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Explain the role that climate setting and establishing ground rules plays in creating a safe and respectful learning environment.  Review the sample ground rules posted below. What do you like/what would be the most important to include?  Are there any rules you would add or revise?

 

Ground Rules

Establishing ground rules, which are shared guidelines about how everyone, teachers and students, will interact during lessons, is an important step in creating a sense of trust, support, and safety among students and teachers. Ground rules help to increase comfort and facilitate learning for everyone in the classroom. This is especially important because the lessons in the Family Life and Human Sexuality and Disease Prevention Units often include discussion of personal topics, such as values and sexuality.

 

Ground rules, and the methods by which they are created and introduced, will vary at different grade levels. In the earliest grades, existing classroom rules may be used for this purpose. While such guidelines are often posted in the classroom throughout the year, it can be helpful to give a gentle reminder to students about these rules before a lesson or unit on sexuality. Alternatively, the teacher may ask students if they can think of any rules, they would like to have for working together in a group. Their suggestions may include not interrupting, raising hands to talk, etc. 

 

Some additional rules may include:

Everyone has the right not to answer questions they feel are too personal, including the teacher. It is okay to say, “I’d rather not participate in this activity” or “I don’t want to answer that question.”
It is okay to disagree with another person, but do not make fun or call people names just because you disagree with them.
It is okay to ask any question, no matter how silly it may seem; chances are someone else wants to know the same thing you do. Using a question box is an excellent way for students to ask questions anonymously.
It is okay if some of the things we talk about seem silly, or if the information is brand new. We will be talking about some very interesting things and you will probably like learning about these things. If you don’t like a subject, just sit quietly until we change to a new subject.
It is important to be open and honest in group discussions, but there should be no discussion of your own or other people’s personal business.
It is okay to discuss general situations, but without naming names or being specific.
It is okay to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable; even adults can feel uncomfortable when they talk about sensitive topics like values or sexuality.

 

Although they cover similar topics, ground rules for grades 5-8, may appear this way:

Right to Pass—Each person shares to the level of his/her own comfort. No one should ever feel pressured to contribute if they do not wish to.
Respect differences—Allow everyone to have different viewpoints. Group members may disagree, but they should not judge one another for their beliefs.
One person speaks at a time—Allow everyone to be heard.
No put downs—No name calling or insulting one another. Protect everyone’s right to hold different views.
Use “I” statements—Avoid broad statements. Speak for yourself.
There is no such thing as a dumb question—All questions are good to ask.
Appropriate sharing outside of class—Telling other people about what you learn here is good, but we should not discuss anything personal that someone in the class may have shared. That’s disrespectful, and unfair to that person. Instead, you can simply say, “I know someone who…” if you want to share a good point someone made.

 

 

 

 

Guidelines at the 9-12 grade level will likely address the same issues plus a few additional ones for this age group and may be worded differently. For example:

Right to pass if you don’t want to share or participate.
Speak for yourself, not for others, by using “I” statements.
Don’t use put-downs or negative statements about classmates and educators.
Be aware of your assumptions and how they might impact your learning.
One person speaks at a time.
Minimize side conversations.
Keep electronic devices turned off and away during class or follow school district policy.
Questions are welcome. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
Don’t share personal stories or use people’s names when talking with people outside this classroom about what is discussed here.

 

A Note on Confidentiality

 

Most lists of group agreements or ground rules include a rule related to confidentiality, which has often been described as “what is said in this room stays in this room.” This is not an effective description of confidentiality for a classroom for a few reasons. First, it an raise anxiety among parents and other adults in the community who may be concerned that the teacher is trying to keep whatever is discussed about sexuality secret from them. Second, it is inaccurate. As teachers and other youth-serving professionals know well, there are situations under which confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, or must be broken. As mandated reporters, teachers are required to report situations in which a student is at risk to hurt themselves or others. Telling students that the discussions will be confidential, therefore, becomes problematic if their confidentiality must be broken. Finally, true confidentiality is impossible to enforce. Believing that what is shared will be kept confidential may lead a student to share something deeply personal that may likely get “leaked” by someone in the class. Thus, while it is important to include “confidentiality” in the ground rules, an effective way a teacher can include this is to write it up on the list and say, 

 

“To keep something confidential means that it’s kept private or secret. I certainly don’t want you to keep the information we talk about here private from anyone. In fact, the more you talk with your friends and parents about it, the better! What is important, however, is that we all agree not to share anything personal that someone in the class may have shared. That’s disrespectful, and unfair to that person. Instead, you can simply say, ‘I know someone who…’ if you want to share a good point someone made. Also, you may know already that there are some things that I, as a teacher, cannot keep private. If a student were to come to me and say that someone is hurting them, or that they were thinking of hurting themselves or someone else, I’d have to tell someone about it, so that this student could get some help.”

 

Options for Establishing Ground Rules

 

At the middle and high school levels, it can be useful to involve students directly in the creation of shared ground rules, thereby increasing their sense of ownership and “buy-in” of the rules. The teacher may start this process by asking students, “What might make it difficult for us to feel comfortable as we talk about sexuality?” After a list of barriers is generated (possible responses might include embarrassment, being made fun of, not knowing what to say, not wanting other people to know what we talk about, etc.), the teacher can then write “Ground Rules” on newsprint or the board and then ask, “What are some rules we can establish in our class that will help us to feel more comfortable to learn about this topic and that will help ensure that no one feels put down or disrespected?”

The teacher may then invite students to generate a list of agreements about how the class will operate and how students and the teacher will interact. The teacher should list these ground rules on newsprint and hang the list on a wall where it can remain, so that students and the teacher can refer to them at any time. The ground rules should be established through agreement by the group and may vary. The teacher should write down students’ ideas and then suggest some important basic rules from the lists above that students did not include.

 

Depending on time availability, other options for establishing ground rules are for the teacher to present a pre-written list and ask for student feedback, as well as for additional suggestions. The teacher may also wish to make a game out of the presentation of ground rules by introducing them Pictionary style (using diagrams to represent the ground rules and have students guess what they are) or through acting them out or having students act them out as in the game Charades, and having other students guess.

In some classes, once a list has been established, the teacher may ask every student to agree verbally to the ground rules and/or to sign the ground rules or a contract, as a way of sharing authorship and responsibility for enforcing the rules. 

 

It is possible that the class will already have ground rules in place before the implementation of this curriculum. If so, it may be useful for the teacher to remind students of the ground rules at the start of the first session. It might also be useful to explain to students that since the topic of sexuality can be particularly sensitive or difficult to discuss for some people, there may be additional ground rules the class would like to include for the duration of this program.

 

 

Once agreed-upon ground rules are established, they can be revisited at any time and revised to meet the needs of the class. Additionally, it is important that students feel empowered not only to follow the ground rules themselves but to monitor one another’s adherence to them and to ensure that they are being followed.

 

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