Classroom environments that enable students to focus on and engage with lesson content provide an important foundation for learning success. Rules and routines support students in being ready to engage, and can facilitate their learning.
A rule is usually a short instruction for conduct or action that everyone is expected to know, follow and refer to regularly. Routines are sequences of recurring tasks or actions – for example, daily review taught and modelled by the teacher and practised by students so they become automatic. With clear rules and routines, students understand and are more able to demonstrate what’s expected of them. Rules and routines also ensure students know what they can expect from their teacher during the learning process, and how actively participating will help them achieve their goals. The experience of predictability and safety in a learning environment that includes routines contributes to positive relationships and learning success.
This practice guide will help you reflect and take action to develop your practice with a greater understanding of:
- the ways rules and routines support learning
- how to equip students with the skills to participate in routines that support their learning.
References and further reading
Further reading
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher (5th ed.). Harry K. Wong Publications. (pp. 201–203)
This book provides practical advice about how to structure and organise the classroom to support student success, including specific advice about key rules and routines.
Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0: 63 Techniques that put students on the path to college. John Wiley & Sons.
This book draws upon the techniques of high-performing teachers to provide practical advice about techniques teachers can use to motivate students, increase learning success and redirect student behaviour.
Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2010). Explicit instruction: Effective and efficient teaching. Guilford Publications.
This book explains how to structure and implement explicit instruction to support student success, including advice about effective rules and routines.
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2022). Building a culturally responsive Australian teaching workforce: Final report for Indigenous cultural competency project. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/intercultural-development/building-a-culturally-responsive-australian-teaching-workforce
Bennett, T. (2020). Running the room: The teacher’s guide to behaviour. John Catt Educational.
Dataworks. (2014). Checking for understanding. https://dataworks-ed.com/checkingunderstanding/
Feucht, F. C., Lunn Brownlee, J., & Schraw, G. (2017). Moving beyond reflection: Reflexivity and epistemic cognition in teaching and teacher education. Educational Psychologist, 52(4), 234–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2017.1350180
Hollingsworth, J. R., & Ybarra, S. E. (2012). Explicit direct instruction for English learners. Corwin Press.
Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0: 63 techniques that put students on the path to college. Jossey-Bass.
Ryan, M., Rowan, L., Lunn Brownlee, J., Bourke, T., L’Estrange, L., Walker, S., & Churchward, P. (2022). Teacher education and teaching for diversity: A call to action. Teaching Education, 33(2), 194–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2020.1844178
Willingham, D. T. (2021). Why don’t students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Keywords: student engagement