Page 10 - English 11 | Activity Book 10

Reading Activity

A What do you know about classroom norms? Do you think they are necessary?

B Read the text and find how the norms work best at school.

HOW DO NORMS HELP STUDENTS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER?

Classroom norms are the respectful behavioural expectations of the class. Unlike rules, which are generally
teacher-generated and work best when introduced on the first day, norms are "An agreement among
members of a classroom or school about how they will treat one another," according to Gary Borich, Professor
of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

5 They describe how we should interact with one another and the materials we use at school. Students who
collaborate to create class standards are more likely to have a sense of ownership, participate in class, and
form mutually respectful and cooperative relationships. Furthermore, students and instructional team
members working together to develop and implement norms transfer part of the duty for supporting

and encouraging socially responsible interactions from the instructor to the students. It also ensures that
students understand the expectations of the classroom community and gives them the motivation to
monitor and alter their own conduct.
There are three types of norms: those that pertain to safety and health (no shoving), moral norms (help

peers), and discretionary norms (clean your desk before leaving for the day). When students have proven a
basic comprehension of the essential principles of trust, sharing, belonging, and respect, the instructional
15 team and students can work together to create class norms that support the values. Norms may be written
at either a general or specific level. Norms established at a broad level do not describe the specific actions

that students are expected to engage in, and they can be applied to a wide range of scenarios. "Be a nice
student!", "Respect others and yourself!", and "Be polite!" are some examples of general class standards.
Specific actions are identified by norms stated at a particular level, such as "Raise hand before talking!"
or "Walk in the hallways!" are usually only appropriate in specific situations. Curriculum rules should be

defined at a broad level for this goal so that they are applicable in a wide range of scenarios. As part of
teaching collaborative skills, students and instructional teams will choose specific behaviours to support the
norms. Class norms must be formed both by the instructional team and students, regardless of their level
of specificity.

25 There is perhaps no simpler way to enact the central tenets of a self-
managed classroom than to have tasks available for students. Tasks open
the door for active, collaborative contribution by the students to the health
and well-being of the classroom community. Students show respect not

only for the learning process but also for others by completing their jobs
to the best of their abilities and growing through their effort; teachers
demonstrate respect by trusting their students with the tasks.

ORTAÖĞRETİM 10 ENGLISH-11
GENEL MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