I also am using Class Dojo to positively praise my students. It didn't seem practical to create a list that documents all of the use cases that each color, implemented by the Developer's Dojo theme, has. His new teacher uses Class Dojo. They did better with only positive reinforcement. With every tool, there's always a positive and negative. All children in the classroom are aware of what is going on – the kids know when someone is not behaving well. Aside from Dojo, I continued using e-mail, phone calls, and conferences to communicate with parents throughout the year. My son's teacher has my phone/email (plus they see me twice daily AM & PM). The most effective type of praise is when we describe for kids exactly what it is that they are doing that is good. Allow this to be a reward when they reach a certain amount of points. That did not make it an appropriate classroom tool. The reason they get it is all in their control. No one else on campus seems interested in doing this, though, and it is not always easy to be the one teacher who says, ‘I’m going to do this a slightly different way than everyone else,’ let alone do get into a political battle to use a completely different system. At the end of the school day I write the amount if points earned and the parents are able to monitor according to my points system, whether their child has had an ok, great, or fantastic day! We have studied and discussed excerpts of “Mindset” in PD sessions at my school, so I am definitely familiar with her work. And the most important question is clearly … Why on earth would you do this to your students? Meanwhile, my own child is forced to do more work as homework because the material is not covered in class. Seems both K12 and corporate trainers are being misled. The value has to be in what they are. My son used to LOVE school; he's gone to the Nurses office 4 times this year with a stomach ache wanting to come home. I see behavior charts as going along a similar path in my school. I do not award points for getting answers right, but for participating(before I started this, they would sit there staring at me like I had two heads) I award points for students who listen to the directions I have given the first time, for students who are genuinely working hard. However, I have found with the students at my school this public showing does help with many things because these students often don’t know what a “good” or “advanced” student should be doing. My sons teacher sends home a weekly paper with the point winners and of course there are kids whose names will never be on that paper. If a child asks for a break from the mat, she can have it. Kagan Structures are revolutionary teaching strategies. Hopefully conversations like these can make that happen. In Becky Bailey’s Conscious Discipline she really brought it home for me in saying that kids want to be noticed, not judged. By offering a quick, easy way for teachers to note behaviors as they happen, ClassDojo allows teachers to gather more data about individual students and give them feedback nearly instantaneously. That was blurting out.” . If a student breaks the rule in front of the classroom and you say nothing, the same discussion wil take place around the dinner table. They need consequences that relate to the behavior, and are ideally immediate. However, the real issue is using a token economy in the classroom. Also, from the papers my son brought home, other teachers in the school can give or takeaway points, like when going to the lunchroom or restroom. I really try to think about how the things I do in my classroom will apply in other contexts. Using Class Dojo has freed my time (as others have mentioned before me) for more valuable teaching practices and one-to-one observations of my kiddos. You will rarely need any consequences other than “loss of choice”. Getting started on ClassDojo is easy and free! I am a preschool teacher and I feel that my life changed the first time I was introduced to Conscious Discipline. My son, a straight A student with ADHD, very hyper and on medicine got 44% negative two weeks ago, 43% negative 1 week ago and get this 100% negative this week and it's after school Friday so for 5 days he did nothing positive? , Hi Karen, If they want it bad enough they will earn it, if not they will not. This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, PERSUASIVE 2013, held in Sydney, NSW, Australia, in April 2013. What discipline isn’t public? I also refuse to give negative points and only focus on the positives. Here is my reflection as to why Class Dojo is not an option - rather than Class Dojo - Class Don’tjo. The previous part of this blog looks at using the software for behaviour management, but focuses on poor behaviour and tackling that. * Teachers can encourage students for any skill, like “Working hard” and “Teamwork”. As a kid who hated distractions in school, if you don’t want to be tased, Dojo’ed, told to knock it off, put in time out… How about you just stop goofing off and pay attention? Photograph: ClassDojo. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. A child’s dignity, privacy, self-respect are no less real or important or valid, than yours. Even with frequent chats with the student and his parents, as well as following school procedures for infractions, it wasn't until I started using ClassDojo that one particular student of mine started turning a corner in his behavior. Very awkward for middle schoolers. What works for Shae probably doesn’t work for Angelica. The positives that I have found using this system include: 1. Enter your email to get our weekly What If? My sons 4th grade class is using classdojo. I use Class Dojo with my P6 class and they genuinely love it. All of us parents believe our child is the greatest, as they should, and in many ways they are ... but we are not sitting in the classroom with them. I am teaching them to become responsible children and future adults. If it is an overall behavior problem, a parent should be contacted directly. The class was super excited about it and I noticed it had a positive influence on my class environment. The fact remains, they are doing it for the payment. So sad. Last week my son received 2 positive points and 2 negative points all week. There