Collaboration Skills: Goals and Progress

Group Size: 3-5, then whole class
Grade Level: K–12
Duration: 45-60 minutes

​​What It Is

Classroom norms are shared expectations and routines that shape how students interact, collaborate, and contribute to a shared learning space. They help create a classroom culture rooted in safety, fairness, and connection—and they’re most powerful when they’re co-created with students.

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We use the word norms intentionally—because norms exist in every space, whether we name them or not. Think of how we automatically lower our voices in a library or say "thank you" when someone hold the door open for us. These are examples of societal norms: unspoken understandings that guide how we show up for one another.

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In classrooms, norms start as working agreements that are explicitly discussed and agreed upon by the class community. However, over time, they develop into deeper habits and expectations that shape the overall atmosphere and functioning of the classroom. This evolution doesn't occur by chance; it requires revisiting, reflecting on, and actively practicing these agreements together.

This differs from what students typically encounter: entering a classroom where a set of expectations is already established, rules they did not help create. Co-creating norms flips that script. It becomes a collaborative process with shared responsibility and ownership that everyone self-regulates, instead of the teacher making and enforcing behavior expectations. When students help define how they want to work and learn together, they’re far more likely to honor and protect that environment.

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Norms shouldn’t be a one-time event. They should live in your classroom—visible, revisited, and referenced in daily practice. When done well, they become a foundation for strong collaboration, reflective goal-setting, and a culture of trust that students carry with them far beyond your room.

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Getting Ready

You’ll need chart paper, markers, and either blank paper or a structured template. Set up your materials based on grade level:

• For Grades 3–12:
  Prepare a blank poster for each group with four labeled areas:

  • Individual

  • Student to Student

  • Teacher to Student / Student to Teacher

  • Everyone in the Shared Space

• For Grades K–2:
  Create anchor charts labeled:

  • Happy in School

  • Sad in School

  • Keep School Safe and Fun for All
    Have paper or this template ready for student drawings.

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How to Do It

​Grades 3-12

1. Share context and purpose with the class, letting them know the goal is to reach consensus on classroom norms & working agreements.

2. Allow learners to reflect individually first. Some questions you might ask:​​

   • When do you learn best? What is going on around you? What does it look like?

   • What makes it hard for you to learn? What is going on around you? What does it look like?

   • We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable to learn in this space. How should we behave and treat each other? What can you agree to do?

3. Place learners in small teams of 3-4 to share their responses. They should identify common themes and trends.

4. Distribute chart paper, markers, and stickers. Each team writes their own classroom norms on the chart paper, sorting them into the four areas: Individual, Student to Student, Teacher to Student/Student to Teacher, Everyone in the Shared Space. 

5. Have teams do a walkabout to visit all the posters. As teams are visiting posters, they should be noting the types of working agreements.

6. After reviewing all the posters, students should conduct a second walkabout. This time, individuals should have their stickers in hand. Each person gets to “vote” with their stickers: they should place a sticker next to a specific statement they are willing to agree to. Individuals should repeat this until they have used all of their stickers.

7. Any statement without votes can be eliminated from the upcoming discussion.

8. The teacher facilitates a discussion to reach class consensus on the norms and working agreements. Use the number of votes as a means to guide the discussion. 

9. Capture the final version of these norms on a poster that remains visible in the classroom.

For Grades K-2

1. Bring learners together in a circle. Each learner should have markers. Pass out blank sheets of paper or this template to each learner. Share context and purpose with the class; the goal is to understand how we all learn best in school and help our friends do their best. 

2. Give learners one of the prompts below to have them draw a picture of their answer, saving C for last.

   • What makes you feel happy in school?

   • What makes you feel sad in school?

   • How can we keep school safe & fun for all?

3. Have learners hold up their drawings so all can see. Then, proceed with a debrief and share out. Ask a learner to explain their drawing to the class. This will require you to ask several follow-up questions to get to the heart of their reasoning. For example, one student might say, “Playing with the blocks is fun!” You might ask a follow-up question such as “What makes the blocks so fun? Are you alone or with someone else?” 

4. As learners share their drawings, students should raise their hands or do a thumbs up/thumbs down if they drew something similar or had the same feeling. For example, “Who else drew about blocks?” or “Who else drew or felt the same way about playing with friends?” Make sure to chart responses on an anchor chart. Call on a new learner to share. 

5. Repeat steps 2-4 using a new prompt.

6. For the last prompt, have students review the anchor charts, looking for commonalities. Ask them to draw a response to “How can we keep school safe &  fun for all?” 

7. During the debrief,  draw out specifics from each student. For example, if they drew a picture about working with friends, ask a follow-up question such as, “How do you work with them?” Chart these responses, making them your classroom norms. Along the way, have students raise their hands or do a thumbs up/down if they can agree to do them.

8. Capture the final version of these norms so everyone can see them.

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Possible Sticking Points

• With older students, some may be disengaged or rush the voting process. Use timers and reflective prompts to keep energy focused.

• With younger students, they may need help articulating ideas behind their drawings. Use specific follow-up questions to help them explain their thinking.

Facilitation Tips

• The more engaging the process, the more ownership students will take—use discussion, drawing, or movement to bring students into the work.

• Keep norms short, positively phrased, and easy to remember. Use students’ own words whenever possible.

• Aim for a small number of high-quality norms that are clear and meaningful.

• Make the norms visible in the classroom and revisit them regularly. Embed them into your routines, reflection, and goal-setting.

• Use verbal or non-verbal ways for students to show agreement (e.g., signatures, thumbs up, stickers).

• With younger students, scaffold the process using drawing, anchor charting, and simple prompts like “Why was that fun?” or “Who were you with?”

• Set clear time limits and expectations for each phase of the process to keep it moving and focused.

Why Should I Do This?

• When students create the norms, they’re more likely to follow them and hold each other accountable.

• This process shifts classroom culture from teacher-directed behavior to shared responsibility and self-regulation.

• It fosters a sense of belonging, mutual respect, and emotional safety—creating the conditions for deeper collaboration.

• Students develop clarity around how they want to work and learn together.

• With younger students, this helps them recognize their voice and agency in shaping their learning space.

• Norms become anchors for reflection, feedback, and resetting group dynamics when needed.