Inclusion of Students in Rule Making

[enigma88]

In regards to establishing rules in PE classes, should students be included in this process and be able to add their input? If so, what are some suggestions to make this process run smoothly?

[pingeyez2]

Each year , I established a suggestion box , and in this way , I could be able to understand what was important to the students . By finding out what makes them " tick" makes it easier to understand why and why not activities work .
The same goes for rules . You shoud be the final say on what is expected , but you want to instill leadership qualities . At times , I devised a contract for duties that the students bid on for the class such as , scorekeeper , equipment , clean up , injury status , etc. It was an application for a job in the class , and a written part to prove why they should have the job. This was part of the rule process , too. It is imperative there is a trust situation ,followed by rules of social responsibility .

Then , each year , take a step back and find out what worked . If not , adjust the rules for each class . The students will come with different personalities each year , so it is neccesary to adjust and make those modifications . Taking it a step furthur , one class may be the "perfect' model and then the next class is just the opposite . This is where some rules will have to be met and discussed to make it work . Good luck !

Gerry Cernicky
http://igreen.tripod.com/gerpe