is no reason they can't tell me directly what needs to be said. Nothing about that ever seemed fair or just in my opinion. Android. But again, rewards don’t build learners. "My son was doing karate classes with another excellent, well-known martial arts franchise when I found Dojo Go. © 2021 Teaching Ace. You’ll notice in the comments there are several teachers who use it and believe the program makes their classroom a better place: Tase Your Kid Instead: http://www.teachingace.com/thinking-about-classroom-dojo-why-not-just-tase-your-kids-instead/ […], […] read about Dojo's. This page uses Class Dojo to help them think about what is … Addicts is the perfect term. Cons. When teaching Middle School, I never had a discipline plan. However, I think we need to be careful about how we praise, and how much. You may be ok with using praise or points as extrinsic motivators, but make no mistake: they remain extrinsic. Communication is greatly enhanced, parents have given me very positive feedback, and the children love their Student Accounts, where they can monitor their house points and have fun changing the appearance of their avatars. My smart intelligent 6 year old, who only had wonderful reviews prior, figured out that if you were not good in the first week (a sad sticker) you would not get the prized treat at the end of the month. I appreciate that you are using Class Dojo as a method of giving positive feedback. I told her how am I suppose to know if you don't tell me. I also think it is true that kids “give up” after a while with the system. Nearly all research points to public discipline as ineffective or counterproductive. However, by using a public symbol, whether it be a color card, a stop light, a clip, or a Dojo monster with points, it becomes a public display. Do family building - whanaungatanga - all year. That is the question! This gives meaning to very abstract words, but also helps kids to see themselves as having those positive qualities. So he does not ask questions, and does not learn to his potential in this class. Teachers can use an ipad, Smartphone, or computer and continuously adjust a student’s behavior points. I do not keep it displayed as my Smart Board is in constant use. But I was also surprised nobody mentioned the monster study of 1939. If I’m going to take time away from instruction due to behavior, I’d rather start a simple learning game and pull the child from the group for a quiet conversation. When one child gets excited and has an opportunity to share that enthusiasm, the contagion spreads. Ones that have an over-inflated view of themselves, who are more entitled and lack critical thinking skills? Some kids may very well reflect if they have to move a clip or lose points. It is important to learn to solve problems and that isn't possible if one always focuses on the positive. I would have been very concerned about ensuring that my points stayed where I wanted them, and I would have been checking often to see how I was doing – pulling my thinking and attention away from learning. Some kids are told by bus drivers no talking on the school bus! Positive reinforcement, conferencing with students and parents and many other tools that I have used throughout the years. I also don’t think it is punishment to the other kids. As she had marked every behavior problem down on his report card. Technology is sometimes a double edge sword and Class Dojo is no different. A child behaves well at home but can be less than their best at school. 4. I be talked to the teacher and the principal about the negative impact it is having on my son. Rating breakdown. They might not be able to show it or have the time to be part of education like high income places but I believe all parents value education. Many commenters have said they do not do that, so that would be something to clarify with your son’s teacher. At first I really liked the idea and got the app on my phone so I can check on him throughout the day. Class Dojo is a behavior management system that is ALL ONLINE and you can tailor it toward your specific class needs. Thanks for the link! * Teachers can bring parents into the classroom experience by sharing photos, videos, and announcements. Pro athletes, bill collectors and fighter pilots, to name a few. It is tough, because a full day at school is long. It makes me sad that teachers are using this tool the wrong way. Much like we believe all parents can learn I believe all parents care. Use a Visual Reminder. It works only if kids and parents care. Kiko Suarez on Comprehensive Learner Records, Town Hall Recap: Difference Making and Purpose-Based Learning, Christine Ricci and Leo Morton on Connecting Schools and Industry, 5 Recommendations to Improve Remote Learning for Families, 10 Strategies for Schools to Improve Parent Engagement, Closing the Digital Divide for Parents: A COVID-19 Story, Engaging Parents to Engage Learners: Digital Portfolios Can Make it Happen. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and opinions on gamification in the classroom. We want teachers conferencing with children, providing quality feed-forward and feed-back for each individual learner. Retrieved from http://www.teachingace.com/thinking-about-classroom-dojo-why-not-just-tase-your-kids-instead/ […], […] This article is from a teacher who does not agree with the color coding system or the point system. There are many new faces, and students with behavioral and emotional issues have been placed in his class (long story). I agree that we need to discuss and model expectations and have conversations with kids. This is an excerpt from one of the testimonials on the Class Dojo website: “If the class is getting a little noisy, or if a group of students are getting off task, I just start handing out some positive and negative points, and sure enough students refocus and get right back to work.” Basically, I just start zapping the kids, and they get back to work. I would like to see a shift to helping them reflect on their actions themselves and consider how their choices impact both them and others. It is important to know that not ALL teachers project the full class points. TechGirlJenny I will reply to the gamification question. Thank you. We don’t want to miss the math lesson because