APPENDIX E What Are Ground Rules and How Can We Use Them?
Ground rules help to maintain a productive classroom climate by clearly articulating a set of expected behaviors for classroom conduct, especially for discussions. Ground rules can be set by the instructor or created by the students themselves (some people believe that students adhere more to ground rules they have played a role in creating). Ground rules should reflect the objectives of the course. For example, if an objective of the course is for students to enlist evidence to support an opinion, a ground rule could reinforce that goal; if a goal is for students to connect content material to personal experiences, then ground rules that protect privacy and create a safe environment for ...
