are heard, highlight differing perspectives, gain consensus about top priorities and compromises that might be needed to create their collaborative vision of their classroom.
- Review examples of behaviors that meet and do not meet the agreed upon expectations. Allow students to draw, take photos, or act out positive examples for practice and engagement.
- Discuss with students how they might collectively work to follow community expectations and what they will do if they see a particular behavior causing harm.
- Discuss how different behaviors may meet or may not meet expectations and explain why.
- Have students sign a contract, classroom charter, or agreement to acknowledge that everyone agrees to the classroom expectations.
- Engage in a developmentally appropriate discussion of the difference between intent and impact, acknowledging that (a) some behavior is not intended as disrespectful but might be perceived that way and (b) when behavior is hurtful (i.e., has a negative impact), class members should work to refrain from behaving in that way in the future.
- If challenges arise throughout the year (e.g., you notice an increase in disrespectful behavior), hold a community circle to problem solve and adjust expectations, as needed. Through this process, teachers can consider how to ensure that students with different identities feel included and have a voice in the decisions.