you just HAD to make a fart noise. As a teacher who recently started using Class Dojo, I think it is a wonderful tool for teachers, parents and students. Or you were helpful/patient/respectful/etc. There however other ways of viewing human behavior that have had much less influence on educational practice. Trying to identify for kids the pride THEY may feel after doing something well is also a great alternative. My son is smart and not a trouble maker, I’m not concerned he lost a point for blurting or giggling. I have to agree with most of the issues discussed in this post. As always, unless the teacher likes you, you are always penalized for something minute. I call it the Hokey-Pokey Zone. I also KNOW that what works in School ABC doesn’t work in School 123. I hope more teachers figure out how to use this tool in a more positive way! I’ve ‘modified’ mine to include two colors that go up, to give recognition to kids who are doing the right thing, setting a good example, showing good citizenship, etc. I am sure many adults would benefit from that skill. (…and my son had better be getting at least one mark from each of his seven teachers every day, or I’ll be calling the school to find out why they are not actively monitoring his classroom behavior…;) ). My child had 33% negative last week and 43% negative this week. Teachers can … I think your experiences with having different classes function differently is very real. Since his peers weren't going to put up with it, he cared that much more. I’ve had students that require multiple ‘check-in’ points throughout the day because of frequent infractions or behavior improvement plans. New learning models, tools, and strategies have made it easier to open small, nimble schooling models. In my experience with color cards, the system was very ineffective for kids with repeated behavioral concerns. Parent reviews (this and other sites) however are vastly different â ranging from loving it to hating it. We are required to implement a behavior plan and communicate with parents nightly about student behavior (whether or not the parents communicate back). […], […] students. We viewed “discipline” problems as teachable moments. If circumstances are less than desirable in a student, I can easily see what needs to be worked on, as can the students parents. If we think about behaviour as a teachable skill, just like reading, it becomes pretty obvious that we can’t expect every child to go about learning to behave in the same way, at the same rate. I get a general idea of his "bad" behavior such as "Not making a smart choice" or"Disrespect". Rewards and punishments actually trigger activity in the addiction center of the brain. Having a system in place (be it a clip chart or a point system) gives them feedback. This post is how I believe behavior management “systems” undermine community. My issue is with using it as a behavior management tool with students, based on points. What if the teacher was too tired to enter something positive. They got sick of using their own hard earned points to help someone who clearly didn't care. She has perfect points, but it all means nothing to me. If we are not able to reflect on, evaluate, defend, and sometimes modify our methods, then that is concerning. Your email address will not be published. I absolutely do not like ClassDojo!! We don’t want our children to see their classmates as competition - rather as a family full of people who help one another, and where different people work on different skills in different ways, at different rates, at different times, using different tools. Plus, it's … There are many many reasons not to use publicly-displayed, one-size-fits-all behaviour systems. really ? Just don’t zap me again. Is it always perfect? These tools are available in the book and as eResources to help you build your own classroom of passionate readers. It's time to ditch those textbooks--and those textbook assumptions about learning In Ditch That d104book, teacher and blogger Matt Miller encourages educators to throw out meaningless, pedestrian teaching and learning practices. As far as your comment about getting paid regardless of the time you spend for your job. Shame on you for judging without even knowing me. Undermining a child’s privacy and dignity, damages their relationships with their peers, with you, and with themselves. She's had two children already pass through our and while they were overall good kids, like most they had their bad days. Or, if they are giving up on something, you can remind them. The research on rewards is pretty clear. ClassDojo is aware of how crucial parent-teacher communication is in schooling a child. Regardless of his behavior “grade” at school he could still get the grand prize. Thirty years ago sticker charts displayed in the classroom were epic. An exploration of new agreements, new practices, new tools and new opportunities with support from the Walton Family Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Â. I want my students to be skilled at managing themselves and their relationships in the real world. There are actually 26 rules about eating!! I think this type of thinking is lost when the teacher is always deeming an action to be good or bad for them. I expressed my concerns about my class and my principal suggested I give Dojo a chance. Use Class-Dojo? Ideally, ClassDojo can tighten the feedback loop between teacher, student, and parent. The system allows the teacher to say he did not follow class rules but is not specific about which one of the 12 she has. Whatever happened to a simple phone call, note or a well said great job? The trend is a familiar one with the top tech companies, we saw Apple pay get 1 million users in the first 72 hours of being launched. We all love sweets. Thank you for sharing your insights and wisdom. Since my child is below thirteen years of age and still under COPPA (Childâs Online Privacy Protection Act) I emailed the Class Dojo Tech to erase all of my childâs data in their servers/computer and I also requested for a new teacher (one that does not use Online Behavioral program). It's much easier to live up to someone's expectations of failure than to live up to their expectations of success. My child has not had any behavioral issues