Group Agreements

Submitted By

Alison Barr, Adult Educator, Yellowknives Dene Adult Education Program,
Yellowknife, NT

Best Practices Supported

• Respect and Support for Learners
• Instruction

How It Works

The learners in the Yellowknives Dene Adult Education program establish group agreements that help their class run smoothly. In the first class, the facilitator and learners come up with a list of agreements to help the class run smoothly. It is important that everyone takes part and agrees on the agreements. The group agreements are posted in the classroom and referred to when needed. It is important to review the group agreements periodically and ask learners if there are any agreements that need to be added or deleted.

There are many benefits to doing group agreements. The group agreements allow the participants and instructor to refer to the ideas or the agreed upon principles as opposed to focusing on individual behavior or making personal attacks. As well, everyone takes responsibility for their conduct in the classroom and it is not up to the instructor to “enforce” rules. If something is happening in class that goes against the group agreements, a learner or the instructor can refer to the group agreements and remind the group that this is what we agreed upon.