What are behavioral expectations for students, why they are important, and how to teach them is what we are going to dig into

Behavioral Expectations in the Elementary Classroom & How to Teach Them

What are behavioral expectations for younger students? Keep reading to find out what they are, why they are important, read some helpful examples, and find out how to teach behavior expectations for elementary students. 

What Are Behavioral Expectations?

The behavioral expectations definition is pretty simple. It is just how people should (and shouldn’t) act. In a classroom setting, it is often how the teacher would like the children to act.  

These expectations can change depending on several things. Here are some times these rules can be different.

Setting: Different places mean different expectations. For example, at home children don’t ask their adults to go to the bathroom. But at school, students are expected to ask the adult in the room if they can go. This is different in these spaces due to safety needs. This is just a small example of why settings can change behavior expectations but there are many, many more. 

Age of Person: Age can play a big role in what is expected. Many times those who are younger have fewer expectations than those who are older. This is often because older people have been taught, and re-taught the expectation while the younger person may not have had exposure. 

Who Person is With: People often act differently when around others, and this can be completely okay. For example, a child will most likely act differently when working on a group project of teacher-selected students within the classroom vs when playing with a group of friends at their house. 

If you are wondering what are behavioral expectations, they are simply how people should (and shouldn’t) act in settings.
If you are wondering what are behavioral expectations, they are simply how people should (and shouldn’t) act in settings.

Why Are Behavior Expectations Important?

There are a few key reasons why behavioral expectations in the classroom are important. 

First off, it provides a good basis for keeping a safe and effective learning environment. Kids in general want to know what is expected of them. They want to know what to do in situations and how to act. This provides a safe environment for them to learn. Having these expectations also allows them an optimal learning environment because everyone knows what to do in the classroom setting. This leads to predictability for students, which not only makes the process go smoothly but also makes students feel safe. People like to know what is coming next and how to do things. 

Secondly, it can lead to decreased instances of unwanted behavior. When expectations of behavior are established, taught, and practiced, students understand and can demonstrate what is wanted in each setting. Setting up a system to reinforce these behavioral expectations, is a key last step. This system should reward those who are following them. It should also have a system to re-teach and reinforce when they are not followed. Doing this will reduce instances of unwanted behavior. Believe it or not, this is even research-backed.  

The answer to why are behavioral expectations important is tied to these two main reasons.
The answer to why are behavioral expectations important is tied to these two main reasons.

School Behavioral Expectations Examples

In a school setting, behavior expectations are general rules for how the teacher(s) feel children across the board should act. 

So what are some behavioral expectations in school that are common? 

This usually follows the school’s behavior matrix model. However, common ones are safety, respectfulness, and responsibility. Different settings have slightly different ways this applies to them. For example, being respectful in the bathroom might be things like how many paper towels to use or giving others privacy. While respectfulness in the library might be using a quiet voice level and only taking a certain number of books so there is enough for everyone. 

A school likely will have different expectations that are specific to that setting. Common settings are: bathroom, hallway, playground, cafeteria, during special events, and the school bus.

Here are some example behavior expectations in classroom setting: 

☆ showing pride in the environment by keeping areas clean (desk, coat hook, classroom library, sink area, etc.) 

☆ sharpening pencils before a lesson

☆ going to the bathroom during work time

☆ cooperating while working with others

☆ following teacher directions 

☆ showing whole body listening skills

☆ being engaged during lessons and work time

☆ being honest

☆ trying your best

☆ including others

☆ being flexible

One of the top behavioral expectations examples is whole body listening as seen in this poster.
One of the top behavioral expectations examples is whole body listening as seen in this poster.

Teaching Classroom Behavior Expectations

When thinking of how to establish behavioral expectations, there are a few steps to follow. 

These steps include:

  • Defining the expectations.
  • Making these rules important to students so they buy into the idea.
  • Explicitly teaching the expectations.
  • Practicing them.
  • And finally reinforcing/rewarding those who meet the expectations. 

When defining expectations, make sure they are appropriate for the students you are working with (think about their age, the setting, etc.). 

Having students help come up with these expectations can really help students to want to follow them. Yes, there will be some that students just need to do because of safety, but there are others that can be a bit more flexible. Give students the opportunity to have a say. They will most likely surprise you with what they come up with. 

The best way when thinking how to set behavioral expectations is to teach them directly to students. Then practice, practice, practice. 

Reinforcing them throughout the year is also essential. Rewards are often helpful here as well. 

If you don’t want to spend your limited time creating a lesson plan and reinforcement activities, check out this resource bundle. You’ll get 87 pages including a complete scripted behavior expectations lesson plan, flip book, worksheets, and an interactive game. Give your students the knowledge of behavior expectations in school and ample opportunities to practice these foundational skills using these great resources all while saving yourself the hours of prep work. Simply download, print, and teach using materials that are actually effective to improve social skills. Purchase this bundle here

Teaching classroom behavior expectations is super important so check out these resources to save yourself time.
Teaching classroom behavior expectations is super important so check out these resources to save yourself time.

Looking for More Behavioral Expectations for Students?

Check out this post all on how to teach expected vs unexpected behavior. You’ll find 5 easy to follow steps in the process to get your students to show expected behavior in a flash.  

Engaging Curiosity has a wonderful post with examples of expectations for an engaged classroom.

This post on Education World gives some ideas on how to set positive behavior expectations.

Edutopia has this nice article giving great starting tips on how to teach these rules. Some of them include being clear with what you expect along with ideas on reteaching the lesson(s).

Behavioral expectations for students are important so make sure you are teaching them right from the start.
Behavioral expectations for students are important so make sure you are teaching them right from the start.

Here are the key points from this post. 

Behavioral expectations are simply how people should (and shouldn’t) act. This can vary due to age, setting, or other people around. 

They are important because it provides a basis for keeping a safe and effective learning environment. Additionally, it can decrease unwanted behavior overall. 

Check out the examples above for some expectations in school. 

There are 5 main steps in teaching these in the classroom. Each part is important and plays a role in students mastering and showing behavior expectations for elementary school. 

Behavioral expectations is an important topic to know about and teach to students for many reasons.
Behavioral expectations is an important topic to know about and teach to students for many reasons.

Happy Teaching!

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I help educators meet the diverse academic and social/emotional needs of struggling students so that they can focus on teaching during the day and enjoy life outside of the classroom after the 8 hour work day.

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