before in her other school, so why now? Then the teacher moves both of their points down. It breaks my heart when students come to me after I’ve complimented them for their responsible choices, and ask for a treat or prize (because that’s what they’re used to). My son started kindergarten this year and his teacher uses this app. The pictures added to the class story are available for any parent in the classroom with an account to see/like/comment on. (The program mentioned in the blog is the same as the one used […], […] penalise students’ behaviour in class. It really is a learning process! Well, this turned into a much longer post than I thought it would, but it’s an issue I’ve been working with for years…as have we all. I’ve been ambivalent about Dojo as my colleagues have all jumped on board. As a result we had minimal behavior issues. I told the teachers about it and so far I have not seen any more comments and my son has not complained about her again. He completes his work. Labeling a child who may be trying as best he can for the particular stage in development can destroy him for the rest of his life with the tattle tales echoing a five year old malady. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. He got hardwired to the "bing" sound, however, and it became a negative experience awaiting the ticks on his avatar. Unsolicited Evaluation Is the Enemy of Creativity. Repeat steps to add additional codes. I noticed a comment below that said with every tool there is a positive and a negative. I like knowing what’s going on because I can discipline him accordingly but I’m just not sure he looks at it as positive. There are not too many EdTech companies that can be included in the list of "Companies who have enjoyed rapid roll out because of product market fit" but ClassDojo is … If we beat the number of positives from the previous day, we earn a paw. I love that parents can view their child’s behavior everyday. I want to build that internal drive in our students. If a child does this in a classroom using ClassDojo a teacher can take off points and the child is at 43% negative for the entire day. Class Dojo is a real time behavior management application for classrooms. This means I don’t have to do anything to sign them out or in from the restroom. Often times I have to âthink backâ but my child actually likes these discussions I have with him. So, lots of effort can go into trying to please the teacher/earn points/change cards. I totally get it. I wonder to those who are very much against the clip systems and so on….what do you do to let kids know they are doing well? I would feel belittled, no desire to work harder after seeing that big nasty red bad point. I also think that time out is effective when you use it in the way that you have described – to give a child a chance to calm down, regroup, and rejoin the group. I absolutely respect the opinions and experiences of others. You can enter student names individually or cut/paste from a class roster. I'm a first year teacher in a special education 5th grade class and the behavior system I was using just wasn't cutting it. A teacher using ClassDojo. I for one see little use and long term value for such a tool. I think these pieces are key. So I would consider teachers to be in charge of the reward or punishment with these systems not the behavior. I wish that my students were intrinsically motivated but some kids just need a different approach. When a student looses a point, I will be discussing with them why they lost the point and how to correct the behavior.This will be done in a personal setting, not in front of the others. Do lots of activities on what self-control means and how when we catch ourselves and get control over our behaviours, we can be proud. I’m looking forward to seeing it in action from the parent’s point of view. I am sure many start using behavior management systems like Dojo because they are the norm right now, rather than using them because they find it supports their philosophy. It really depends on how each teacher utilizes the program. I asked her to use Class Dojo just for positive points for her students and it worked. I am very lucky to be able to say that I have never had to teach in a way that was against my philosophy. Interesting thought. Do you really think standing next to the teacher at recess isn’t public shaming? I often reward groups or even the whole class. Feedback is important. It is more about labeling the good we are seeing, rather than just saying “good.” The last bit is key to intrinsic motivation – You were determined. Praise is an outside judgement; “I like the way you printed your name”. If you are a child who is usually on task and doing well, but sometimes slips up, your mistakes are now made bigger. We know it is a very safe (emotional and physical) place. Yes, children will inevitably compare their work to their classmates’ work any time you do a bulletin board or display, but if the PURPOSE of that display is to highlight blue ribbons vs. those who have not achieved blue ribbons, it is harmful to the creation of a caring classroom community. Class Dojo has instantly solved all of our problems by removing the need for diaries to record points in, and by allowing our Head of Houses to collate all of the data instantly, without having to send emails and/or students around to round up the points, then add them up on a calculator! That’s why it has such a robust messaging widget. 2. What if a teacher doesn't like your child? Parents messaging on ClassDojo. Children like having choices, having a say in the path their day takes. I also do not shame or make students feel bad even when results are displayed publicly. I try to always give explanations for points so parents can have conversations with their children on a daily or weekly basis. I was introduced to the software this past September, where it was being used in my son's Grade 2 class.
Waterpik Nano Water Flosser,
Motivation In Healthcare Professionals,
Blue Advantage Arkansas Prior Authorization,
Hot Shot Bedbug & Flea Killer,
Co Op Apartments For Sale In The Bronx,
Darrell Taylor The Challenge Age,
When Will Pattaya Bars Reopen 2021,
Show, Not Tell Emotions Examples,
Marlon Mack Trade 49ers,
Customer Service Incentive Ideas,