Pre-teach collaboration norms (roles, turn-taking, disagreement rules)
Aim (what it achieves)
Reduce peer friction and off-task talk by teaching ‘how to work together’.
When to use
Before group tasks; when bickering is common; start of term.
How to use (steps)
Teacher language (examples)
“One voice at a time.” “Disagree with the idea, not the person.”
Top tips (makes it work)
Keep rules few; hold students to them; reinforce with praise for good teamwork.
Common pitfalls
Assuming students ‘just know’; letting dominant students take over.
SEND/PP considerations
Explicit norms support SEND/PP who struggle with social communication; roles reduce anxiety and conflict.
Useful for these SEND needs
Relevant SEND Needs
Why this strategy helps
- Builds predictable routines before disruption.
- Reduces cognitive load and supports completion.
- Supports regulation and relational safety.
Universal SEND-friendly: Yes
SEND-targeted: Yes
Tags
Vulnerability
May be especially relevant for:
Sources
Used in
Common Behaviour Issues (Behaviour Hub)
- Proactively Prevent Peer friction / bickering / low-level conflict
Related strategies
Planned circulation (active supervision path)
Prevent low-level disruption by being present where it starts.
Seat for success (visibility, support, low friction)
Reduce predictable flashpoints by thoughtful seating and room layout.
Teach voice levels and talk norms (when to talk, how loud, with whom)
Prevent ‘noise creep’ and low-level disruption by making acceptable talk explicit.
Turn-taking control for group talk (Talking Chips / equal turns)
Prevents domination, shouting over others, and peer conflict by making turn-taking visible and fair.
Coaching pairs (RallyCoach-style: one solves, one coaches)
Improves on-task behaviour by giving each student a clear role; reduces copying and increases productive talk.
Structured round of contributions (RoundRobin / RoundTable with timing)
Prevents calling out and dominance by giving an orderly participation sequence; increases fairness felt.