Classroom Management that Works
Character “Counts“
This behavior game is my go-to strategy when my class needs a reset.
Why manage your class when you can encourage students to manage themselves instead?
I haven’t used the “Yacker Tracker” much this year, but it debuted today. I don’t know why, but things get a little wonky every year at about this same time. It seems like my students forget how to behave and need a reminder in February every year. Perhaps I am slacking on classroom management? Perhaps my line becomes fuzzy on what’s okay and not okay?
Turning Behavior Management into a Game
By lunchtime today, I had about had my fill of some repetitive behaviors that get on my nerves. I felt the need to revisit some classroom management ideas that had helped in the past. I ate lunch with some students and had the “Yacker Tracker” out. They asked about it, and when I explained it, one of them said, “That sounds like Undercover Boss!” My lunch buddies and I did a little collaborative problem-solving and came up with a new behavior game:
- A student will be the Undercover Boss each day.
- I will select a target behavior and post it on the board.
- I will secretly tell the Undercover Boss who the mystery student is.
- The Undercover Boss will use the click counter to count the targeted behaviors of the mystery student.
We tested it out, and I have to say, it worked even better than I thought it would! The whole class was working on decreasing the target behavior because no one knew who the mystery student was. It felt like a game, and we laughed about behavior mistakes. Undercover Boss changed the mood of the class to something a little more upbeat and a lot less frustrating for me.
Tips for a Successful Behavior Day
At the end of the day, we did announce who the mystery student was. You may want to do that in a private conversation, but there was no consequence attached to the game’s results. Students were cheering each other on, and it felt acceptable to say who the mystery student was.
Don’t choose a student who is struggling with the target behavior for the first time. It doesn’t really matter which student you select because it is a mystery that makes all students pay more attention to their behavior.
I noticed that choosing a student who was having a tough time with problematic behaviors to be the “Undercover Boss” instead of the “Mystery Student” was really effective!
This behavior game resulted in students helping each other with reminders, which was awesome because I spent no time talking about behaviors. This makes me a very happy teacher.
The Benefits of Collecting Data
The click counter removes the judgment from conversations about student behavior.
One statement is unclear and feels terrible to hear, while the other is a starting point for improvement. If today’s blurting-out count was 12, we could work on getting that number to decrease. Saying words like always and never makes you sound like an angry teacher who wants to complain about a behavior problem rather than fix it. I don’t generally record the behavior count, but I include some forms for that in my TpT product.
Tracking behavior data does not change the feeling of this being a game and being viewed as a challenge by your students. It works for my class to view it as a challenge. If it doesn’t work for you, try a different strategy that feels less like a game.
Student-collected vs. Teacher-collected Data
If I intend to collect behavior data for a parent meeting, I use the click counter myself rather than selecting a student to have this responsibility. I use this counter to measure actual data to see if behavior modifications are successful. When discussing behavior with parents or administrators, it is more effective to cite actual data instead of making a statement that a student is constantly interrupting. The click counter is a good way to avoid conversations about behavior that contain judgment- keeping the focus on data and facts.
Introducing Target Behaviors
Use these task cards to introduce target behaviors to students.
Have students role-play what the target behavior on the card would look like during different classroom activities. This activity will help the Undercover Boss know what to look for and help the students understand the behavior expectations. I love these stand-up picture frames from Ikea and use them in a bunch of different ways. You can order them on Amazon as well. It’s good to have a visual reminder for students close by.
My Character Counts product has five different tracking sheets and thirteen behavior posters. You can get them from my TpT store or create your own. Either way, I’m sure you will see an improvement in your student’s behavior, and you’ll be better prepared to discuss behavior issues in meetings.
