Lesson 4: Our contract of rules

How do we write down common rules?

Lesson description

Once all students have voted on the different solutions for the listed problems or conflicts, they are given the task of writing them down and making a “contract” of rules that can be signed by everybody.

In a plenary discussion, the students talk about how they want to design this contract. Will it be in the form of a flipchart poster, or written on a piece of A4 paper, or will it be a rolled-up document with a seal? They should agree on the form they prefer, if necessary again by majority decision.

The students are free to design the contract of rules in the way they wish, as long as the following criteria are fulf lled:

• All solutions that were agreed upon are written down in the form of statements.
• All students sign the contract underneath the statements.
• The place and date of signature is written on the contract.

Once the contract has been written and signed, the students should discuss what will happen if someone breaks one of the rules. Will there be any consequences? If so, what kind? How will keeping the rules be controlled? Is this everybody’s responsibility? Or are special people responsible for this? Will this be helpful or counter-productive?

Possible step: the consequences of breaking the rules are added to the contract (as an attachment).