Creating Classroom Rules with a Bill of Student Rights

In the UK, I've worked with lots of schools on doing away with most rules and replacing them with 4 basic rights - All students have a right to learn; All adults have a right to do their job; Everybody has a right to dignity and respect and;Everybody has a right to feel and be safe and healthy. This means that students can see why even something as simple as not bringing the right equipment is important. Students of all ages can get this easily and once established we move on to using the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child as a driver across all aspects of school. When we do this from a young age is goes a long way towards developing responsible citizens

I often considered trying this method of rule development. I agree that when students have a say in what they learn, how they learn, and how the classroom atmosphere is, they tend to be more intrigued and interested in the class. They are more respectful of the rules set forth due to the fact that they helped develop them. I teach 8-12 grade and eight different classes in the area of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For the most part, my students choose to take my classes, which tends to increase their respect for the class. They are subjects that they want to learn about. We do many projects and activities, so things sometimes get a little carried away. I feel that if the students took part in developing the rules and procedures for the classroom and they are displayed, they will be more engaged and improve their own learning.

I think this is an interesting concept and may work for the classroom, but I am uncertain of the validity of a student bill of rights and how it relates to the real world. Rules are generally established prior to participation in a work setting. It is unlikely that you or I can walk into our principal’s office and provide a list of the rules to which we will adhere. I am confident in knowing that there are certain areas of my job that I control within the established rules.

Are the students aware of the control they have in their daily lives within the rules set forth by the school administration? What is the function of this activity in relation to the real world? How does this activity prepare students for life beyond the classroom?

I love this idea of using this in your classroom as a rule based project. I wonder.... what happens if a rule needs amended? Have you considered taking that process through like a bill becoming a law, or amending a law would happen in congress?

I really liked the way you incorporated The Declaration of Independence and the US constitution to set up a classroom rules for the class. I think it was a productive way to do that so that the students will connect the text with their daily life and be better citizens. It also will help them to be more responsible citizens too.
Thanks for the idea

The way you establish classroom rules sounds very engaging; you bring the process to life in your classroom. In addition to teaching these documents in a way that is understandable and interesting to high school students, you are also teaching many social skills at the same time: cooperation, how to critically think about fairness, prioritizing the importance of various ideas and beliefs, how to respectfully disagree and make a case for an alternative opinion, and more.

In reading over your basic set of rules that are included in the syllabus and the starting point for the class activities, it appears that respect is the true rule. When students are respectful to the teacher and one another they are prepared for class, staying on task, passing in work on time, etc. Do you think the students would come up with the finer points/procedures you have listed if the starting point of conversation was simply ‘respect’?

The process you use to create rules with each class has many similarities to the Responsive Classroom rule creation practice. Using students' input to decide what is important to them, giving them the power to create the rules, guiding them to consolidate and compromise, and ending with a set of rules that is agreed upon by everyone empowers the students and creates the foundation for a strong learning community. It is fascinating to see how this process I am familiar with, which is used with elementary-age students, can be mirrored in an age-appropriate and academically focused way with high school students.

Thanks so much for sharing this great idea. Creating rules with students is such a powerful way to help them understand that rules have a positive purpose in a learning environment. I've seen some schools create schoolwide rules using a constitutional convention. Each class develops their own rules and then sends a delegate with a copy of their rules to a schoolwide convention. The principal helps students combine and condense their various rules into a schoolwide set that can guide behavior throughout the school, especially in those areas that typically need consistency: cafeteria, hallways, playground, etc. If anyone is interested in a great resource that outlines a process for creating schoolwide rules, check out: Responsive School Discipline, by Chip Wood and Babs Freeman-Loftis!

The idea of having students create their own rules is an excellent way for the students to have a say in their classroom. It gives students a sense of responsibility, since they were the ones who created the rules. In my education program we have been told to create a democratic classroom and to allow our students to have a say in the classroom policies/rules. I think your idea not only creates a democratic classroom but ties in an important learning topic that demonstrates to students the importance of our constitution and bill of rights.