Students are given choices to avoid power struggles, such as finishing work during or after class. Every teacher should establish clear rules for students. Involving students in creating rules promotes ownership and responsibility. Most schools rely on balancing student rights with responsibilities. Teachers in higher grades tend to have only one rule about respecting others. For minor issues, teachers should use non-verbal cues, prompts, or reminders to allow students to self-correct. The whole class should not be punished as a group, as students dislike this approach.

1. Source: Cope, 2005, p. 5-6. How to
make a classroom management plan.
Australia: Person SprintPrint

2. Students never take over. Where they
want to argue, students are given a
choice so that power struggles can be
avoided; for example: ‘You may finish
your work now or during lunch’.

3. Every teacher has rules but some do
not tell the students what they are.

4. Having a say in rule development, limit setting and consequence
development leads student to ownership and responsibility. Students who
have a say are no longer merely compliant, and less likely to be rebellious.
In secondary school, however, students may suffer rule discussion fatigue
and teachers may simply present them for possible discussion.

5. Most schools rely on the counterbalancing of rights and responsibilities.
Teachers in higher grades tend to only have one rule framed around the
notion of respect for others.

6. For minor problems, teachers should practice non-verbal's, prompting or
simply reminding students and allowing them to self-correct. Prompting
and reminders should, if at all possible, be given quietly.

7. The whole class is not punished. This
i particularly disliked by students and
is patently inequitable.

12. Most teachers would disagree with this.
Parents have the right to be involved and
should be contacted except where the
teacher suspects abuse. Earlier contacts
are generally better before problems
escalate.

13. The implementation of this depends
on school procedures and is also a
safety issue.

14. The implementation of this depends
on school procedures and is also a
safety issue.

15. This is strongly endorsed by pupils.

16. Students, especially secondary
students, believe that teachers are
rarely positive enough.

17. Pupils believe they should be heard for
their side of the story in order to follow
due process... There may be perfectly
good reasons, for example, for being
late.

18. This refers to student’s personal
difficulties. Each student should have
at least one teacher in the school to
whom she or he can consult about
personal problems.