It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but students actually like rules. We all, kids and adults, like to know how to behave in each situation so we can fit in, be successful, and have fun. If you’re a foreign teacher then it’s especially important to set rules for your ESL students, otherwise effective ESL classroom management isn’t possible.
Importance
Rules are guide-posts for children’s behavior. They tell students how to act. They help young students feel comfortable when they’re clear, achievable, consistently and fairly enforced.
Students think “If I follow these then I’ll be safe from punishment and my teacher will be happy.” Absent, poorly designed or inconsistently enforced rules lead to children feeling insecure. They don’t know what will anger the teacher and get them punished.
We often take for granted that children know how to behave in school, but this isn’t always the case. The start of a new class or school year is a time to set and clarify your expectation.
Many new ESL teachers struggle when they assume students know basics such as sitting in chairs, raising their hands, or to be quiet. Grade 1 students might still be working on those. In addition, at public schools foreign teachers frequently think that rules from the local teacher will carry over into their lessons as well. This isn’t the case. A different teacher equals different expectations and rules – doubly so for foreigners.
Effective Rules
First, it’s important to set your class rules at the beginning of every lesson. The reminder is good for students, especially the ones who tend to misbehave. Taking thirty seconds to review them with young students is a great investment.
Next, make sure they are clear and level appropriate. Give students clear visuals like pictures and gestures to help them understand. You want to make sure the weakest students get the point. Action based rules such as “look at me” or “sit down” are easier for young students to understand than “be nice.”
Rules should also be achievable and fair. For example, it’s not appropriate to ask beginners to never use their native language. VYLs and YLs often don’t even understand the barrier between languages, nor can they express all of their needs with a few words and phrases. Setting them up for failure will lead to anger and disappointment.
It’s a good idea to make everything positive, rather than negative. “Keep your hands to yourself” is better than “Don’t hit.” I’ve often found that saying “don’t hit” puts the idea in children’s head!
If your rules are clear, achievable, fair, and enforced then your students will (mostly) follow them. We don’t always follow every law, so don’t get bent out of shape when your learners get over-excited or make a mistake or two. Make sure you have a clear set of consequences to follow through with while showing which rule has been broken (pointing to the picture really helps).
Rules for Preschool and Primary School
There are many rules you can set, but I like to keep it short, simple, and actionable for the young ones.
- Listen (to the teacher)
- Look (at the teacher)
- Be quiet (and don’t shout)
- Raise your hands (to ask a question)
- Sit Down (on your chair/on the floor)
You can write, draw, or post picture cards on the board at the beginning of every lesson. Just keep it short – a minute or less. Some teachers also like to play Drill Sergeant with the them for a minute as a fun warmer/reminder.
Here are free copies of Star Teacher Training Rules: Preschool / Primary
What are your classroom rules and how do you get students to follow them?
Are you looking to upgrade your classroom management skills?
Then check out Star Teacher Training’s full course on Udemy! “EFL-ESL Classroom Management for Ages 6-11” has got more than 6 hours of comprehensive videos on how you can transform your classroom management to get great behavior from your students in a positive, productive way.
