Behavior Management in the Classroom
How you manage your class can effect every aspect of your classroom, and especially influences student learning. There are many components of classroom management. Some of them are similar to managing behavior in the home. Others are specific to the classroom.
Positive Reinforcement
Have a system to reward desired behaviors. There are many ideas. Choose methods that work with your own personal style. Modify them to match your classroom themes. You can also adapt them to target your students' special interests or things that they care about most. Here are some ideas.
High Fives |
Give students personal praise, such as high fives, a "round" of applause, or other similar praise. Praise them in front of other students. This doesn't cost anything.
|
Good Notes Home
|
Send a note home when a student has a great day. Sending a good note home is a great way to start the year. Definitely send a good note home with everyone the first day or first week to establish your first communication with parents as a positive one. Send notes home throughout the year when they are earned. For students who struggle to make wise choices, send good notes home as often as possible to let them and their parents know you aren't just watching for negative behavior, but you are watching for things they are doing right. You can print this file on colored paper for free notes, add stickers for just a little money, or even buy good notes to send home for a little more cost.
| ||
Marble Jar |
Marble jars are great for a group reward. Get a jar or some other container (I liked to use cleaned out plastic shredded cheese shakers - see the picture under "Scholar Dollars" for an example). You can decorate it with ribbon or markers if you want to. When the class does something you want to encourage, give them a marble. When the marble jar is full, reward the class with a predetermined reward. Let the class determine the reward through a class discussion. Be sure to point out to them the factors of cost, do-ability, and time required to do it.
|
Scholar Dollars
|
The use of scholar dollars was one of the most effective strategies in my classroom. Students earned fake money by turning in homework, following routines, not having any negative consequences, or any other desired behavior. They kept their money in wallets (envelopes) that they decorated the first week of school. I laminated them to last the entire year. Students who played with their money were required to donate their money to the bank. When class started each morning, students could go to the store and buy whatever they wanted for the day. It was the only time items could be purchased, except for bathroom passes or drink passes which could be purchased as needed. Here is a picture of the store in my classroom. It was really just a leaning cash register and signs for the items that could be purchased. There was also a small set of drawers with click-top pencils, fun erasers, and other items students could buy. When you make your store and set your prices, consider what you are willing to let your students do, how much real money you want to spend on buying things for the store, and what motivates your students. For example, one year I had a class that loved to sit at my desk. So I raised the price of that because the only computer in my room was at my desk and it was inconvenient when no one else could get to the computer. One year I had a class that loved to take their shoes off. That didn't bother me at all so a "no shoes" pass was a great thing to sell in the store. The "coke" in class was actually a can of lemonade or fruit punch. The "popcorn and coke in class" was the most coveted purchase. For $100 I gave them a can of lemonade or fruit punch, and their own personal-sized bag of popcorn. They could sit in class and eat and drink as they desired. However, just as with all the items in the store, if the purchase became a distraction that impeded learning, the item was taken away, and no refund was given. I never had to take away the can of drink or the popcorn. I did have to switch a few students back to their original seats after they had purchased "move your desk." When you set your prices you also need to consider how much money students can earn. You want students to be able to buy a restroom pass if needed (the class had several scheduled bathroom breaks, so this was for any additional break that might be needed during instruction), but you want them to have to work hard for the bigger rewards.
|
Small Rewards
|
You can provide small rewards to give students weekly or at predetermined times. Small tangible rewards, like those found in typical "treasure chests" are usually not very motivating. Often times only the already well-behaved students get the items and the students who struggle are left out. However, they can be used in conjunction with other ideas to increase positive behavior. Especially for older students, consider rewards other than typical small novelties. Homework passes or restroom passes are often more desirable than novelty toys. One way I made small rewards more fun was by making it a drawing. Students could earn a turn to pick an incentive out of a box. I put various incentives, such as restroom passes or free candy, in a box. Students didn't know which reward they would get. This was more like a game to them and was very motivating. See the file for the circles I cut our and used in the incentive box.
| ||
Negative Consequences
You also need a system to discourage negative behavior through conequences. This part of behavior management is much more controversial than positive reinforcement. I believe that negative consequences are necessary when positive reinforcement is not enough to result in desired behaviors. However, make sure your consequences are appropriate and effective. Having students sit out at recess is not effective. Neither is simply sending students to the principal's office. Different students are motivated by different things, so you might need to adjust your system appropriately.
Monitoring System
You need a way to keep track with how many times students have made poor choices each day. This is important for helping students recognize their negative behavior and for keeping track of behavior in case you need to talk to parents about the behavior. You can be creative with your monitoring system. Most monitoring systems are visual representations that correspond with negative consequences. Many classrooms of younger students use colors or cards to indicate if their behavior is good or bad. Older students can benefit from similar systems. Below is a picture of one monitoring system. In this system, the rules are posted above the consquences. Students who break the rules move their piece down (to the right) one color. Each move indicates a negative consequence, such as chat with the teacher, complete a Choices form, or write their own parents a letter. The picture also shows how you can be creative and make your monitoring system match the decorative theme of your classroom. For years I used golf balls on a putting green when I had a sports-themed classroom. Use student numbers instead of names on the pieces so that people who come visit the room or pass through don't see names of students on the different consequences.
Another way you can keep track of student behavior is called "The Book." Print one page for each student with the student name on top and a 3-column chart with "Name," "Reason," and "Date" as the headings. Make a cover for the book. Bind the book with the school comb binging machine or just use a hole puncher and metal rings. Whenever students break the rules, they legibly complete a row on the chart. This is a great record, and is indisputable since the students write it themselves. It is also private since the pages of the book are not displayed on the wall. See the file below for an example "The Book."
| the_book.doc |
Examples of Negative Consequences
Here are some ideas for negative consequences for students who break class rules.
- Chat with the teacher
- Compelte a Choices form (see the file
- Chat with the teacher
- Compelte a Choices form (see the file
Chat with the Teacher |
Meet with the student privately to discuss the behavior, what caused it, and how to avoid it next time.
|
Complete a Form |
Have students complete this form about what happened. Make a copy of it and send the original home for a parent signature, if desired.
| ||
Write a Note to Your Parents |
Have students write their own letters to their parents explaining their own behaviors. YOu can have students bring it back signed, if desired. This usually takes students a while to do well.
|
Motivation
A critical component of classroom management is motivation. The main way you motivate your students is by having a positive learning community and engaging, interesting activities. Explore this website for many engaging activities.
Learning Community
The learning community is the group of people that are involved in a child's education. This includes the main teacher/parent, all the students, and other adults who help with lessons or activities. There needs to be mutual respect and appreciation for each other. One way to foster a positive learning community is by helping students get to know each other and what makes other people special. When children understand that everyone is special and can contribute to the group, they work together better and get along better. It is important to begin developing a positive learning community as soon as possible. There are many activities and games you can play to help students get to know each other. During the activities point out to students that they need to listen for ways they can connect to each other (things they have in common) as well ways they are different (and can possibly share new experiences/ideas with each other).
All About Me
Students move game pieces around the board game and answer personal questions about things they like to do or things they enjoy. It is a great get-to-know-you game and is ideal for playing during the first few days of school.
|
| ||