I have literally tried everything under the sun, from sticker charts, to marbles, to play money, you name it. I had a very hard time keeping track of it all, and keeping them out of my students mouths (GROSS!). It was tricky having to stop mid-lesson to give a student a sticker on their sticker chart for sitting quietly OR remembering to give them a marble when they got back to class for walking quietly in the hall. I was literally and figuratively LOSING MY MARBLES trying to keep up with various behavior plans each school year.
My breaking point was the winter of 2011- One of my favorite students to this day, decided to eat each of the stickers off of his sticker chart. I literally through my hands up in the air and called it quits. He just did not care. I went home ready to wallow in my sorrows when I started browsing the internet for help.
In comes
Class Dojo is a behavior management system that is ALL ONLINE and you can tailor it toward your specific class needs.
The basic premise of Class Dojo is awarding students points for positive behaviors and taking points away for negative behaviors.
Teachers can set any number of positive behaviors.
Teachers can also set any number of negative behaviors.
When a student displays a positive behavior the teacher can add 1 Dojo point! If you had a SmartBoard or projector, the point shows up with the students name on the board accompanied by a soft "ping".
My students know exactly what it means when they hear a ping. If a student is off task they immediately get to work- it's so funny what 1 little sound can do!
You can also give Dojo Points to multiple students (or the whole class) at the same time!
When students display negative, or unwanted, behavior you can take Dojo Points away. You can choose to display it on the board (like below) or just play the sound.
The lovely thing about Class Dojo is that you can use it ANYWHERE because it is compatible on many platforms! That means, while on a field trip I can use my smartphone to add Dojo Points for students who are following directions. In the school hallway I can use my iPad to add Dojo points for walking quietly. This way your behavior management stays consistent!
Students can customize their avatars and keep track of their progress! Teachers can also give parents a login to their child's account so they can view their students behavior or email behavior reports directly to their email address!
Here is an example of a behavior report.
I've even used the graph below to help track behaviors and trends for a BIP (behavior intervention plan) for one of my ESE students.
Let me tell you, the possibilities are limitless!
Class Dojo seriously saved my sanity in the classroom. My kids love it and I love how easy it is for me to use!
You can check out the short video clip here! Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Ciao!
Melissa
