Classroom rules...To follow or not to follow?

"Back in the days" one would come to school to face forward, listen to lecture, read and do work out of textbooks, go to lunch and recess, repeat the routine in the afternoon then go home only to do homework.
Now there were classroom rules and routines to follow.  They were to be followed, set up by the teacher, to be carried out.......no exceptions!

I love the classroom environments that have been established "now a days".  They classrooms have gone to tables, creative work on the walls, centers, out of the desk activities, and joint ideas from the student and teachers.  The learning environment is more conducive to authentic learning....not just rote memorization.

One thing that does need to be established is clear classroom rules/classroom management.  What I think is terrific is how many teachers and students collaborate during the first week of the new school year and develop classroom rules, routines, and procedures.  This creates a sense of belonging for the students in the classroom.  When set rules/procedures are placed and chosen by the students, the emphasis of "we must follow the rules" are replaced by a well functioning classroom environment.

What is important to remember is when a rule isn't working...it needs to be reviewed.  Some rules need to be modified and changed as the school year progresses.  When the students and teacher reviews what is not working and they all agree what is not working then changes can be made.....collectively!

When there is great classroom management in place, the dynamics of the learning environment speaks for itself.  Now there will always be an off day in the classroom and both students and teachers recognize this. But to start fresh the next school day with a renewed sense of teamwork creates value to the class!

Travel to where??

Technology can be so wonderful!  I recently created a powerpoint presentation detailing the beautiful formations at East Kimberly in Australia.  It was a project worth creating!  I was able to google maps, tours, view pictures of East Kimberly, and even more!

I enjoyed doing this project and thought how students can create their own presentation of where they would like to go or places where they have been to share with the class.  Due to time or finances....many people can not travel outside the region they are located.  We are fortunate that in the United States every state has someplace to explore or visit.

Giving students ample time to complete a project like this would bring in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Art project, media, technology, etc...  Every student would feel a part of a project.  Viewing other students projects would also create a sense of a future planned visit or just to find out that there are such beautiful places on our planet!