Ground Rules

Ground rules
I believe it is very important to establish ground rules in all training environments the teacher and learners, who attend the class, mutually agree ground rules in classroom. This means that everyone in the class has responsibility, which enables them to feel part of the team. The ground rules define certain values and behaviours that learners will adhere to. They ensure smooth running of the class, addressing as punctuality and ringing mobile phones.
Ground rules should be set up in the first session, preferably at the beginning so that it is clear to everyone of behaviours and expectations.
It is important for learners to set their own ground rules because it creates ownership; it says that every voice deserves to be heard. But a successful group relies on truthfulness and honesty, it is dishonest for group members to put up with something they don’t agree about or cant live with, and also speak untruthfully. But would be worth reminding the group temper honesty with tact.
I find that having a dictatorial approach to ground rules is none effective, because it means that you as the teacher have control and power over what is said and done, and the class is more likely to break rules, where if they decide the rules their more likely to adhere to them, plus it makes a happier class. I think it is important to understand the ways to help learners define ground rules and apply different approaches, depending on the type of student, some of the ways I would establish ground rules are:

    • Happy Face Vs Sad Face: Divide a flipchart into two columns and put a smiley and at the top of the columns. Give the students examples of behaviour and ask them to decide which column to put them in depending on the type of students I could explain the behaviour or even mime to get the message across. I would summarise the output and compile the ground rules
    • Agree / disagree: I would prepare slips of paper with possible ground rules on ensuring some were...