The Code of Cooperation is an important tool to setup at the beginning of the school year. It’s essentially a goal for students and the teacher to work together to develop the important components of their classroom. Students and the teacher must then follow their classroom code in order to have a smooth-running classroom.
Below is a paper I wrote about the Code of Cooperation.
Shared Vision and Code of Cooperation Reflection
The Shared Vision and Code of Cooperation within a classroom is the holy grail of retaining expectations, both from the teacher and from the students, to continue to have a cooperative classroom. These contracts allow students to have their own say and ownership in becoming a community and to be held accountable throughout the school year. The main purpose in creating these expectations is so students can have a set view of what to expect each day when they walk into their classroom. These are personal expectations in regards to participating in academic content.
The first step in creating a Shared Vision is to have a discussion with students. Talking about what the Shared Vision is and the plan in creating one allows students to have a familiar sense of what the purpose of having one in a classroom is while they are in the process of creating one. Once, this has taken place, students and the teacher answer a question. Usually, this questions pertains to creating a positive experience in the classroom that allows everyone to benefit from the learning. Students then get into groups or, depending on the grade level, individually, and discuss what they believe is the most important part of creating a positive classroom. Having these small discussions gives students the chance to be interactive with each other and also practice creating a comfortable atmosphere within the community of the classroom.
One of the most important parts of creating the Shared Vision is putting all the sticky notes full of ideas on the board and voting for the three to five most important components that will become their Code of Cooperation. This happens with tally marks or stickers and each student gets two votes. There can be some slight manipulation by the teacher during this part of the process by voting first. Once the voting is complete and the votes are counted, the class has a discussion over breaking down the terms they agreed on. These are ‘I Can…’ statements. Some of these words are what students hear very often, but might not know the true meaning, so breaking them down into words and phrases they can understand completely is important.
The Code of Cooperation is then written, by the teacher, and signed by everyone in the classroom. The Code of Cooperation is the official contract written after the process for the Shared Vision is completed. This contract has all the important words that were voted on in complete sentences. They are also underlined to show emphasis on their importance. Both the Code of Cooperation and the Shared Vision are posted in the classroom somewhere visible so all can see it at any point in the classroom. It is important to update this halfway through the school year to support the growth that the students have accomplished.
These documents are highly important in managing the behavior within the classroom. It holds students accountable for their actions and for their learning. Without some sort of structured responsibility, students and teachers might have a difficult time staying on the right course throughout the school year.
It is important for students to have a large part, if not the entire part, with a little help from the teacher, in creating this document. It is a sense of responsibility. It also shows the students that this is for them and not what the teacher told them how the correct way to act in their classroom is. Not only does it bring the students together, it brings a sense of collaboration between the students and the teacher.
Overall, creating the Shared Vision and Code of Cooperation for a classroom is a pivotal moment at the beginning of the academic year. The shared classroom rules becomes a mantra to remember for the students and the teacher. It also is a great source to determine behavior for many students. Having something to keep them on the right track shows that every student has his or her own personal stake in the contract. The shared vision and Code of Cooperation is an essential component to classroom management.
