For teachers seeking a more collaborative approach to establishing class expectations, creating co-agreements with students is an effective practice. Unlike traditional teacher-created rules, co-agreements invite students to share their voices and help shape the learning environment and culture of their physical education experience. When students contribute to the expectations that guide their experience in PE, it creates a sense of ownership that impacts both behavior and learning. 

The process of creating co-agreements begins each year by inviting students to define how they want to be treated and what they want physical education to look like. When teachers explain that students will have a voice in shaping their learning environment and class culture, it communicates that their opinions matter and builds a sense of trust and mutual respect. This helps students understand that the expectations they create together will influence the kind of experience everyone has in the gym.

To begin, dedicate time during one of the first classes of the year to facilitating a discussion about what students want their physical education experience to feel like. Encourage them to share their ideas by turning and talking with a partner using prompts such as, “How are you going to treat other people?” and “How do you want other people to treat you?” These questions help students focus on the positive behaviors they want to see rather than a list of things to avoid. After partners share with each other, invite students to share their ideas with the class. As they contribute, record their responses on the board, combining similar ideas and rephrasing them in clear, student-friendly language.

Following the discussion, teachers should organize students’ ideas into a list of co-agreements that capture the class’s shared values. Before the next class, the teacher can clean up language for clarity and accessibility, adding visuals or pictures to support language learners. At the beginning of the next lesson, the final draft can be presented to the class and students will have an opportunity to make any final modifications. Once the group reaches consensus, have students sign the co-agreements as a symbol of their commitment and display them prominently in the gym where they can be easily seen and revisited. Since each class creates its own set of co-agreements, all students will have their voices and values respected. 

Co-agreements work because they increase student buy-in by creating an environment of mutual respect between teachers and students, as well as among peers. Rather than viewing class rules as a list of demands, students see co-agreements as shared commitments they helped create. This collaboration increases the likelihood that students will internalize behavior expectations and hold their peers accountable to them. As a result, the teacher’s role shifts from enforcing compliance with class rules to facilitating reflection on the shared values the class created together.

Another benefit of co-agreements is the greater sense of emotional safety they provide for students. After taking part in the process of creating the agreements, students are more likely to trust that the culture they helped build is fair and inclusive for all. As a result, they will be more willing to take academic risks, cooperate with their peers, and display respectful behaviors that collectively support stronger learning outcomes in physical education.

Perhaps the most important benefit of creating co-agreements with students is that they can be revisited at any time throughout the year. When off-task behavior begins to disrupt a lesson, rather than just reminding students of the expectations, the teacher can pause and facilitate a reflective class conversation.

Teacher: “I noticed during our last activity that some students were acting inappropriately after scoring a point. One of our co-agreements is that we will treat each other with respect, whether we win or lose. Is that something we want to revisit or modify, or is treating each other with respect still a value we hold?”

While revisiting co-agreements with the whole class can be powerful, they can also guide one-on-one conversations with students. When addressing off-task, disruptive, or disrespectful behavior, teachers can reference the co-agreements by asking questions such as, “Which of our co-agreements does this behavior not align with?” or “Which agreement that you helped create could remind us how to handle this situation differently next time?” Framing feedback in this way invites reflection and helps students connect their actions to shared values rather than to rules solely established by the teacher.

Revisiting co-agreements in moments like these reinforces that expectations are shared values that guide student behavior. By returning to these agreements when necessary, teachers help students see them as a living part of their classroom culture, something they can refine, uphold together, and take pride in throughout the year.

In addition to being leveraged when disruptive behaviors occur, co-agreements should also be revisited throughout the year as opportunities to celebrate progress and refine classroom culture. Regular reflection on co-agreements helps students see expectations as evolving agreements that represent their shared responsibility toward one another. Through brief class meetings held once each quarter, unit, or even as the occasional exit ticket at the end of a lesson, these moments give students a chance to celebrate their progress and adjust the agreements they created together.

Before detailing the components of effective CLOs and how to create them, it’s important to first understand the advantages of having both a content objective focused on physically demonstrating a standards-based skill and a supporting language objective.

There are two primary reasons why incorporating language objectives into daily lessons is beneficial. First, they allow students additional avenues beyond physical performance to demonstrate their learning. While some students will be able to physically demonstrate their ability to meet the effective criteria for a specific skill or concept, others may struggle to do so. By providing opportunities for students to express their learning through language, teachers can offer multiple modalities for achieving and demonstrating success.

Second, aligning both content and language objectives with physical education standards ensures the seriousness of the subject area and differentiates physical education from recreational and recess programs. This distinction of a physical education program from recess is essential in maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of both realms. Crafting and effectively communicating standards-based CLOs ensures appropriately rigorous instruction for students and sets them on the path toward meeting grade-level expectations.

By embracing this holistic approach, teachers create an inclusive learning environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive. As the exploration into the intricacies of effective CLO's continues, it is important to remain mindful of the transformative impact they can have on student achievement and the overarching goal of developing well-rounded individuals equipped for success in school and beyond.

Providing students with intentional opportunities to develop standards-based social skills encourages positive interactions among peers and can contribute to a reduction in disruptive behavior, leading to a supportive and inclusive learning environment. A deliberate focus on social skills in physical education also benefits students outside of the gym, equipping them with essential interpersonal skills that are valuable in a variety of other contexts. As a result, physical education teachers should strive to routinely integrate standards-based social skills instruction into their curriculum. By doing so, teachers empower students to succeed academically, personally, and socially.

Due to the inclusion of social skills in state and national standards, physical education teachers have the unique advantage of seamlessly integrating these essential skills as part of a comprehensive curriculum. Unlike teachers of other content areas who may need to address social skill development at the expense of their standards, PE teachers can effectively teach social skills knowing that they are standards-based. By incorporating activities and daily objectives that promote communication, cooperation, empathy, and ethical behaviors alongside the other physical education standards, PE teachers can create an inclusive environment where students not only improve their physical fitness, but also develop the social skills necessary for thriving in various aspects of life.

By refining their social skills in physical education, students develop the capacity to succeed academically, learning how to effectively communicate and collaborate with peers. While these skills are essential toward being successful in physical education, they are also transferable to classroom settings, where students are required to engage in cooperative learning activities, such as collaborating with peers on projects and participating in class discussions. Students who can communicate effectively with their peers and collaborate on tasks are better equipped to be productive members of a group, which is essential for academic success.

Along with academic advantages, physical education lessons that focus on social skills can also contribute to students' personal development and well-being. When engaging in cooperative games, team sports, and other small group activities, students learn strategies for building and maintaining positive relationships, developing empathy, building resilience, and enhancing self-confidence. These experiences create a culture of belonging and inclusiveness, which are essential components of positive mental health and overall well-being.

Lastly, providing students with opportunities to enhance their social skills in physical education plays an important role in developing their interpersonal relationships. When learning various social skills, students are taught to interact effectively with others, build trust and mutual respect, and develop healthy relationships. These social skills are valuable in a variety of real-world contexts, for instance, forming lasting friendships with peers and contributing positively to their communities.