The Democratic Classroom

We make decisions every day of our lives on topics great and small; what we eat for breakfast, who we spend our day with, what we do in the evenings etc.

However, not all decisions are made solely by ourselves.

To varying degrees, and in different areas of our lives and in society, we do not have absolute freedom to make decisions autonomously or independently, free from outside control.

Sometimes the choices available to us are restricted or limited by external influences in our society. e.g. Under Irish law, all children under 16 must receive basic standard of education. (standard or home-schooling).

• Rules.

Rules are about what we 'can' and 'cannot' do. We have rules in may different spheres of our lives and society: how we play sports, how we dress and act in school etc.

Rules can be informal or forma, written or unwritten. If rules are broken, there may or may not be consequences.

Norms

Norms are about what we 'should' and 'should not' do. 'Norms' refer to the ways we are expected to think and act. These expectations are influenced by culture, society, religion and other types of organising principles. Norms are often used as the basis to form rules. However, in the absence of rules, we will often act according to socially accepted norms and values.

A wide range of different views and positions exist with regard to the need for rules in schools in the first place.

Should rules be concerned with student safety only, or promoting an orderly environment that supports learning?

Should rules be extended so that they cultivate in students certain social values and norms, such as respect, equality and tolerance?

DO we need rules prohibiting absence from class + restricting freedom of movement of students during class?

Do schools need rigid rules about student conduct and communication during lessons (e.g. putting hand up to ask question).

Or do we simply need rules that prohibit intolerant or disrespectful treatment of students and teachers?

The ideas of many prominent political and social thinkers in relation to government can be applied to the debate on school rules.

We can examine the ideas of political thinkers so that we can understand the different sides and start to develop our ow positions on the debate.

Arguments for and Against the need for rules in school

You will be assigned a key thinker. Together, your group should imagine that you are the political thinker and that you have been made principal of your school. You have been given free rein to implement whatever rules and policies you think are necessary.

As a group, create three new school rules that would be introduced by the key thinker as principal of your school.

• "Rules provide protection for weaker members of the community and provide a framework for orderly engagement in learning at school"

Those who have the most knowledge and wisdom should play the strongest role in making rules.

There should only be a few rules, and they should only be concerned with keeping people safe. Any more than that is an infringement on people's freedom.

Those who have the most power or influence can make rules that suit their own interests, rather than the interests of everyone in the community.

There is a danger of those with power enforcing rules arbitrarily (i.e. making rules on a whim/impulse, rather than out of necessity).

It is a compliance to norms and values, not enforcement of rules, that maintain a sense of order.