Younger children, or those with little experience in cooperative decision-making may be helped if the teacher generates a list of rules. Those necessary rules having to do with safety or enforcement of school policies are starred or flagged. They are non-negotiable. Other rules, however, especially those relating to classroom procedures, should be presented as suggestions. Students can be encouraged to discuss, debate, amend, and then approve or reject these rules by voting.
Teacher defines the principles and students develop the rules.
Teachers present the principles that are most important to them and have the students develop specific rules connected to each of these. Discipline that involves students is more time-consuming at the beginning, but it is also more effective. It takes longer to involve students as partners than it does to simply announce how things are going to be. Involving students up front, however, means that fewer problems are likely to arise later and less time will be required for dealing with them. Because of the high student turnover in most classrooms, classroom contracts require frequent updating.